TAUBE MEMORIAL, GOTHA
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This monument, known as "Eiserne Gotha Taube" (Iron Gotha Taube), was set up on 26 September 1915. An announcement was given in
Flugsport 1915 No.16 p.517,The city of Gotha decided to built a Taube monument to point to its role in aerial warfare It had a span of 4.5
meters on a granite base.. The side surfaces of the latter are said to have faces of enemy cities,who enjoyed the visit of pigeons, e.g.
Paris and Dover. This aircraft, to be made of wood by Professor Lehnert-Leipzig, will provide sufficient space for nailing (prominent nails
were more expensive than less visible ones), the proceeds of which will benefit the National Foundation for the bereaved of warriors killed
in the field. Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha approved this Gotha Taube in the facilities around his residence, the castle is
roped off.
The "Gothaischer Tageblatt" of August 3,1915, reported, "a memorial and landmark of the great times in which we live should also be built in Gotha for future generations." An object was chosen as a symbol "which has shown its outstanding importance for the first time in today's great struggle: an airplane and in particular the image of the Gotha Taube, which achieved such great successes right at the beginning of the war. The design came from the sculptor Professor Adolf Lehnert from Leipzig, who is well known in Gotha. After the monument was erected on the meadow above the orangery, the inauguration and nailing of this "Iron Gotha Dove" took place on September 26,1915. After the ceremonial speech by Mayor Otto Liebetrau, Duchess Victoria Adelheid hammered in the first golden nail... 'This gave the signal for the public to participate in the nailing, which then (...) took place lively." All of this served solely to help the population finance the First World War, because the nailing was linked to a war donation . The monument was moved there in 1916 on the occasion of the war exhibition shown in the Orangery. After the end of the war it was kept in the castle, where traces of it were lost after 1945. |
REFERENCES:
The Gotha pigeon as a symbol of enthusiasm for war