Equestrian monument / Reiterdenkmal
Posted by: Ava Dahmer
S 22° 34.164 E 017° 05.278
33K E 714685 N 7502644
The Equestrian Monument, more commonly known under its German original name Reiterdenkmal and the name Südwester Reiter (Rider of South-West), is a statue in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia.
Waymark Code: WMG3NV
Location: Namibia
Date Posted: 01/08/2013
Views: 8
The equestrian statue is 4.5 metres (15 ft) tall and made from bronze. It was created in Berlin and shipped to German South-West Africa in 1911. After its arrival in Swakopmund it was transported by train to Windhoek. The plinth is 5 metres (16 ft) tall and consists of approximately 180 granite rocks from Okahandja. It has a plaque mounted on it that remembers the German soldiers and civilians that died in the Herero and Namaqua War of 1904–1907, as well as in the Kalahari Expedition in 1908. The translation of the inscription is: Remembering and honouring the brave German warriors that died for emperor and empire to save and protect this land during the Herero and Hottentot uprisings between 1903 and 1907, and during the Kalahari Expedition in 1908. Also remembering and honouring German citizens that died from the hands of the indigenous. Fallen, missing, died from accident, succumbed to their injuries or sickness: Of the Protection Force: 100 officers, 254 non-commissioned officers, 1180 soldiers, of the marine: 7 officers, 13 non-commissioned officers, 27 seamen. Killed during the uprising: 119 men, 4 women, 1 child.
The inauguration took place on the 53rd birthday of German emperor Wilhelm II on 27 January 1912.
The Reiterdenkmal has long been controversial. Its continued display of German superiority, as well as its one-sided reporting on the deaths in the first decade of the 20th century _Herero and Damara people lost fifty times as many lives as the Germans during the Herero and Namaqua War_ attracted critical commentary, particularly since the 1980s. In 1959, a few days after the Old Location Uprising in which 11 people were killed, unknown Herero activists covered the rider's head with a linen bag and decorated the rest of the statue with flowers as a "protest against the atrocities of the white South African minority regime". After Namibia gained independence in 1990, white citizens of German descent feared that the statue would be destroyed, but this was not a priority of the SWAPO government, which preferred to build its own memorial sites to remember the independence struggle. Several other actions demonstrating the controversies around the monuments were performed in 2008. In July, 51 wooden crosses were erected around the statue, bearing names and expressions in Otjiherero, and in October, a Namibian flag was inserted into the rider's rifle barrel. Each action caused the discussion about status and justification of a monument glorifying German colonialism to flare up again in the local media. In 2001, the Cabinet of Namibia unanimously decided to build an Independence Museum at the site opposite the Christuskirche, at the place the Equestrian Monument stood. The removal of the statue was explicitly endorsed. When in 2009 construction of the museum began, the monument was wrapped, disassembled, and stored at a warehouse. The storage place was kept secret in order not to attract vandals and memorabilia collectors. Private donors financed the move as it was feared that it would otherwise be destroyed.
source: www.wikipedia.org
Type of Memorial: Multi-War Memorial
Wars mentioned (Multi-war only): Herero and Namaqua Wars
In Honor Of: German soldiers and civilians who died during the Herero and Namaqua Wars
Marker Text: „Zum ehrenden Angedenken an die tapferen deutschen Krieger, welche fuer Kaiser und Reich zur Errettung und Erhaltung dieses Landes waehrend des Herero- und Hottentottenaufstandes 1903 bis 1907 und waehrend der Kalahariexpedition 1908 ihr Leben ließen. Zum ehrenden Andenken auch an die deutschen Buerger, welche den Eingeborenen im Aufstande zum Opfer fielen. Gefallen, Verschollen, verunglueckt, ihren Wunden erlegen und an Krankheiten gestorben, von der Schutztruppe: Offiziere 100, Unteroffiziere 254, Reiter 1180, von der Marine: Offiziere 7, Unteroffiziere 13, Mannschaften 72, im Aufstande erschlagen: Maenner 119, Frauen 4, Kinder 1.“
(English translation is in the detailed description)
Date of dedication: January 27, 1912
Who Put it Here?: Adolf Kürle
Description of Memorial: The statue is one of the most famous and controversial monuments of Windhoek. It has been placed in front of Alte Feste in 2010. It used to be much closer to Christuskirche.
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Visit Instructions:
Visited Logs must contain, at least, a picture of the monument and your GPSr. Preferably YOU at the monument with your GPSr, but we understand that some people are camera-shy.
It is suggested you please include something about your visit here, as well.
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