Emperor William monuments

Germany once saw a boom in monuments built to honor Emperor William I, known in German as Kaiser Wilhelm. The first equestrian statue of him, created while he was still King of Prussia, was made by Berlin sculptor Friedrich Drake in 1867. According to the Prussian Monument Institute, a total of 63 equestrian statues, 231 standing statues, 5 seated statues, and 126 busts were erected across German-speaking areas between 1888 and 1918. Many more monuments feature the emperor in relief medallions or carry dedicatory inscriptions.

In addition, 28 Emperor William I towers were constructed during the German Empire period. A smaller number of monuments honor his grandson, William II, who reigned from June 1888 until November 1918. These include two equestrian statues: one stands on the Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne, and a scaled relief is located in Wuppertal’s Elberfeld district.

Most Emperor William monuments were built after his death in March 1888, because Prussian custom forbade erecting monuments to living monarchs, and official projects required “sovereign approval.” Private individuals usually initiated the monuments, with memorial committees handling funding, planning, and unveiling ceremonies before disbanding. These monuments appeared mainly in Prussia and, outside Prussia, in larger cities.

Three of the best-known surviving monuments are the 81-meter Kyffhäuser Monument (1890–1896), the Emperor William Monument at Porta Westfalica (unveiled 1896), and the monument at the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz (erected 1897). All three were designed by Berlin architect Bruno Schmitz. The Emperor William National Monument, once in front of the Berlin Palace, was unveiled in 1897 but removed in 1950 along with the palace itself.

The oldest surviving monument to William I is Drake’s 1867 equestrian statue, which stands at the bridgehead of Cologne’s Hohenzollern Bridge on the Deutz side. The only statue showing him in civilian clothes was unveiled on 7 May 1893 in the spa park at Bad Ems, depicting the monarch as visitors saw him during his spa stays.

One of the 231 standing statues, created by Dresden sculptor Johannes Schilling, was unveiled in 1894 in Wiesbaden’s Warmer Damm. Standing 6.8 meters tall, its base bears the inscription “The grateful city of Wiesbaden.” The last official monument to William I was an equestrian statue planned for Lübeck. Authorization and a contract were issued in 1914, and the casting die was ready, but no bronze was available due to World War I, so the statue was not completed until 1919.