Statues - Hither & Thither

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Kleve
Lkr. Kleve
Nordrhein-Westfalen

Dr.-Heinz-Will-Platz

Denkmal des Großen Kurfürsten

Monument to the Great Elector

Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg
Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg
Cölln 1620 - Potsdam 1688
Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, and since 1640 Duke of Kleve, known as "the Great Elector"
(Wikipedia)

Peter Breuer
1909

Description

Bronze equestrian statue, on a high pedestal with on the long sides reliefs showing the coat of arms of Kleve and Brandenburg and two portraits. The monument was damaged in 1945 and replaced in 1974. On the base were originally 12 coats of arms of the towns in the Duchy of Kleve, only those in the right side are preserved.

Kleve - Denkmal des Großen Kurfürsten
Left, coat of arms of Kleve and portraits.

Right, coat of arms of Brandenburg and portraits.

Portraits left:
Original inscription: Ryetjer von Mark, Graf von Cleve 1020
Adolf der Kluge, Graf von der Mark, Herzog von Cleve 1417

Rutger or Rütger Flamenses, one of the brothers from Hainaut who was given in 1020 as a fief by emperor Heinrich II lands on the Lower Rhine. He became the forefather of the Counts, later Dukes of Kleve.
Adolf von der Mark (1373-1448), became in 1417 the first Duke of Kleve (Wikipedia).

Kleve - Denkmal des Großen Kurfürsten
Portraits right:
Original inscription: Wilhelm der Reiche, Herzog von Jülich, Cleve, Berg 1539
Johann Sigismund, Kurfürst von Brandenburg, Herzog von Cleve 1609

Wilhelm V., genannt Wilhelm der Reiche / William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1516-1592), Duke of Kleve, 1539-1592 (Wikipedia).
Johann Sigismund, Markgraf von Brandenburg / John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg (1572-1619), Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, he received the territories of Cleves, Mark, and Ravensberg in the Treaty of Xanten in 1614 (Wikipedia).

Kleve - Denkmal des Großen Kurfürsten
emmerich

goch

calcar

xanten

cleve

isselbvrg

Inscription(s)

FRIEDRICH WILHELM
DER GROSSE KURFÜRST
1640-1688

Information Sign

friedrich wilhelm
markgraf von brandenburg, des
heiligen römischen reiches erz-
kämmerer und kurfürst, herzog
von kleve, jülich und berg, graf
von der mark und von ravens-
berg, herr zu ravenstein, gewann
durch den vertrag von kleve
am 25. 10. 1666 die herrschaft über
das seit 1609 mit brandenburg
vereinigte herzogtum kleve.

das denkmal wurde errichtet zum
300. jahrestag der zugehörigkeit
des herzogtums kleve
zu brandenburg und preussen.

Sculptor

Peter Christian Breuer (Köln 1856 - Berlin 1930), German sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Stadt Kleve, Sehenswürdigkeiten ➝ Denkmäler.
Sibylle Einholz, Peter Breuer (1856-1930): ein plastiker zwischen Tradition und Moderne. Freie Universität Berlin, 1984. Kat.Nr. 68.
Kees van Tilburg, From Marcus Aurelius to Kim Jong-il: The story of equestrian statues throughout the ages (Amstelveen, 2017). – see also the Equestrian statue website.

Locatie (N 51°47'8" - E 6°8'17") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: denw626; Photograph: 23 June 2017
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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