Town Musicians of Bremen - Riga, Latvia
N 56° 56.863 E 024° 06.585
35V E 324207 N 6315283
This statue of the "Town Musicians of Bremen" is from a folktale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. The statue is located in the Old Town of Riga, Latvia. The city of Bremen, Germany, gave the statue to its sister city of Riga, Latvia.
Waymark Code: WMPJZG
Location: Latvia
Date Posted: 09/10/2015
Views: 16
"The Town Musicians of Bremen is a story from the Brothers Grimm in which four animals – a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster – look through the window of a cottage and ultimately save it from robbers. Here in Riga, the clever animals are peering through the "Iron Curtain." The sculpture, located next to St Peter's Church, was made in 1990 when Latvia was on the verge of breaking free of the Soviet Union."
-- Source
A plaque on the base of the statue includes the following text in Latvian and German:
Bremenes Pilsetas Muzikanti
Maksliniece: Krista Baumgertele, 1990
Hanzas Brivpilsetas Bremenes Davinajums
Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten
Künstlerin: Christa Baumgärtel, 1990
Geschenk der Freien Hansestadt Bremen
[ENGLISH TRANSLATION]
The Town Musicians of Bremen
Artist: Christa Baumgärtel 1990
Gift of the City of Bremen
"The Town Musicians of Bremen in German Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten - is a folktale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Despite the title of the fairy tale the animals never actually arrive in Bremen.
In the story a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster, all past their prime years in life and usefulness on their respective farms, were soon to be discarded or mistreated by their masters. One by one they leave their homes and set out together. They decide to go to Bremen, known for its freedom, to live without owners and become musicians there.
On the way to Bremen, they see a lighted cottage; they look inside and see four robbers enjoying their ill-gotten gains. Standing on each others backs, they decide to perform for the men in hope of gaining food. Their 'music' has an unanticipated effect; the men run for their lives, not knowing what the strange sound is. The animals take possession of the house, eat a good meal, and settle in for the evening.
Later that night, the robbers return and send one of their members in to investigate. It is dark and he sees the eyes of the cat shining in the darkness. He reaches over to light his candle, thinking he sees the coals of the fire. Things happen in quick succession; the cat swipes his face with her claws, the dog bites him on the leg, the donkey kicks him and the rooster crows and chases him out the door, screaming. He tells his companions that he was beset by a horrible witch who scratched him with her long fingers 'the Cat', an ogre with a knife 'the Dog', a giant who had hit him with his club 'the Donkey', and worst of all, the dragon who screamed in his voice from the rooftop 'the Rooster'. The robbers abandon the cottage to the strange creatures who have taken it, where the animals live happily for the rest of their days.
The sculpture is said to be an exact replica of the one in Bremen (click here), but that is not correct. The Riga statue has a window in which the animals are standing."
-- Source