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 Roland - Brandenburg, Germany
N 52° 24.839 E 012° 33.238
33U E 333644 N 5809899
Roland, paladin of King Charlemagne became a legend in the Middle Ages
Waymark Code: WM10VN0
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 06/27/2019
Views: 6
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Although based on a real, historical figure, the Roland-Legend is mostly a myth, not a historical account. The real Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne. He became military governor of the Breton March, defending Francia's frontier against the Bretons.
According to the faint historical record, Roland died in 778 at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, a Basque campaign against Francia.
Roland's story soon became the stuff of legends. There are several poems in medieval and Renaissance literature. A first song, the French Chanson de Roland dates back to the 11th century. Early songs were later crowned by two masterpieces of Italian Renaissance poetry, the Orlando Innamorato and Orlando Furioso.
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In the 13th century, the myth spread from France and Italy to Germany. Starting around 1250, German Emperors awarded Roland statues to loyal towns. Becoming a "Roland-Town" entitled the town to hold markets and to hold court.
Brandenburg received its first, wooden Roland statue in 1402. In 1474, the wooden Roland was replaced by a sandstone statue. However, at the time, Brandenburg was divided into an Old Town and a New Town and the emperor awarded only one Roland (coming with market privileges) to both towns. There have been many episodes in which the Roland was stolen, hidden or kidnapped by one town or the other. The quarrel continued over 300 years and was settled only in 1715, when both towns merged and the Roland was permanently moved to the New Town's town hall.
In 1945, when the New Town's town hall building was obliterated by British bombs, the Roland miraculously survived. After the war, the statue was moved back to the Old Town's town hall, and the brave knight has been watching over the town and its town hall ever since.
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Originally, there were over 100 Roland statues in cities all over Central Europe, from Holland to Estonia and from Sweden to Croatia. About 50 of them are still standing today. In addition there are a number of modern copies in several German and Austrian towns as well as in Japan, China, Brazil, Ecuador and the USA.
The over 500 year old Brandenburg Roland is one of the ten oldest still standing Roland statues.
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Time Period: Middle Ages
Approximate Date of Epic Period: 1000-14000
Epic Type: Historical
Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art
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Visit Instructions:
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