- CountryGermany
- Town:Cologne
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Year of creation:1911
- Rider(s):Friedrich III
(1831 –1888) was German Emperor and King of Prussia for ninety-nine days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. He was the only son of Emperor Wilhelm I and was raised in his family’s tradition of military service. Although celebrated as a young man for his leadership and successes during the wars, he nevertheless professed a hatred of warfare. Following the unification of Germany in 1871 his father, then King of Prussia, became the German Emperor. Friedrich married Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the UK. The couple shared a liberal ideology, that led them to seek greater representation for commoners in the government. So, in spite of his conservative militaristic family background, Friedrich developed liberal thoughts. However, his illness, and as a result of that, his short reign, prevented him from effectively establishing policies and measures to achieve this. The few moves, as he was able to make, were later abandoned by his son and successor, Wilhelm II. His premature demise, is considered a potential turning point in German history; and whether or not he would have made the Empire more liberal if he had lived longer is still discussed.
- Sculptor(s):Tuaillon, Louis
(1862 —1919) was a German sculptor most famous for his equestrian sculpture Mounted Amazon. From 1879 to 1881, he attended the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin, then worked in the studio of Reinhold Begas. In Vienna, he spent two years in the studio of Rudolf Weyr and then spent the years 1885 to 1903 in Rome. From 1906, Tuaillon was once again in Berlin, as Professor in the Academy.
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There are two equestrian statues placed on each end of the Hohenzollernbrücke over the river Rhine in Cologne. Two statues by Louis Tuaillon, of Wilhelm II (1910) and Friedrich III (1911), on the Cathedral side and the statues of Friedrich Wilhelm I and Wilhelm I, by respectively Drake and Bläser both from 1867, on the other side. The condition of these statues is poor, due to the heavy traffic.
