Deutsches Eck

Deutsches Eck (ˈdɔʏtʃəs ˈʔɛk, "German Corner") is the name of a promontory in Koblenz, Germany, where the Mosel river joins the Rhine. Named after a local commandry of the Teutonic Order ("Teutonischer Orden"), it became known for a monumental equestrian statue of William I, first German Emperor, erected in 1897 in appreciation of his role in the unification of Germany. One of many Emperor William monuments raised in the Prussian Rhine Province, it was destroyed in World War II and only the plinth was preserved as a memorial. Following German reunification, a replica of the statue was erected on the pedestal after controversial discussions in 1993. It is today a Koblenz monument and a popular tourist attraction. The Teutonic Knights were called to Koblenz by the archbishop of Trier, Theoderich von Wied, in 1216 and vested with the estates around the Basilica of St. Castor located directly at the confluence of Mosel and Rhine. Serving mainly in nursing care, the knights soon after established a commandry (Deutschordenskommende) here, which became the administrative seat of the Koblenz bailiwick directly subordinate to the Grand Master. The premises centred on the Deutschherrenhaus building were erected from 1279 onwards and became known as the Deutsches Eck. In about 1600, the Koblenz commander moved his seat further down the Rhine to Cologne. In 1794 the Left Bank of the Rhine was conquered by French revolutionary troops and the ecclesiastical estates secularised from 1802 onwards. The Order's premises were refurbished as part of the Prussian Koblenz Fortress. Later in the 19th century, the area was linked by a pier with a downstream sandbank creating the present-day promontory. After the death of Emperor William I in 1888, his grandson William II wished to spark a nationalist cult around the "founder of the German Reich". In the following years the privately funded Kyffhäuser Monument was erected and an Emperor William Monument was inaugurated in Porta Westfalica, both designed by the Leipzig architect Bruno Schmitz.