Niederwald Monument

The Niederwald Monument near Rüdesheim on the Rhine was completed in 1883 after a six-year construction period to celebrate victory in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871. This photograph shows the plinth of the monument with the main relief, showing various generals and princes in life-size surrounding Kaiser Wilhelm I (1797–1888) on his horse. Below the relief, the inscription quotes five verses of the song "Die Wacht am Rhein" (Watch on the Rhine), which was very popular among the German soldiers during the war.

"Die Wacht am Rhein", inscription and relief on the plinth of the Niederwald Monument near Rüdesheim on the Rhine, colour photograph, 2014, photographer: Martin Kraft // photo.martinkraft.com; source: Wikimedia Commons http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:MK9948_Niederwalddenkmal-Wacht_am_Rhein.jpg, Creative-Commons  Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.de.