Bismarck-Türme in Ostpreußen

The exhibition aims to chronicle the development of an extraordinary personality cult that was maintained by significant portions of the German public following the death of the "Iron Chancellor" in 1898, using the example of the so-called Bismarck Towers. Even though Bismarck's political views are still controversial today, the enthusiasm with which his contemporaries honored the first German Chancellor demonstrates just how well-liked this leader was even eight years after his resignation. Given that it was almost entirely the result of private initiative, the personality cult around Bismarck may even be considered a competitor to the Hohenzollerns' state-sponsored remembrance.

Few historical figures have been able to leave as many and varied traces in the region and in daily life as Otto Prince von Bismarck (1815–1898) was able to do and still does. His legacy extends beyond his political accomplishments, such as the German Empire's establishment in 1871, which was largely a result of his efforts, the social insurance system he created, or his controversial policies toward the Catholic Church, social democracy, or the Polish subjects of the Reich. To this day, various stone memorials, as well as numerous types of food and consumer goods, honor the first German Chancellor, whose adoration reached previously unheard-of proportions. Among the tangible expressions of this veneration was the design of a special monument, once found throughout the Empire and still encountered in numerous places, the so-called Bismarck Tower. In addition to the nearly 200 towers erected in Bismarck's honor almost exclusively from private donations, ten once stood in East Prussia. Their history and fate are being explored at the Cultural Center of East Prussia in Ellingen. Several of these towers are irretrievably lost, the majority of them having been destroyed during the wartime operations of 1945 or in the post-war years. A surprising number still withstand the test of time. This exhibition traces their fortunes and, where appropriate, describes their use today. A brochure will be published to accompany the exhibition, which will only be available at the Cultural Center of East Prussia (<www.kulturzentrum-ostpreussen.de>{#3613}).