Jan-Wellem-Reiterstandbild, Bronze equestrian statue at Marktplatz square, Düsseldorf, Germany
The Jan-Wellem-Reiterstandbild is a green-patinated bronze equestrian statue on Düsseldorf's Marktplatz: Johann Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg in full armour, with electoral hat, order chain and marshal's staff, seated upright on a trotting horse with its right foreleg raised. The pale grey stone pedestal, with projecting cornice and gilded palm fronds, laurel wreaths and rosettes, carries a Latin dedication beginning "JOANNI GULIELMO" and ending "PINACOTHECAE FUNDATORI". A black-and-gold spear fence encloses the base.
Gabriel Grupello, an Italian-Flemish sculptor, began the work in 1703 and it was erected in 1711 for Elector Johann Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg, called Jan Wellem by Düsseldorf's Lower Franconian speakers. The bronze was cast in the Gießhaus on the Marktplatz, later a theatre. Grupello's plan for a taller pedestal with four lions trampling vices was never cast; the simple base was replaced in 1830–31 by a classicist one in Ratinger Blaustein, designed by Adolf von Vagedes.
Düsseldorfers called Johann Wilhelm "Jan Wellem" in their Low Franconian dialect, and the name stuck to the monument. The Latin inscription on the pedestal calls him "Pinacothecae Fundatori", founder of the painting gallery, referring to the gallery he established that became the basis of today's museum collections. The gilded palm fronds and laurel wreaths on the base are later classicist additions.
The monument stands in the open on the Marktplatz, and the fence with its 252 gilded spear tips runs around the base, so it is seen from outside the railing rather than touched. The equestrian figure and pedestal were placed under monument protection around 1988 together with the cast-iron fence and four corner lamps. The square is a through-route in the Altstadt, so the statue is passed at any hour.
During World War II, the statue was moved to a mountain tunnel outside the city to protect it from bombing raids. This measure saved the work from destruction that affected many other urban monuments.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,917 contributors worldwide.