Emperor William monuments

Monument on the Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne
Emperor William monument in Dortmund-Hohensyburg
Statue of Emperor William, seated, in Dortmund's Westfalenpark

A large number of monuments were erected in Germany in honour of Emperor William I (known in German as Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal). As early as 1867 the Berlin sculptor, Friedrich Drake, had created the first equestrian statue, that portrayed William I as the King of Prussia. To date the Prussian Monument Institute (Preußische Denkmal-Institut) has recorded:

  • 63 equestrian statues
  • 231 standing statues
  • 5 seated statues and
  • 126 busts

that were created and erected between 1888 and 1918 in the German-speaking region. In addition there are numerous William I monuments on which the emperor is portrayed in a relief medallion or which commemorates the emperor in a dedicatory inscription. During the "imperial era" 28 Emperor William I towers were also built.

They are most commonly known in English sources as Emperor William monuments or Kaiser Wilhelm monuments.


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