Transcript: "description of the monument. Where the noise of the city dies down and the peace of the forest begins, there stands the monument to the fallen of the great war. The soaring building rises up there, magnificent and proud, and its forms stand out against the fresh green of the forest in its spring dress. Two steps support the elegant and stylish substructure; the brown, shiny swedish granite is complemented by rich bronze decoration, already darkened and solemn in color. A protruding base, rising gently at an angle, announces the purpose of the monument. On a plaque, directly opposite the viewer, are the words of the dedication: "the province of hanover to its sons who fell in the war against france in 1870/71. " all around the surface of the base, however, in long, long rows in gold letters, are the names of the heroes who gave their blood and life for the fatherland. She will approach here today, who has a father, a son, have lost a loved one, and with tears in their eyes but pride in their hearts, see their dear name immortalized on this magnificent monument. On this pedestal, on either side of the substructure rising up above it, rest the colossal figures of two lions in cast bronze, beautifully crafted to perfection, one of which raises its head proudly and threateningly, while the other, pierced by a lance shaft, roars in agony, but at the same time breaks the destructive french weapon with its mighty paw. The four corners of the substructure are flanked by columns, whose rich bronze capitals support a beautifully structured cornice and are crowned with four eagle figures on top. Of the sides of the substructure, the front one has a niche in which the figure of hanover stands. She bows her noble head in mourning, but stretches out her hand in blessing over a round shield, which rests at her feet, adorned with the sign of the iron cross, encircled with a laurel branch and oak wreath. Instead of such a niche, the other three sides of the monument show bronze plaques set into the stone with rich reliefs, of which those on the right and left hand show the trophies of victory, captured weapons, cuirasses, cannons and flags. Instead of such trophies, the plaque on the back bears the coat of arms of the province in the middle, surrounded by the coats of arms of the individual regions. On top of the high, square base is a smaller, octagonal one, which bears the inscription on the front: "france declares war, july 15, 1870. Peace concluded in frankfurt am main, may 10, 1871. " its three surfaces, corresponding to the other sides of the monument, also bear inscribed panels, and these are supplemented by similar ones set below, on the main body of the substructure, above the large bronze reliefs. Thus, on each side of the monument there are two panels, the inscriptions on which give the names of the most important battles, and one can read a series of names, one after the other, which bring back many painful and happy memories. Weissenburg, august 4th, 1870, is the first. These are followed by: spichern, august 6th, 1870. Wörth, august 6th, 1870. Courcelles, august 14th, 1870. Mars la tour, august 16th, 1870. Gravelotte, august 18th, 1870. Sedan, 1st/2nd. September 1870. Then on the back of the monument: strasbourg, september 27th 1870. Orleans, october 11th and december 4th 1870. Metz, october 27th 1870. Verdun, november 2nd 1870. Thionville, november 24th 1870. Beaune la rolande, november 28th 1870. Beaugency december 10th 1870. Finally, the third side bears the names: vendome december 16th 1870 and january 6th 1871. Belfort, january 15th, 16th, 17th 1871. Dijon, january 23rd 1871. Paris, january 28th 1871. The second, smaller substructure tapers again like a dome and forms the base of the colossal group which crowns the monument so beautifully. Three powerful female figures stand up there, germania in the middle, holding a palm branch in her raised hand. At her side, however, are two goddesses of victory, both of them carrying the imperial crown, which they hold up above the serious head of germania. One of the two looks down to the earth, the other looks up enthusiastically at the imperial crown, but in their free hand both carry a laurel wreath, the symbol of victory. Thus the noble work, carried out by professor volz in karlsruhe, stands there, completed, and today the cover is falling so that all eyes can enjoy it. Thousands will come forward and thousands will confess that the province of hanover has erected a monument to its fallen sons, the likes of which there is hardly a more beautiful one in germany. " dimensions of the box: approx. 10. 8 cm x 16. 7 cm. Date: 1884.
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