THE KAISER'S AVENUE OF STATUES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2467, 26 June 1901, Page 70

THE KAISER'S AVENUE OF STATUES.

(Geo. A. Wade, in the Windsor Magazine.) There are few visitors to Berlin who have not wandered with plea-sure through the beautiful park known as the Thiergarten, ■which is the biggest playground of the Berliners. To stroll through its leafy shades on a warm summer's day ; to admire its glorious trees ; to listen to the fine military bands that play daily within its precincts ; to visit the famous Zoological Gardens which are part and parcel of it — these are pleasures which the average stranger to the city on the Spree seldom misses. And now the Thiergarten, with its wealth of statues and memorials, is receiving an added attraction such as probably no such park in the whole world can boast. It already has celebrated avenues in plenty. There is the ons along which run the electric trams through the whole length of the paik, with the side gallops for horse riders, similar to our Rotten Row in Hyde Park. There are others better suited for quite promenades, md of these one of the most popular for some years past ihas been the Sieges- Allee. But the SiegesAllee is now about to become one of the most beautiful promenades in the world. The idea originated in the mind of the Emperor, wlio entirely controls tHe work and is bearing the cost. Despite the diverse opinions that may be held concerning William II of Germany, from a political point of view, there can be no question as to his brilliant qualities, his activity, his -seal for the land that he governs so effectively and so well. And this latest idea of his, now being carried to perfection in the Sieges-Allee, is only one among many gifts to his people, not onlj in Berlin, but to his subjects throughout all the German Empire. The Kaiser has resolved that there sfrall be erected on both sides o? the Sitges-Allee statues of all the rulers of past and present times of the electorate of Brandenburg and the Kingdom of Prussia These statues are to be as artistic and finished as possible. They are to be of the purest white marble that can be got for the purpose, ar.d are to be modelled by the finest sculptors that the Fatherland can produce. Tha Kaiser has set aside over £100,000 for the scheme out of his own private purse, and it is his in- . sntion, when the work is completed, to and it over as a present to the municipality for ever. "There are to be 32 of these statues, 16 on either side of the avenue. The name of the famous parade, Sieges-Allee, means "The Avenue of Victory" ; consequently it will be most appropriate that these marble memorials commemorate some of the chief victors among the monarchs and warriors of the (Fatherland. Two statues will be erected to represent each period of the rule of the Hohenzollerns. It is particularly fitting thit this site should have been chosen •whereon to place these statues, since the Thiergarten was originallj- the hunting, grounds, and then the pleasure grounds, of Frederick the Great and his successors. In extent it covers an area larger than Hyde Park, and extends from the Brandenburg Gate — at the end of the great street, Unter den Linden — to Charlottenburg. Jf is at the Brandenburg side of the gate that the Thiergarten is crossed by the tree-lined avenue, the Sieges-Allee. Of the 32 statues quite a number are already finished and placad in position, and from these the visitor can form some idea of the magnificent effect that will be secured when the work is complete. . . . Apart from those gioups already erected, there are several other statues which are well on their way towards completion. Among the Electors and Kins;s to be represented are most of the best-known names in German history, such as Albert the Bear, the various Ottos, Frederick II (the "Iron One'"), Frederick the Great, William I, Frederick (the late Emperor), etc. The Kaiser is responsible for the general style of the memorials and their design. Everything is to be carried out on a most elaborate scale. In the centre of each group there will be a large white marble statue of the King or Elector it represents, while on each side will be the smaller statues of the two most important personages of that monarch's reign. - These may be either statesmen, poets, warriors, or any other men of renown, s>o long as they have contributed to the glory of the period in question. Thus such men as Bismarck and Moltke are good examples of the lesser names that will be associated with the Royal ones. Each group of statues is to stand on a marble dais with three wide steps, which lead to a platform of semicircular shape, and this is to have white marble walls running behind it, splendidly carved, and affording sitting accommodation round its entire length. The ends of this are each decorated with carvings representing the Prussian. Eagle, the Royal insignia. Some of the statues are intended to be equestrian, while in other cases the chief figure of the group is sculptured in a standing, or, less often, in a sitting posture. As to the .-ize of these figures, it should be mentioned that several of them are over six yards high — including the pedestal, of course — and in no instance is the figure itself '.e&s than 'ife size, though it is sometimes rather larger. So great is the Kaiser's interest in this work that he has paid many visits to the sculptors during the progress of the several statues under their charge. He himself went thoroughly into the matter at the outset as to which of the sculptors of the Fatherland were most capable of giving fitting expression to his ideas ; and after much deliberation he decided who should be engaged, and the work to be alloted to each. Amongst the men thus specially honoured with commissions were the artists Schott, Unger, Uphues, Bose, Karl Begas, Brutt, Calandrelli, Schaper, and Siemering.