Statues - Hither & Thither

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Konstanz
Lkr. Konstanz
Baden-Württemberg

Hafenstraße
(Hafeneingang)

Imperia

Peter Lenk
1993

Description

The Imperia shows a woman holding two men on her hands. The two men represent Pope Martin V and Emperor Sigismund. Martin V was elected during the Council while Sigismund was the king who called the council. Both are naked except for the crown and papal tiara, respectively, that they wear as symbols of their power.

Konstanz - Imperia

The statue refers to a short story by Balzac, La belle Impéria. The story is a harsh satire of the Catholic clergy's morals, where Imperia seduces cardinals and princes at the Council of Constance and has power over them all. The historical Imperia was a well-educated Italian courtesan named Lucrezia de Paris who was born in 1485 in Ferrara, well after the council, and never visited Konstanz.

The concrete statue is 9 metres high, weighs 18 tonnes, and stands on a pedestal that rotates around its axis once every four minutes. The statue commemorates the Council of Constance that took place there between 1414 and 1418.

Information Sign

Imperia
Römische Lebedame und Muse.
Skulptur (9 m hoch, 18 to schwer).
Erbaut 1993 vom Bodmaner Bildhauer
Peter Lenk nach einer Geschichte
von Honoré de Balzac über
das Konstanzer Konzil (1414-1418).

Konstanz - Imperia

Sculptor

Peter Lenk (Nürnberg 1947), German sculptor of Bodman-Ludwigshafen (Website).

Sources & Information

Wikipedia, Imperia (Statue).
Tourismus Media Center ToMeC, Konstanz, Stadtrundgang 1 (PDF on-line).
Wikipedia, Sehenswürdigkeiten in Konstanz.

Locatie (N 47°39'38" - E 9°10'52") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: debw294; Photograph: 3 October 2014
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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