Brunswick Lion
Medieval bronze landmark of Brunswick, originally gilded.
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The Brunswick Lion, a bronze sculpture from the Middle Ages, was cast between 1164 and 1176. It stands as the best-known landmark in the German city of Brunswick. Its original home was the Burgplatz square, in front of the city's cathedral. In 1980, the original statue was moved to Dankwarderode Castle, and a replica now occupies its former spot. Locals often call it the Castle Lion.
Quick Facts
- Medium
- Bronze
- City
- Brunswick
- Museum
- Dankwarderode Castle
Facts from the source article.
Creation
The Brunswick Lion was created between 1164 and 1176, according to recent research, though the medieval chronicler Abbot Albert of Stade once mentioned 1166 as the year of origin. It was commissioned by the Welf duke Henry the Lion (1129/31–1195), who ruled both Saxony and Bavaria and had made Braunschweig his residence. After marrying the English princess Matilda, Henry had Dankwarderode Castle built in the style of a Kaiserpfalz, rivalling the nearby Imperial Palace of Goslar. He placed the lion statue at the center of the castle complex as a seigniorial symbol of his ducal authority and jurisdiction, probably also as an expression of his claim to power towards the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick Barbarossa. This monument is notable as the first large detached sculpture of the Middle Ages north of the Alps and the first large hollow casting of a figure since antiquity. The bronze casting by an unknown artist, probably from Brunswick, weighs 880 kilograms, has a height of 1.78 meters, a length of 2.79 meters, and a maximum thickness of 12 millimeters. The sculpture was originally gilded. Its design appears modeled on Italian art, such as the Capitoline Wolf, the Lion of Saint Mark, or the ancient Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius. Henry may have been inspired during Italian campaigns he undertook together with Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The elaborate artistic achievement and naturalistic design indicate the work of a versed goldsmith or bell founder.
History
The lion soon became the heraldic animal of Braunschweig, appearing in the city's seal and on ducal coins. After long quarrels with the Braunschweig citizens were settled, Duke Frederick Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel had the sculpture and its pedestal extensively restored in 1616. During the Napoleonic Wars, it was narrowly rescued from melting down when the Westphalian government prepared for the 1812 Russian Campaign. Sculptor Georg Ferdinand Howaldt carried out another restoration in 1858. In 1903, the Braunschweig Büssing automotive company adopted the lion as a logo mounted on its buses and trucks; after MAN SE took over in 1972, the Büssing signet still adorns MAN commercial vehicles. The threat of strategic bombing during World War II prompted the city administration to replace the original sculpture with a copy already cast in 1937. Kept safe at the Rammelsberg mines in the Harz mountains, the original statue was brought back to Braunschweig by the British occupation forces after the war and re-installed in a festive ceremony. Finally in 1980, the original statue was removed inside Dankwarderode Castle to protect it from further damage caused by air pollution. A specially manufactured replica has been set up at the original site.
Legend
Shortly after the death of Henry the Lion in 1195, the duke became the subject of a folktale called the Heinrichssage. The tale was later turned into the opera Enrico Leone by Italian composer Agostino Steffani. The Heinrichssage details a fictional account of Henry's pilgrimage to the Holy Land. A popular part of the tale deals with the Brunswick Lion. According to legend, Henry witnessed the fight between a lion and a dragon while on pilgrimage. He joins the lion in its fight and they slay the dragon. The faithful lion then accompanies Henry on his return home. After its master's death, the lion refuses all food and dies of grief on Henry's grave. The people of Brunswick then erect the statue in the lion's honor.
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