The German Lady is a war memorial in Crooswijk, Rotterdam, Netherlands, dedicated to German internees who died during World War I. The monument does not have an official name and is also known as the Monument 1914-1918.[1]
 German Lady monument in Crooswijk, Rotterdam | |
| Location | Algemene Begraafplaats Crooswijk, Rotterdam, Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Designer | Gustav Adolf Bredow |
| Completion date | 1919 |
Background
editDuring World War I, the Netherlands remained neutral. According to the Second Hague Peace Conference (1907), neutrality required the disarmament and internment of soldiers from warring nations who crossed the border. Several internment camps were established in the Netherlands to house soldiers and refugees.
After a prisoner exchange, over 1,100 German prisoners of war arrived in Rotterdam in the summer of 1918. At the end of 1918, the Ausschuß für Deutsche Kriegsgefangene purchased a large grave at Algemene Begraafplaats Crooswijk for deceased German internees.[2] A year later, the Deutsche Verein Rotterdam commissioned the monument of the grieving woman for the grave.[3] The statue was designed by German sculptor Gustav Adolf Bredow, who had been interned at Kamp Wolfheze. Some of the bodies buried here were repatriated after the war.
On April 21, 1920, the grave and monument were formally transferred to the German consul Dr. Rosen on behalf of Germany, in the presence of Rotterdam mayor Alfred Zimmerman and representatives from the Red Cross.[4] In 1968, Rotterdam decided to maintain the site as a memorial.[1]
Description
editThe monument features a life-size female figure with a bowed, covered head, dressed in a long robe and a cape with a hood. A naked boy, seeking protection, stands against her.
On the natural stone base is a relief inscription:
VOR DEN TOREN DER HEIMAT VERNICHTETE DER UNERBITTLICHE TOD DIE HOFFNUNG AUF EIN WIEDERSEHEN
(translation: Before the gates of the homeland, the relentless death destroyed the hope of reunion)
In front of the monument, two standing stones flank it, with the right stone inscribed "HIER RUHEN 14 DEUTSCHE SOLDATEN 1914-1918" ("Here rest 14 German soldiers 1914-1918") and the left stone listing the fourteen names.
References
edit- ^ a b Mens & Dier in Steen & Brons: Monument 1914-1918. Archived on June 25, 2023.
- ^ "A German grave", De Sumatra Post, November 30, 1918
- ^ DEUTSCHER SOLDATENFRIEDHOF CROOSWIJK, ROTTERDAM (NETHERLANDS)[dead link]
- ^ "Transfer of the German grave", Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, April 21, 1920; "Transfer of the German grave", Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, April 22, 1920; and "Transfer of the honor grave", Het Vaderland, April 22, 1920