Description
Monument to commemorate the 1869 founding congress of the Social Democratic Labor Party (SDAP) held in Eisenach under the leadership of August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht. Square stone block with on the four faces reliefs many figures. Each face has a date:
1869 Founding of the Social Democratic Labor Party (SDAP)
Out of social misery (worker woman on the left - referring to Käthe Kollwitz' drawing "Hunger" is intentional) and oppression (tethered right), the revolutionary part of the working class is formed: "labor man wake up and recognize your power!" (The man with the hammer - based on pictorial self-portrayal of the working class of that time). For the two spiritual leaders one may think of Bebel and Liebknecht, the founders of the Social Democratic Labor Party.
1918 Founding of the Communist Party of Germany
The central figure is a worker woman with a flag, resembling Maxim Gorky's "mother". The idea of the Great Socialist October Revolution is represented. The two corner figures symbolize heroic achievements of the working class in this time. On the right a sailor stands for the November Revolution. The Spain-fighter on the left brings in the idea of international solidarity. The figure of the collapsing man and of those who hold him associate the power of resistance and the victims of the German working class and their party in the Night of Fascism.
1946 Founding of the SED
Consequently, the two figures with the historical handshake are the center of this part. These were the years of the construction of the first German workers and peasants state. The rubble woman as a legendary symbol is indispensable. Youth as an active co-designer embodies itself in the form of the girl. The worker in the combat group uniform makes it clear that the working class knows how to protect the gained power, and is no longer defenseless and tied up.
1983 Inauguration of the monument
The fourth face shows present and future. Socialism advances (female figure). The ideas of Marxism-Leninism are spreading (figure of the caller). The party of the working class of the GDR is an active participant in the international class struggle. The Vietnamese woman on the left, the African woman and the hand-raising Chilean symbolize internationalism and confidence in victory.
The surrounding square of the monument is separated by a low wall from the adjacent green area, on the front side is the text of Bertolt Brecht's poem 'Lob der Partei' (praise of the party).:
der einzelne hat zwei augen
die partei hat tausend augen.
die partei sieht sieben staaten
der einzelne sieht eine stadt.
der einzelne hat seine stunde,
aber die partei hat viele stunden.
der einzelne kann vernichtet werden,
aber die partei kann nicht vernichtet werden.
denn sie ist der vortrupp der massen
und führt ihren kampf
mit den methoden der klassiker, welche geschöpft sind
aus der kenntnis der wirklichkeit.
bertolt brecht
|
The monument was inaugurated on 14 March 1984, the 100th anniversary of the death of Karl Marx.
Sculptors
- Anke Besser-Güth (Erfurt 1940),
German sculptor, ceramist and painter, married with Siegfried Besser
(Wikipedia).
- Siegfried Besser (Görlitz 1941),
German painter and graphic artist, married with Anke Güth
(Wikipedia).
Sources & Information
Tags
Locatie (N 50°58'6" - E 10°19'22") (Satellite view: Google Maps)
Item Code: deth097; Photograph: 10 October 2018
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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