Miss Liberty's Creator

I don't know if they still teach such things, but I remember learning in elementary school that the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States, was designed by the French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi.  Bartholdi was born in Colmar.  His father died when he was two years old, and the family moved to Paris.  However they held on to their house in Colmar, and even later in life the sculptor continued to maintain his childhood home.   Today, the house is a museum dedicated to Bartholdi and his sculptures.

"Auguste Bartholdi was born in this house the 2nd of August 1834,

died in Paris the 4th of October 1904."

In the courtyard of the house is a large bronze statue that he did two years before his death.  It is entitled "The Great Supporters of the World".

Several rooms of the house deal with his most famous creation, "Liberty Enlightening the Word", the monumental statue that we know as the Statue of Liberty.

Early models for the project

The final model of the Miss Liberty that we know

A model of one of the statue's ears in the actual size of the statue

Prior to being sent to the United States, the statue was assembled in Paris.

This photo shows the arm and torch.

In this photo, the assembled statue towers over the surrounding buildings in Paris.  The statue was then disassembled and shipped to the United States.

Although the Statue of Liberty is Bartholdi's most famous work, it is by no means his only monumental sculpture.

Here is a model for the head of a monument honoring Claude Rouget de Lisle, the author of France's national anthem "La Marseillaise".

In 1864, this fountain designed by Bartholdi was unveiled in a Colmar park.  The central figure is of Armand-Joseph Bruat, an admiral of the French navy during the Crimean War.

Surrounding him are four allegorical figures representing Oceania, America, Africa and Asia.

In 1940, when the Germans invaded France, the Nazis destroyed the fountain.  Some courageous citizens of Colmar rescued the heads of the allegorical figures from the wreckage.

Those heads now reside in the Bartholdi Museum.

After the war, the fountain was rebuilt, using Bartholdi's original design.

This is the model for another monument created by Bartholdi.  It is entitled "Switzerland Rescuing Strasbourg from Its Torment During the 1870 Siege".

It honors the efforts of the Swiss cities of Basel, Zurich, and Bern to negotiate the release of women, children and the elderly when Strasbourg was besieged by the German army during the Franco-Prussian War.

The monument stands just a short distance from the hotel where I was staying in Basel.

We will return to Basel for the last two installments of this European trip.

  

  

An Excursion Across the Border

 Returning to the European trip...

As I mentioned previously, Basel is located where the countries of Switzerland, Germany and France meet.  When I was planning this trip, I planned on taking a day-trip across the border into the Alsace region of France.  I decided upon the medieval town of Colmar as my French destination.  

There are trains which leave from Basel for Strasbourg, the largest city in Alsace, every hour, and along the way they stop in Colmar.  I got up early, crossed the street to the train station, and bought a round trip ticket to Colmar which was good any time of the day.  I have to say that the French train seemed rather dark and shabby after traveling in the shiny Swiss and German trains.

 

Also, the car did not have a screen showing the next station, and the announcements were only in French.  The quality of sound on the loudspeaker was not good, and I strained to hear the name of the next stop.  But the train was comfortable enough and was on time.  After less than an hour as the train slowed for a stop, I asked the lady in front of me, "Colmar?"  "Oui," she answered.  "Merci."

From the train station, it was a short walk to the city's well-preserved Old Town, which looks like something out of a storybook.

With a population of around 67,000 people, Colmar is the third largest city in Alsace.  It dates back to at least the 9th century, when it was mentioned by Charlemagne in his chronicles.  The region of Alsace has gone back and forth between France and Germany through the years.  Although the language is French, the city's architecture and cuisine are definitely Germanic.

The Gothic Church of St. Martin was built between 1234 and 1365.  Because it is the city's largest church, it is sometimes referred to as the cathedral.  But, in fact, Colmar has never been the seat of a bishop.

 

The church's interior is noted for its Gothic stained glass windows.

The former Dominican church, built between 1289 and 1364 is also Gothic in style.

It too is noted for its 14th century stained glass windows.

The former church is most famous for housing an altarpiece called "Madonna of the Rose Bower".  It was painted by the Alsatian artist Martin Schongauer and is considered a masterpiece of 15th century religious art.

I spent several hours wandering around the streets of this quaint town, taking photos at every turn.

The most photographed section of this highly photogenic town is the area along the River Lauch which is nicknamed "Little Venice".

Colmar has a number of museums, but I just visited one of them... a museum that is of special interest to visitors from the United States.