Statues - Hither & Thither

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Wassenberg
Kr. Heinsberg
Nordrhein-Westfalen

Kirchstraße

Sankt Georg

Memorial for fallen soldiers
St. George (ca. 275/281 - 303)
Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He is immortalized in the tale of Saint George and the Dragon
(Wikipedia)

Hans Munzer
1920

Description

Stone statue of St. George and the dragon.

Inscription(s)

unseren
toten
der kriege

weltkrieg
1914 1918

Saint George and the Dragon

The town of Silene had a pond, as large as a lake, where a plague-bearing dragon dwelled that envenomed all the countryside. To appease the dragon, the people of Silene used to feed it two sheep every day, and when the sheep failed, they fed it their children, chosen by lottery. It happened that the lot fell on the king's daughter. The king, distraught with grief, told the people they could have all his gold and silver and half of his kingdom if his daughter were spared; the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, decked out as a bride, to be fed to the dragon. Saint George by chance rode past the lake. The princess, trembling, sought to send him away, but George vowed to remain. The dragon reared out of the lake while they were conversing. Saint George fortified himself with the Sign of the Cross, charged it on horseback with his lance, and gave it a grievous wound. He then called to the princess to throw him her girdle, and he put it around the dragon's neck. When she did so, the dragon followed the girl like a meek beast on a leash. Wikipedia. In art, Saint George is easily distinguished from Saint Michael, the other saint dragon slayer, since Michael as archangel is always depicted with wings.

Sculptor

Hans Munzer, German sculptor from Düsseldorf.

Sources & Information

Gewerbeverein Wassenberg e.V., Stadtrundgang.

Locatie (N 51°6'0" - E 6°9'28") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: denw079; Photograph: 7 August 2009
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
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© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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