3-074-576 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Statue of Germania, opposite Bingen, on the Rhine, 1883. 'Yesterday, Friday, the 28th September, was the day appointed for a grand ceremonial in Germany, of a truly national significance; this being the solemn inauguration by the Emperor William I., in presence of most of the Sovereign Princes of Germany, of the gigantic statue of Germania, erected amidst the delightful scenery of the Niederwald below Rüdesheim, on the banks of the Rhine, opposite Bingen, which is intended to commemorate the German victories in the campaign of 1870-1 [ie the Franco-Prussian War]. The sculptor who has designed this monument is Professor Schilling; but different parts of the colossal statue and accessory groups have been executed in several cities of Germany, particularly in Munich, Dresden, and Berlin. It has been a work of time and difficulty to bring these parts together, and finally put them into their respective positions...Mr. J. B. Hilsdorf, artist, of Bingen, has furnished us with a series of Sketches of the National Monument, and of the scenery in its neighbourhood'. From "Illustrated London News", 1883.