A water fountain/ monument near the center of Darmstadt dedicated to Otto von Bismarck. It was built in 1906 and was sculpted by Ludwig Habich and Friedrich Pützer. There are benches off to the side where one can enjoy the fountain and listen to the running water. Be warned, the water is not for consumption.
Fountain/ Statue description from wikipedia (
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The statue is made of Franconian shell limestone. In the quatrefoil-shaped, low water basin on a round base there is a higher water basin, which is emphasized by four pillars with bronze reliefs, designed by Ludwig Habich. Among the reliefs are four small bronze gargoyles designed as animal heads. The approximately 3.50 meter high figure of Otto von Bismarck stands in the middle of the over 5 meter high stone pillar with gargoyles on the side. To ensure stability, there is a stone block with oak leaf decoration at the foot end between the coat hem and the feet. As with many other Bismarck monuments in Germany, the “Iron Chancellor ” is depicted as a military man, wearing a spiked helmet, uniform coat and boots. Bismarck had been an honorary citizen of the city of Darmstadt since March 1890.
Otto von Bismarck from wikipedia (
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Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen , from 1865 Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen , from 1871 Prince of Bismarck , from 1890 also Duke of Lauenburg (born April 1 , 1815 in Schönhausen (Elbe) ; † July 30, 1898 in Friedrichsruh near Aumühle ), was a German politician and statesman . From 1862 to 1890 - with a short interruption in 1873 - he was Prime Minister of Prussia, and from 1867 to 1871 he was also Chancellor of the North German Confederation. From 1871 to 1890 he was the first Chancellor of the German Empire, whose founding he played a key role in promoting. Bismarck is considered to have completed German unification and to be the founder of the modern welfare state.
As a politician, Otto von Bismarck first made a name for himself in Prussia as a member of the First United State Parliament with predominantly conservative positions. From 1851 to 1862 he was a diplomat for the Bundestag of the German Confederation as well as in Russia and France. In the Prussian constitutional conflict, he was appointed Prime Minister by King Wilhelm I in 1862. In the fight against the liberals, Bismarck overrode parliament and was able to solve the German question in the Little German sense under the dominance of Prussia in the German-Danish War and the German War between 1864 and 1866. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 he was the driving force behind the founding of the German Empire.
As Chancellor and Prussian Prime Minister, he played a decisive role in determining the politics of the newly created empire until his dismissal in 1890. In terms of foreign policy, he focused on balancing the European powers and opposed German colonial policy for a long time.
In terms of domestic policy, his reign after 1866 can be divided into two phases. First there was an alliance with the moderate liberals. During this time there were numerous domestic political reforms such as the introduction of civil marriage , with Bismarck combating resistance from the Catholic side with drastic measures (? Kulturkampf ). Since the late 1870s, Bismarck increasingly turned away from the liberals. This phase includes the transition to protective tariff policy and state interventionist measures. This particularly included the creation of the social security system. In terms of domestic politics, the 1880s were shaped not least by the repressive Socialist Law. In 1890, differences of opinion with Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had been in office for almost two years, led to Bismarck's dismissal.
In the years that followed, Bismarck still played a certain political role as a critic of his successors. In particular, through his widely read memoirs, Thoughts and Memories, he played a significant and lasting role in shaping his image in the German public. Bismarck was also known popularly and in historiography as the “Iron Chancellor”.
Otto von Bismarck's role in the Prussian War taken from wikipedia (
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After the German-Danish War, Bismarck seriously toyed with the idea of ??a Prussian-Austrian agreement under conservative auspices for some time. When it became apparent that the Austrian policy towards Germany, determined by Ludwig von Biegeleben, did not allow for an expansion of Prussian power, Bismarck relied on an alliance with the liberal and national movement with the aim of creating a small German state . However, he was by no means heading towards a military conflict from the start. Rather, he initially kept all options open with the aim of sole control over Schleswig and Holstein. The Gastein Convention resulted in a division in August 1865. Holstein was administered by Austria and Schleswig by Prussia. The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg came to Prussia. As a thank you, Bismarck received the Prussian title of count. For him, however, the confrontation with Austria was only postponed.
Assassination attempt on Otto von Bismarck by Ferdinand Cohen-Blind on May 7, 1866
Bismarck ultimately decided on war because he hoped to end the Prussian constitutional conflict, as a split in the opposition camp was becoming increasingly clear. The central decision was made at a meeting of the Privy Council on February 28, 1866. Bismarck managed to convince the king, who was wary of a “fratricidal war,” of the war policy, and he managed to prevent Wilhelm I from changing his mind in the following months.
Bismarck now did everything he could to isolate and provoke Austria. But he also kept the option open of breaking off the confrontational course if there was too much resistance from the major powers. Bismarck, in particular, successfully held Napoleon III. to a neutral stance. Bismarck secured Italy's support through a temporary alliance treaty (April 8, 1866). After he once again brought up the election of a directly elected German parliament in order to provoke Austria, he sparked massive criticism from the Prussian conservative camp. Even Ludwig von Gerlach sharply distanced himself from him. The Liberals continued to consider Bismarck to be untrustworthy and did not accept his offer of an alliance. A German civil war was also highly unpopular among the public. In order to avert war, Ferdinand Cohen-Blind even carried out a pistol attack on Bismarck after 5 p.m. on the afternoon of Monday, May 7, 1866, but Bismarck survived.
When Austria transferred the decision about the future of Schleswig-Holstein to the Bundestag on June 1, 1866, Bismarck had the Prussian army march into Holstein, arguing that this was a violation of the Gastein Convention. Therefore, on June 14, the Bundestag decided to mobilize the Federal Army at Austria's request. Prussia then declared the alliance dissolved because such a decision was inadmissible. It began on June 16, 1866 with military operations against the kingdoms of Hanover, Saxony and against Electoral Hesse. Success for the Prussian army seemed by no means certain. A large proportion of contemporaries, including Napoleon III, expected an Austrian victory. Bismarck put everything on one card. “If we are beaten […] I will not return here. I will fall at the last attack.”
Bismarck was anxious to keep the war under control. This was in contrast to the plans of Chief of General Staff Moltke, who planned an unlimited war. The danger that the military could withdraw from political leadership did not materialize due to the shortness of the campaign. For various reasons - such as the disunity of the German Confederation's armed forces, the strategic use of the railway and new tactics on the battlefield - the Prussian army proved to be superior and achieved a decisive victory in the Battle of Königgrätz on July 3, 1866.
While William I and the military pushed to conquer Vienna and impose harsh peace conditions on Austria, Bismarck imposed moderate conditions, assuming that a weakened Austria would be forced into an alliance with France, resulting in a two-front war against Prussia could have led. In the Peace of Prague of August 23, 1866, Austria did not have to cede any territories to Prussia, but had to agree to the cession of Veneto to Italy, the dissolution of the German Confederation and the formation of a North German Confederation under Prussian leadership. Schleswig and Holstein were annexed by Prussia, as were Hanover, Electoral Hesse, Nassau and the Free City of Frankfurt. The southern German states initially remained independent.
In 1867, Bismarck acquired the Varzin manor with the endowment of 400,000 thalers granted to him because of the successful German war. He had the Hammermühle paper factory built in its area, which would soon become the largest company in East Pomerania, as well as other paper factories. He sold the Kniephof estate to his nephew Philipp von Bismarck in 1868.
Almost at the same time, in 1868, he was appointed honorary commander of the traditional Order of St. John.