Reiterdenkmal Friedrich Wilhelm III.
Reiterdenkmal Friedrich Wilhelm III. stands in Cologne’s Altstadt-Nord, where a bronze Frederick William III rides towards Berlin. His horse and substantial pedestal rise in a public square, with military and civilian figures filling the base.
Gustav Bläser began the sculpture, which Alexander Calandrelli and Rudolf Schweinitz completed after his death. The monument was unveiled in 1878, with the monarch’s son, the future Emperor Wilhelm I, attending the ceremony. Its reliefs reflect Frederick William III’s reign from 1797 to 1840, including the Protestant church union established in 1817. Friedrich Schleiermacher and Karl vom Stein zum Altenstein appear on the north side, while the south side shows figures connected with Cologne Cathedral’s continued construction. References to the Kölner Wirren connect the monument with conflicts between Catholic and Protestant communities.
Since 1980, the bronze ensemble has held recognition as an architectural heritage monument. A ground plaque south of the statue marks the eighth station of the Via Reformata, a route through Cologne’s Protestant history.
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