Burschenschaftsdenkmal

The Burschenschaftsdenkmal (Fraternity Monument) in the south of Eisenach on the Göpelskuppe is the war memorial for the 87 fraternity members who fell in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. It was erected in 1902 as a national monument of the German Burschenschaft (student fraternities) in remembrance of the unification of the Reich.

Origin

After the establishment of the German Empire in 1871 and the implementation of the "kleindeutsche Lösung" (Lesser German Solution) for the unification of Germany, the vision of the Jena Urburschenschaft of 1815 was fulfilled for parts of the student fraternities, especially for the Burschenschaft associations.

The construction of the Burschenschaftsdenkmal was based on the original idea of erecting a "memorial" to the brothers who fell in 1870/71. But it was not until 1889 and 1890 that the idea took on a more tangible form, when Eisenach was chosen as the monument's destination and a committee was tasked with developing proposals. In 1894, an executive committee with its seat in Berlin was founded, to which members from seven Burschenschaften were delegated. The monument's underlying idea was now expanded to include all men who had contributed to the unification of Germany.

On June 8, 1897, the foundation stone was laid on the Wartenberg. For this location, government architect Oskar Zeiß had developed a plan for a mighty tower culminating in an imperial crown. At Pentecost of the following year, the seat of the executive committee was moved to Eisenach, and the committee was reorganized into the "Burschenschaftsdenkmalsverein in Eisenach" (Burschenschaft Monument Association in Eisenach) under the chairmanship of Medical Councilor Dr. Wedemann. Instead of a "simple" tower, a monumental building was now to be constructed. With the death of the national hero, Prince Otto von Bismarck, on July 30, 1898, all prominent cities in the Empire immediately began the prompt erection of Bismarck monuments; Eisenach could not lag behind, and only the exposed Wartenberg – opposite the Wartburg – was considered worthy enough for this purpose, and the Eisenach Bismarck Tower was erected there. The plans for the Burschenschaftsdenkmal were therefore postponed again. In this precarious situation for the city, the heirs of the brick factory owner and geologist Johann Georg Bornemann, who had died in Eisenach, helped by gratuitously ceding an area of 1.925 hectares on the Göpelskuppe to the Burschenschaft, and also provided the necessary area for the access road free of charge, while the city of Eisenach approved 4,000 marks for the construction of the road.

The 33-meter-high monument was designed according to the plans of architect Wilhelm Kreis from Blasewitz near Dresden and, after 2 years of construction, was solemnly inaugurated on May 22, 1902. Approximately 2,000 people are said to have participated in the procession from the city up to the monument. The keys were handed over by architect Kreis to the Deutsche Burschenschaft, on whose behalf the representative of the presiding Burschenschaft Marchia-Bonn, E. Lucks, handed it over to the Burschenschaftsdenkmalverein. The inauguration ceremony became a general German Burschenschaft festival, in which Burschenschaften from technical universities and Austrian Burschenschaften also participated.

The total costs for the erection of the monument amounted to approximately 250,000 marks.

Decay and Restoration

The monument survived the Second World War undamaged. However, for the new rulers, it was a symbol of feudalism and "reaction." Therefore, the Burschenschaftsdenkmal was wantonly damaged, with windows and statues destroyed. The ceiling painting, in particular, suffered severe damage due to the lack of ventilation after the window openings were bricked up.

In addition to plans for its demolition, there was later also the idea of establishing a public observatory within the monument.

After the return of the Burschenschaftsdenkmal and the associated "Berghof" hotel to the Deutsche Burschenschaft following the political change and reunification, the building's structure was secured and the building renovated. It can be visited again today.

On March 24, 2007, after approximately one year of reconstruction, the ceiling painting, originally created by the painter Otto Gussmann and restored by the painter and graphic artist Gert Weber, was officially inaugurated with festive events. The monument is open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM.

In 1932, a memorial for the fallen fraternity brothers of the First World War was erected below the Burschenschaftsdenkmal and inaugurated in 1933. The relief of a sword-bearing youth, inscriptions, and the coat of arms of the Burschenschaft were demolished by order of the Soviet occupation forces starting in 1946. After several years of renovation by the Denkmalerhaltungsverein Eisenach (Monument Preservation Association Eisenach) – financed by donations from the Burschenschaft – the fallen memorial was re-inaugurated on April 16, 2011. It is now the "Central Memorial Site of the Deutsche Burschenschaft" for the German victims of the First and Second World Wars. A restoration of the youth relief, which was chipped off in 1946, was foregone as a reminder of the desecration. During the renovation, a plate with a symbolic grave in a recess was rediscovered and left as is.