Memorial of Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow
The Memorial of Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow is the Bülow Monument on Unter den Linden in Berlin-Mitte. It commemorates the Prussian general and liberation fighter Friedrich Wilhelm Bülow von Dennewitz (1755–1816). Created between 1819 and 1822 by Christian Daniel Rauch in the style of Neoclassicism, it is considered one of the masterpieces of the Berlin school of sculpture. The marble sculpture stood until 1951 to the left of the Neue Wache, with which it formed an ensemble, and has stood opposite it since 2002. In 2021, the sculpture was removed for protection against weathering and is to be replaced by a copy in the future.
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Identification | |
| Title | Memorial of Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow |
| Type | Memorial monument |
| German name | Bülow-Denkmal |
Historical context | |
| Dedicated to | Friedrich Wilhelm Bülow von Dennewitz (1755–1816), Prussian general and War of Liberation fighter |
| Dedication date | 22 June 1822 |
| Dedication context | Dedicated on the anniversary of Napoleon's abdication |
Creator | |
| Art-historical period | Marks the transition from Classicism to Realism |
| School | Berlin School of Sculpture |
| Art-historical significance | Considered one of the masterpieces of the Berlin School of Sculpture |
| Art style | Classicism / Neoclassical |
| Designer | Karl Friedrich Schinkel |
| Artist | Christian Daniel Rauch |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Modeling began | 1816 |
| Model completed | End of 1817 or beginning of 1818 |
| Marble version started | 1819 |
| Created | 1819–1822 |
Physical characteristics | |
| Height of sculpture | 2.67 meters |
| Height of pedestal | 3.06 meters |
| Total height | 5.73 meters |
Materials | |
| Material | Marble |
Appearance | |
| Right relief | Victoria slaying a seven-headed serpent |
| Left relief | Victoria accompanied by a British lion |
| Rear relief | Victoria flying on a Prussian eagle |
| Depiction | Bülow leaning against a tree stump, head turned to the left, left hand holding a sabre, right hand resting on his hip |
| Front motif | An eagle beneath the inscription |
| Pedestal reliefs | Four reliefs showing Bülow's merits in the struggle for liberation from Napoleonic foreign rule |
| Front inscription | FRIEDRICH WILHELM III / DEM GEN. GRAFEN BUELOW / VON DENNEWITZ / IM IAHR 1822 |
Location and ownership | |
| Original location | Left in front of the Neue Wache in Berlin, on Unter den Linden in the Mitte district |
| Current location | Opposite the Neue Wache on Unter den Linden in the Mitte district, Berlin, Germany |
| Ensemble relation | Formerly formed an ensemble with the Neue Wache |
| Associated site works | Victoria relief by August Kiß on the gable, Victoria frieze by Johann Gottfried Schadow on the entablature, and the Scharnhorst Memorial to the right of the Neue Wache |
History and restoration | |
| Recommendation source | Berlin state monument office recommended the replacement in October 2017 |
| Expert response | Gabi Dolff-Bonekämper called for the monuments to be placed back at their original sites in front of the Neue Wache |
| Restoration discussion | Reinstallation at the original site is being discussed |
| Announcement of conservation plan | June 2021 by the Senate Department for Culture |
| Reinstalled at current site | 2002, opposite the Neue Wache |
| Conservation plan | Originals to be moved to Zitadelle Spandau for protection from weathering and replaced by copies |
| Future plan | To be replaced by a copy |
| Removed for conservation | Removed in 2021 to protect it from weathering |
| Removed from original site | 1951 |
| Previous related relocation | The Scharnhorst Memorial was reinstalled first in 1963 |