Bremen Roland

The Bremen Roland is a statue of Roland, raised in 1404. It remains in the market square (Rathausplatz) of Bremen, Germany, confronting the church building, and shows Roland, paladin of the primary Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and saint of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. Roland is appeared as defender of the city: his incredible sword is unsheathed, and his shield is embellished with the two-headed Imperial bird. The standing figure is 5.47 m tall, and stands on a 60 cm platform. A supporting section, delegated by a baldachin, brings the joined stature to 10.21 m. The statue was cut in limestone from Elm, and was charged by the city fathers to supplant a wooden one consumed in 1366 by Prince-Archbishop Albert II.

It stands up to the congregation as a portrayal of city rights contradicted to the regional cases of the ruler diocese supervisor. Statues of Roland show up in various urban communities of the previous Holy Roman Empire, as tokens of city freedoms, Stadtrechte. The Roland statue at Bremen is the most established surviving case. From Bremen the image of urban freedom and flexibility spread to different urban areas and has turned into an image of the new Europe. Since 1973, it is ensured by the landmark insurance act. In July 2004, alongside the town corridor, the statue was added to the rundown of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.