…is the architectural focus of the monumental composition and is surrounded by three terraces. The lower terrace, the "Ringterrasse" welcomes the visitors and gives them an overall impression. Behind the three impressive, mighty and compact round arches you will find the "Barabarossahof" (court yard of Barbarossa) with the sleeping "Barbarossafigur" (statue of Barbarossa).
A tower that is 57 metre high rises from the Middle-terrace. Its quadratic floor plan has - without the base - a side length of 20 metres. The lower part of the preliminary ledge has plastic decoration, for example war-furies and snakes.
The banner of the upper ledge contains all states that united 1871 and formed the German Empire. The architectural ending of the tower is the imperial-crown. It is worth to climb the 247 steps to the tower top to enjoy the panoramic view from the Kyffhäuser-Mountains to the Harz and the Forrest of Thuringia. The view is one of a kind.
Data and Facts
| Total height of the Memorial | 81 metres |
| Height of tower | 57 metres |
| Total weight | 62.5 million kilograms |
| Length of all steps (added up) | 2.5 kilometres |
| Heights of the crown | 6.6 metres |
| Diameter of crown | 3.5 metres |
| Heaviest used stone | 6000 kilograms |
| Total costs | 1 452 241.37 Mark |
For the Memorial to be built it took as many stones needed to build a city with a population of 5 000 people.
The Statue of Barbarossa
The artistic arrangement of the east-side of the tower is defined by the Statue of Barbarossa and of the Horseman Statue. "Kaiser Friedrich I. Barbarossa" (Emperor Friedrich I. Barbarossa) sits in a recess in the lower part of the tower. The sculptor Nicolas Geiger displays the Emperor as the observer knows him from the legend. His long beard alludes to the century-long sleep in the Kyffhäuser-mountain. Did he just wake up and wink at us? Come and look for yourself.
Technical Details
| Construction-material: | Sandstone from Edersleben |
| Heights: | 6.50 metres |
The Horseman-Statue
The monumental Horseman-Statue of Wilhelm I. with its two side-statues arises above the just awakening and rising "Hohenstaufenkaiser Barbarossa" (Emperor Barbarossa of Hohenstaufen). Wilhelm I. is riding on a horse into the country. Not portrayed as the Emperor but as the commander, he is wearing the military uniform and piked helmet. The right side-statue, a Germanic warrior, is known as a symbol for the power of the army and stands for the war. The left side-statue, a woman personifies history.
Technical Details
| Material: | Copper plates, 2-3 millimetres thick |
| Height of the horseman: | 9.7 metre |
| Circumference of the horse-belly: | 6.85 metres |
| Heights of the warrior: | 4.82 metres |
| Heights of the woman: | 5.2 metres |
| Total weight of copper and iron | 17 100 kilograms |
