monument of battle of nations / leipzig

[sheshki]

heya,

we have an interesting monument here in town. its the "monument of battle of nations", dedicated to the memorie of the battle that took place here (1813).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leipzig
besides its impressive look its also interesting to know that it has the same height(91m) as probably etemenanki, the ziggurat of babylon.
so the monument gives a good idea how it must have been felt to stand infront of such a massive building.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Völkerschlachtdenkmal





do u see the people at the feet of the warrior statue in the middle...

[us4-he2-gal2]

Völkerschlachtdenkmal

This monument is fantastic! On reading the wiki entry I learned some things - It was built as a centennial project, one hundred years after the battle at Leipzig, and it is the largest monument in Europe! (didn't know that.) Interestingly, it was paid for entirely by donations and lottery turn outs, and has "features comparable to the Temple of Solomon and the work of Freemasonry." Very interesting indeed


Of course it may have resemblances to the tower at Babylon as well - If I remember correctly some Masonic traditions claim the craft stretches back that far as well, though there probably isn't much science in that. Its height at least is the same as Etemenanki, and its also frequented by a Gudea-like figure inscribed with royal-inscription type cuneiform text


Referring to the wiki again, Sounds like a fantastic bit of German kookery in the 'bathtub race' that takes place in the lake out front the Monument (the rectangular lake apparently made out front apparently symbolizes the blood and tears shed during the wars.)

Some commentary on one of the craftsman who worked on the
Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Franz Metzner) can be found here. Ive included below some brief description of the inner 'Krypt' of the monument (pictured above):

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Inside the Völkerschlachtdenkmal there's a Krypt.

Mourning clone knights, twelve of them I think, in a steadying stance. Gigantic faces ("Masks of Fate") that take that idea of emotionally expressive architecture to a strange extreme. The dreamlike difference of scale between the two. On the tier up above, monumental seated figures of Opferwilligkeit (Victim Willingness, Sacrifice), Volkskraft (People's Strength) with suckling twins, Glaubensstaerke (Faith), and other figures carved into columns representing God-knows-what. The feeling of power in this Krypt is partly attributable to the German nationalistic theme, partly attributable to the gravity and strength of the figures, and partly attributable to that experimental relationship between figure and setting, suggesting a world of other alternatives that never developed.

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[xuchilpaba]

Very beautiful. I'd love to see the statue out front closer up though.

[sheshki]

here is a closer picture of the statue, st. michael



and another close up of the beautiful stone carvings




my friend chris took those pictures.






here is a cut through the building

[sheshki]

well, this does not exactly fit in this thread here, but its from town so...
we have a kebab store around here( which is called sultan), very yummy food there. and they have this piece at their walls...its around 4x2m and made of gas concrete. Its made by a student from town, i tried to contact him several times (wanted to add him to enenuru art ), but no success yet. btw, one guy from the store said it is hittie style, another one said it is persian. i think second guy was right.
btw, there is another kebab store nearby called Ishtar, i wonder if i get free food there with my tattoed inanna line. and infront of my house parks a car with a sticker of a company called " babylon callshop".
im surounded...

[sheshki]

In Fischers Weltgeschichte 5, Griechen und Perser, Die Mittelmeerwelt im Altertum I i found a picture of the original relief of the pic above. It is placed at the socalled "Hundertsäulenhalle (hall of 100 columns)" at the royal palace in Persepolis and shows Dareios and Xerxes.



Quote from www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/4653/XERX5.HTM

"The above bas-relief from Persepolis (Ancient Persia) shows Darius I, the Great who is seated. He is followed by his son, the Crown Prince, Xerxes. Xerxes is depicted in the same size and with his head at the same level as his father's. This indicates not only that Xerxes was the heir apparent, but also co-ruler with his father, Darius.

Immediately behind Xerxes is Nehemiah; here seen as the Chief Cupbearer, a position of highest rank with a function similar to that of "Prime Minister."

The nationality of each royal and staff member can be determined by their distinctive attire. Those with the fluted caps are Persian (Xerxes, Darius). Those with the rounded caps and pants are Medes (guard, official). The Chief Cupbearer, Nehemiah's distinctive hooded head covering identifies him as being neither Mede nor Persian, but Jewish. He holds in his hand a cup towel, depicting his "badge of office" as Chief Cupbearer.

Beards: Also note that Nehemiah's beardless face is covered indicating that he is a eunuch. Though a well-groomed beard was a matter of great pride among the Persians, only the kings were allowed to grow the long, luxuriant beards as seen on Darius and Xerxes.

Nehemiah was promoted to the position of Chief Cupbearer-Prime Minister during the rule of Darius-Xerxes, but first came to the Persian Court under Cyrus (Xerxes' grandfather via Atossa) under the title of the Tirshatha (functioning as the King's Secretary and Representative to the Jewish nation), when the Jews first returned from Babylon after their seventy years of captivity. (Nehemiah 1:11;7:65,8:9) Since Nehemiah was a eunuch, he also had access to Princess (and later, queen-mother) Atossa who was about the same age as Nehemiah. The profound influence of both Atossa and Nehemiah over the Persian Court during the reign of Xerxes (after Darius died) is legendary. (Nehemiah 1:6)

Bible Trivia Note: Nehemiah's position as Cupbearer-Prime Minister under Darius-Xerxes would be the third instance where a Jew held the highest possible royal court position under the king while the Jews were under foreign rule. The first two instances were that of Joseph in Egypt, and Daniel in Babylon.
--Photo Courtesy of Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.