Mug Shot — «Braunschweig - Lion Statue»

City: Braunschweig Country: Germany Edition: 2008 Icon Edition Belongs to: 467 users (32 trading, 129 seeking)

Braunschweig is a city located in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser. The date and circumstances of the town's foundation are unknown. Tradition maintains that Braunschweig was created through the merger of two settlements, one founded by Bruno II, a Saxon count who died before 1017 on one side of the river Oker – the legend gives the year 861 for the foundation – and the other the settlement of a legendary Count Dankward, after whom Dankwarderode Castle, which was reconstructed in the 19th century, is named. The town's original name of Brunswik is a combination of the name Bruno and Low German wik, a place where merchants rested and stored their goods. The town's name therefore indicates an ideal resting-place, as it lay by a ford across the Oker River. Another explanation of the city's name is that it comes from Brand, or burning, indicating a place which developed after the landscape was cleared through burning. The city was first mentioned in documents from the St. Magni Church from 1031, which give the city's name as Brunesguik. In the 12th century Duke Henry the Lion made Braunschweig the capital of his state and built the Cathedral of St. Blasius. He became so powerful that he dared to refuse military aid to the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, which led to his condemnation and fall. Braunschweig was a member of the Hanseatic League from the 13th century to the middle of the 17th century. In the 18th century Braunschweig was not only a political, but also a cultural centre. Emilia Galotti by Lessing and Goethe's Faust were performed for the first time in Braunschweig.

Braunschweig Lion Statue - This statue, which was once gold-plated, was cast in bronze in 1166. It was erected by Henry the Lion as a symbol of his power and jurisdiction. It is a major example of a Romanesque sculpture and was most likely cast in Braunschweig. The statue was the first free-standing monument of the Middle Ages. The original can be viewed in Dankwarderode Castle (Burg Dankwarderode). An exact replica of the statue can be seen in the middle of Castle Square (Burgplatz). According to legend, this lion saved Henry the Lion life when a dragon attacked him during his travels.

photo by lucky
edited by mobydick74

  Germany, Braunschweig

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