Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Tauzieher

Tauzieher is a limestone sculpture by Nikolaus Friedrich, erected in 1911 in Rheinauhafen, Cologne. It shows a muscular man hauling a heavy rope or hawser up to fasten it to a bollard, and stands 6.5 metres high. The work grew out of a male figure Friedrich exhibited in 1908 at the Cologne Artists’ Association show. Funded by public collection and city support, it was unveiled on 4 March 1911 as Cologne’s first free-standing public sculpture. In 1980, it was listed as a historical monument and later became the subject of Tatzu Nishi’s transformation Obdach (1997).

Tauzieher, a weathered stone sculpture of a muscular man pulling a thick rope around a stone post.
Tauzieher, the stone sculpture of a man straining with a thick rope, set against the Cologne skyline.
© · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tauzieher statue of a man securing a thick rope around a bollard, with a Ferris wheel and waterfront buildings in the background.
The Tauzieher sculpture stands on a stone pedestal at Cologne’s Rheinauhafen, with a Ferris wheel visible behind it.
August 2026 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tauzieher stone sculpture of a muscular man pulling a thick rope beside a stone bollard, with two pigeons on his back.
The Tauzieher sculpture shows a muscular man straining with a thick rope, with pigeons perched on his back.
May 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Tauzieher stone sculpture of a muscular man pulling a rope around a stone post.
Tauzieher, a stone sculpture of a man straining against a thick rope around a post.
July 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.5
Tauzieher stone sculpture of a crouching figure fastening a thick rope to a post, with cranes and a blue sky behind it.
The Tauzieher sculpture in Cologne, shown with construction cranes in the background.
July 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.5

Identification

TitleTauzieher
TypeFreestanding sculpture in public space
Alternative titleDer Tauzieher

Historical context

Date created and installed1910–1911

Creator

ArtistNikolaus Friedrich
Artist nationalityGerman
Artist birthplaceCologne
Artist residence at the timeCharlottenburg

Discovery and provenance

Installation site chosenAn open area at Holzmarkt in front of the new Cologne harbor, to the right of the swing bridge and at the foot of the Malakoff Tower
Scaffolding erection began21 September 1910
City council approval date23 March 1910
Unveiling date4 March 1911
FundingRaised by Cologne art lovers, with a municipal grant of 10,000 marks to cover the shortfall
Public response to original workIt received lively approval in art circles
Original sizeAbout half the size of the later sculpture
Original exhibition1908 exhibition of the Association of Cologne Artists at the Cologne Flora
Commissioned enlargementA greatly enlarged version was planned for a prominent place in Cologne

Physical characteristics

HeightAbout 6.5 metres
Base proportionThe base takes up a little more than half of the total height

Materials

MaterialLimestone (Muschelkalk)
Other elementsWooden bollard and rope/hawser

Appearance

Setting within the sculptureThe bollard emerges from unformed rock at its base
Stylistic comparisonReminiscent of the Belvedere Torso in pose and modelling
Action depictedClimbing onto a bollard and hauling up a rope to secure it
Pose detailsLeaning forward, with his legs clamped around the bollard; right hand pulling the hawser and left hand gripping the bollard
Depicted figureA nude, muscular, Herculean man

Iconography and meaning

SubjectA rope-puller making a heavy rope or hawser fast to a bollard
Symbolic meaningSymbolizes the idea that anyone can earn prosperity through work

Location and ownership

LocationRheinauhafen, Cologne, Germany

History and restoration

Heritage protectionListed as monument no. 66 and protected as one of the first cultural monuments in Cologne on 1 July 1980, together with the nearby swing bridge and quay-wall railing
Later transformationSubject of Tatzu Nishi's 1997 transformation Obdach

Significance

Historical significanceFirst freestanding sculpture in Cologne's public space

Other

Poem about the sculptureAn unknown author wrote a poem in September 1911 about the contradiction between the nude rope-puller and his symbolic message