The Coronation of Henry the First

Artist: Jochen Müller

Raised: 2007

Location: Turnstraße / in front of the "Sparkasse"

Description:  Many legends surround the coronation of Henry I. One of them tells that Henry was surprised by a group of horsemanship during the bird-catching, right on the spot where the monument stands today, who then presented him with the King’s Crown. Another tells that Duke Henry was elected king on his estate in 919, at the suggestion of the Franconian Duke Eberhard.

The monument takes up both of these stories symbolically and shows Duke Henry at the moment of his coronation. He is distracted, however, because he is in his mind hunting birds. The Bishop expresses his displeasure and gives a sceptical face. This gesture shows, on the one hand, the disapproval of the coronation on the part of the Church, as well as the indignation at the inattention of the future King.

Another figure is the chronicler. It seems as if he happened to be at the place where the horsemanship appeared to crown Henry. He pays little attention to what is happening and turns his back. You’d think he’s still thinking about what to write in the history book. This presentation is intended to point to the intergenerational dispute between historians who disagree on whether German history began with the coronation or Franconian history continued.