Wingolfdenkmal, Memorial monument in Eisenach, Germany

The Wingolfdenkmal sits at the southern end of Pfarrberg in Eisenach and connects two streets through a stone stairway. The structure features a stone wall that creates a passage linking Pfarrberg and Domstrasse.

The memorial was built in 1899 to honor members of the Wingolf association who died in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Major changes came in the 1930s when the monument underwent a significant redesign.

The Wingolfbund has held its Bundesfest, the Wartburgfest, in Eisenach every two years since 1850, interrupted during German division; since 1991 it meets here again. During these festivals a Totengedenken at the memorial commemorates fallen members, deliberately not as a war tribute: the Wingolf distances itself from nationalism and historical revisionism.

The monument is easily accessible and the stairway provides a practical connection between the two street levels. You can reach it on foot without difficulty as it sits directly along a common walking route.

The first memorial, unveiled on 25 May 1899, was designed by sculptor Friedrich Pfannschmidt and consisted of a large genius figure mounted on the wall, guarding the Wingolf coat of arms. It was replaced in 1932 by a plain cross after a design by Jakob Brüllmann.