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S-Printing Horse, Heidelberg

S-Printing Horse in Heidelberg is one of the largest horse sculptures in the world, standing 13 meters tall and weighing 90 tons. Designed by sculptor Jürgen Goertz, it was realized by Fröhlich Systemautomation GmbH in Treuchtlingen and manufactured by Kinkele in Ochsenfurt. The sculpture is made of stainless steel and aluminum and was shaped through casting, grinding, polishing, partial gilding, and partial application of metallic mica paint. It was transported to Heidelberg in six heavy-duty shipments and has stood since 2000 on the forecourt of the Print Media Academy, a former office and training building of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.

S-Printing Horse sculpture reflected in a glass building at sunset
The S-Printing Horse reflected in the glass facade of the Print Media Academy.
April 2016 © · CC0
The S-Printing Horse sculpture stands beside modern buildings, partly hidden by parked cars.
The S-Printing Horse sculpture is shown beside the Print Media Academy, with parked cars in the foreground.
June 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
The S-Printing Horse sculpture appears as a large light-colored structure on the rooftop of a modern dark building.
The S-Printing Horse stands on the rooftop of the Print Media Academy building in Heidelberg.
July 2020 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of the S-Printing Horse base with a textured bronze-colored circular metal plate and an embedded light on the paved ground.
Detail of the S-Printing Horse base, showing the textured metal hoof print and ground plate.
September 2022 © · CC0
Footprints of the S-Printing Horse sculpture with circular lit plates set into the pavement.
Footprints from the S-Printing Horse sculpture in Heidelberg, shown in the surrounding pavement.
© · Public domain

Identification

TitleS-Printing Horse, Heidelberg
SubjectHorse
TypeSculpture

Historical context

Year created2007

Creator

ArtistJürgen Goertz
Concept realizationFröhlich Systemautomation GmbH Sondermaschinen- und Vorrichtungsbau, Treuchtlingen, Middle Franconia
ManufacturerKinkele, Ochsenfurt

Discovery and provenance

Commissioned byHeidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Commissioning contextCommissioned by the company that owned the former office and training building in front of which it stands
Transport to HeidelbergBrought by six heavy transports

Physical characteristics

ScaleOne of the largest horse sculptures in the world
Height13 meters
Weight90 tons

Materials

MaterialsStainless steel and aluminum

Technique

Manufacturing and finishingCast, ground, polished, partly gilded, and partly sprayed with metallic mica lacquer

Appearance

FeaturesSuggested wings; several holes in the neck; additional hoof casts and footprints; relief fossils in the hoofprints; parts of the sculpture appear as fossils in the hoofprints

Iconography and meaning

Fossil imageryReal fossils and parts of the sculpture itself appear as 'fossils' in the hoofprints
Rear figureThe rear part depicts a reader of printed products
Fossil symbolismThe relief fossils in the hoofprints symbolize a connection to the Swabian Alb and its fossil discovery sites
Additional hoofprints symbolismThe extra hoofprints are intended to give the impression that the sculpture escaped from Amstetten
Additional hoofprintsAdditional hoofprints are found in Amstetten, at the foundry site of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, and in Ludwigsburg
Eyes symbolismGlowing eyes at night symbolize scanning templates during prepress
Neck detail symbolismThe holes in the neck correspond to the bearing mounts in the side walls of a printing press
Wings symbolismThe wings suggest high speed and refer to Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG's claim to build very fast printing machines
Legs symbolismThe three legs symbolize the three printing processes and leave multiple imprints on the ground
Tail symbolismThe tail is a stylized book symbolizing post-processing and finishing
Body symbolismThe round body symbolizes the rotary printing process
Overall meaningSymbolizes various processes of book printing

Location and ownership

Current locationHeidelberg, Germany
PlacementIn front of the Print Media Academy, a former office and training building of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Date installed2000
Associated companyHeidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

Significance

Related sculptureRolling Horse, near Berlin railway station
ComparisonDescribed as overly similar to Rolling Horse in Berlin
CriticismThe Berlin Professional Association of Visual Artists criticized the sculptures after Rolling Horse was erected in May 2007