The William I Monument was a monument in

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

, Poland, in form of an equestrian statue of William I, emperor of Germany from 1871 to 1888. It was designed by sculptor

Karl Hilgers Karl Hermann Joseph Hubert Hilgers (17 January 1844 – 25 February 1925) was a German sculptor. Life Born in Düsseldorf, the son of the landscape painter , he studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with from 1864 to 1870. During a study t ...

and unveiled on 1 November 1894 at the King Square (now

Polish Soldier Square The Polish Soldier Square, also commonly referred to as the Flower Avenue, is an town square, urban square in Szczecin, Poland, located at the bounry of neighbourhoods of Centrum, Szczecin, Centrum and Old Town, Szczecin, Old Town, within the Śr� ...

). The monument was dismantled on 31 July 1945.

History

On 1 November 1894, at the King Square (now known as the

) the monument dedicated to William I, emperor of Germany from 1871 to 1888, was unveiled. It was designed by sculptor

and manufactured by Berlin-based company Schäffer und Walker. The monument was funded from the donations from city inhabitants. It consisted of a bronze statue of the emperor on a horse, placed on a stone pedestal, with bronze sculptures of the soldiers around it.''Encyklopedia Szczecina'', vol. 2: ''P–Ż''. Szczecin: University of Szczecin, 2000, p. 151–154. ISBN 83-7241-089-5. (in Polish) During World War II, the statues of the soldiers in the William I Monument were taken down to be melted for materials. After the end of the war, on 31 July 1945, the monument was torn down by the Polish inhabitants of the city. The statue was then taken to Denmark and melted. It was used to manufacture a replica of the Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski Monument in Warsaw, which was destroyed during the war. In its place, on 26 April 1950, was unveiled the Monument of Graduate to the Soviet Army. It was deconstructed in November 2017.

Characteristics

The monument was placed at the northern end of the King Square (now

) and at the beginning of Emperor William Street (now John Paul II Avenue). It included a bronze statue of the emperor William I on a horse, wearing a military uniform and a helmet with a war bonnet. It was placed on a white stone Gothic Revivial pedestal, with depictions of historical scenes on its walls. Around its corners were placed bronze statues of the soldiers.

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* {{Authority control 1894 sculptures 1884 establishments in Germany Buildings and structures completed in 1884 Equestrian statues in Poland Monuments and memorials in Szczecin Outdoor sculptures in Szczecin Statues of monarchs Statues in Poland Statues of men Sculptures of men in Poland Centrum, Szczecin 1945 disestablishments in Poland Buildings and structures demolished in 1945 Former buildings and structures in Szczecin Removed statues Stone monuments and memorials Bronze sculptures in Poland Gothic Revival architecture in Poland Monuments and memorials to Emperor William I Destroyed sculptures