Dreyse-Denkmal Sömmerda
Dreyse-Denkmal Sömmerda is a monument erected in honor of Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse, the German gunsmith and inventor of the needle-firearm system, in the city of Sömmerda in Thuringia. The monument was created by sculptor Wilhelm Wandschneider and unveiled on 20 November 1909. It was also known as the Dreyse War Memorial, commemorating the victims of the wars of 1864, 1866, and 1870/71. The monument survived both World War I and World War II, but was demolished in January 1947 after a local anti-fascist committee demanded its removal. Only the base and the head of the Dreyse statue have survived.
June 2018 © Ruchhöft-Plau · CC BY-SA 4.0
1909 © Wilhelm Wandschneider · Public domain
1909 © Wilhelm Wandschneider · CC BY-SA 4.0
June 2017 © Ruchhöft-Plau · CC BY-SA 4.0
June 2017 © Ruchhöft-Plau · CC BY-SA 4.0
Identification | |
| Title | Dreyse-Denkmal Sömmerda |
| Type | Bronze memorial monument; double statue |
| Form | Double standing figure group |
| Alternative name | Dreyse war memorial |
Historical context | |
| Historical context | Patriotic monument movement after German unification and the victory over France in 1871 |
| Commemorative background | Linked to the wars of German unification of 1864, 1866, and 1870/71, and to the dead and war participants from Sömmerda |
Creator | |
| Artist | Wilhelm Wandschneider |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Large cast completion | 17 September 1909 |
| Funding | The monument cost about 20,000 marks; the Dreyse family contributed 15,000 marks, city authorities 2,000 marks, the district committee 1,000 marks, and the rest came from individual donations |
| Casting foundry | Kunstgießerei Lauchhammer |
| Related manufacturers | Former Dreyse works in Sömmerda |
| Model completion | A model was completed and publicly displayed in Sömmerda from 2 December 1908 |
| Selected design | Double statue |
| Commission procedure | No open competition was held; Wandschneider was asked to prepare three proposals |
| Commission date | August 1908 |
| Commissioned artist | Wilhelm Wandschneider |
Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | Figure group a little more than 2 meters high; total height about 4.5 meters |
| Pedestal | Relatively flat cuboid pedestal on a foundation of mortared fieldstones |
| Base shape | Flat rectangular base |
Materials | |
| Foundation material | Mortared fieldstones |
| Pedestal material | Polished gray granite; decorated brick |
| Material | Cast bronze |
Appearance | |
| Depicted figures | Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse and a Prussian soldier |
| Dreyse pose | Sitting on an anvil |
| Dreyse attribute | The anvil is partially covered with a leather apron |
| Soldier pose | Standing beside Dreyse |
| Soldier clothing | Field uniform, in a field-marshal style |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Inscription subject | Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse |
| Inscription birth date | 20 November 1787 |
| Inscription role | Inventor of the needle gun (Zündnadelgewehr) |
| Inscription death date | 9 December 1867 |
| Inscription | "Zum ehrenden Gedächtnis. Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse Erfinder des Zündnadelgewehrs * 20. Nov. 1787 † 9. Dez. 1867." |
| Depicted invention | The needle gun (Zündnadelgewehr) |
| Depicted action | Dreyse explains his invention to the soldier |
| Dedication | Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse, inventor of the needle gun |
Location and ownership | |
| Location | Market square, Sömmerda, Thuringia, Germany |
History and restoration | |
| Head of Dreyse | Found in 1985 during construction work; now in the Museum of the City of Sömmerda |
| Rarity | The double statue form was fairly rare for monuments |
| Future new sculpture | A stylized replica of the double statue by Matthias Hohmann is planned for unveiling there during the festival week for the 2026 city jubilee |
| Relocation of pedestal | Moved at the end of December 2025 to the rose garden of the Dreyse House in Sömmerda |
| Pedestal weight | Almost four tons |
| Pedestal storage since 2017 | Stored among old building materials at the municipal works yard |
| Planned new location | A new public location for the remains was intended but had not been realized at the time of the text |
| Temporary display of pedestal | Restored and temporarily placed on the market square for the 2009 commemoration |
| 2009 commemoration | The 100th anniversary of the dedication was marked on 20 November 2009 in the presence of descendants of the von Dreyse family |
| Reconstruction proposal | Proposed in 1990 by local heritage enthusiasts but failed for lack of public interest and financing |
| Pedestal fate | Moved in 1947 to the garden of the former middle school; later reused unchanged, including inscriptions, as the base of a Thälmann monument |
| Soldier's head | Still missing; disappeared under unknown circumstances |
| Current remains | Only the pedestal and the head of Dreyse's figure survive today |
| Honor guest | Reinhard von Scheffer-Boyadel, as the emperor's representative and commanding general of the XI Army Corps |
| Original function | Commemorative monument in honor of Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse; also a war memorial |
| Unveiling date | 20 November 1909 |
| Initial storage | Covered and stored on the Rheinmetall-Borsig factory grounds |
| Attendees at unveiling | Members of the von Dreyse family and sculptor Wandschneider attended |
| Unveiling event | The unveiling took place during festivities in a town decorated with flags |
| Military accompaniment | Music by the military band of Thuringian Infantry Regiment No. 71 |
| Survival | Survived World War I and World War II; not melted down in the German people's metal collection |
| Destruction demand | In 1945 a local anti-fascist committee demanded demolition |
| Destruction basis | Allied Control Council Directive No. 30, published on 31 May 1946, concerning fascist and militarist monuments, collections, etc.; monuments erected before 1 August 1914 were explicitly excluded, but supporters of removal still relied on the directive |
| Destruction order | On 10 January 1947 the Soviet city commandant ordered the mayor to destroy it |
| Destruction date | January 1947; the figures were dismantled, cut into pieces, and buried in a disused gravel pit on the factory grounds |
Other | |
| Related reduced cast | A 37 cm bronze replica without pedestal was probably created in connection with the monument's unveiling in 1909 from a small model |
| Reduced cast inscription | One example bears the pedestal inscription "Zum ehrenden Gedächtnis. Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse Erfinder des Zündnadelgewehrs * 20. Nov. 1787 † 9. Dez. 1867." |
| Reduced cast recipient | The Dreyse family received one cast |
| Reduced cast transfer | In 2009 the otherwise unsigned example was transferred to the city for the museum together with additional documents and exhibits from the family estate |
| Additional miniatures | Further bronze miniatures were produced, apparently after a newly made model by Wandschneider; they were presented as officer gifts by the Infantry Corps of the Infantry Shooting School Spandau for officers leaving service, but the exact number is unknown |
| Preserved miniature | A signed example without pedestal was acquired in 1997 by the Sömmerdaer Heimat- und Geschichtsverein e. V. from the art trade |
| US sale | Another example was demonstrably sold in the antiques trade in the USA in 2011/12 |
| Museum display | An example has been on display since 2018 in the Wandschneider exhibition at Burgmuseum Plau am See |