Equestrian statue of Wilhelm I in Nürnberg Germany

CountryGermany
Town:Nuremberg
Year of creation:1905
Rider(s):Wilhelm I

(1797–1888), who was almost the opposite of Otto von Bismarck, the Minister President with whom he realised the unification of Germany. Bismarck was a tough man with reactionary policies, but Wilhelm was polite, gentlemanly, and despite being a staunch conservative, more open to some liberal ideas than for example his grandson Wilhelm II.
Sculptor(s):Rümann, Wilhelm von

1850 – 1906) was a German sculptor

Description:

No less than 65 equestrian statues of Wilhelm I have been created and erected over the years. Fifty of these statues were destroyed, most of them (31) during WW II, 5 before and 9 after that war and unknown when 5. Of the remaining 15 statues one was sold at an auction in 1981 to a private person and one was reconstructed, leaving 15 equestrian statues of Wilhelm I in public space.

Some of the existing statues are in poor condition, such as the ones in Düsseldorf, Essen and Nuremberg. The last of these still shows bullet holes; damage from 1945.