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All Germany Bamberg Bamberg Horseman

Bamberg Horseman

Art historians have debated the identity of this medieval stone rider since the 19th century.

Bamberg, Germany

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Fred Cherrygarden
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The Bamberg Horseman, 2008.   Infinite Ache
A closer look at the Bamberg Horseman.   Holger Uwe Schmitt
The Bamberg Horseman (Bamberger Reiter).   Elena
The Bamberg Horseman.   Reinhold Möller
An attempt at reconstructing the Horseman’s former colors.   Emmaus
A detail of the statue.   Johannes Otto Först
Bamberg Cathedral, Germany.   Berthold Werner
The Green Man beneath the Bamberg Horseman.   Johannes Otto Först
The 1920 100-Mark banknote at the National Museum of American History.   Godot13
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About

In the city of Bamberg in southern Germany, there is a mysterious statue. A young man sits atop a horse, a crown on his head and a cloak around his shoulders. This is the Bamberg Horseman, a statue that stands in Bamberg Cathedral. The statue was created by an unknown sculptor in the first half of the 13th century, and the figure it is meant to depict has been the source of debate for nearly 200 years.

The Horseman is believed to be the first life-size equestrian statue since classical antiquity, and features one of the earliest depiction of horseshoes. Beneath the horse, a mysterious pagan decoration known as the Green Man is visible. Though today the statue is a dull stony gray, originally it was painted in striking bright colors. The rider's robe was red, his hair black and the base green, also partially gold-plated.

The identity of the Bamberg Horseman has been debated for years, never reaching a clear conclusion. There are theories that it depicts the Hungarian king Stephen I the Saint or one of the Three Wise Men. Some also suggest that it may have been a Hohenstaufen king such as Philip of Swabia and Conrad III, the Messiah, a personified representation of the world, or perhaps some allegorical figure.

In the early 20th century, the statue became a cultural icon of Germany. Its popularity grew during the times of the Weimar Republic, its head used on the design of the 100 Mark banknote in 1920. Disgracefully, the Nazis used its likeness as part of their Aryan supremacy propaganda, sometimes even as an "aesthetic double" to Adolf Hitler.

Nevertheless, the Bamberg Horseman remains one of the most important statues in German culture and history. In 2003, it appeared on the design of a 2-euro stamp. Today, the statue stands where it has stood for centuries since its installation.

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Cathedral Mystery Statues Churches Sacred Spaces

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The cathedral is open for tours on weekdays. Permission is needed from Cathedral Administration for guided private tours. The Cathedral is closed for sightseeing during mass and other church celebrations.

The Bamberg Horseman is currently underneath scaffolding and cannot be seen until the middle of 2020.

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Fred Cherrygarden

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June 1, 2020

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Sources
  • https://mavcor.yale.edu/conversations/object-narratives/bamberg-rider
  • https://gobamberg.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/bamberger-reiter/
  • https://www.spottinghistory.com/view/5694/bamberg-cathedral/
  • http://www.planet-franken-online.de/weit2.html
  • https://en.bamberg.info/poi/cathedral-4643/
  • https://en.bamberg.info/poi/cathedral-4643/
  • https://www.dw.com/en/the-bamberg-horseman/a-18511731
Bamberg Horseman
7 Domplatz
Bamberg, 96049
Germany
49.89088, 10.882653
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