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Translation

Background (and general) information

The “Boulevard of Sculptures” was a central element of the initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas”, directed at promoting a positive image of the country within Germany and abroad. The initiative was carried out under the auspices of then President Horst Köhler and was jointly sponsored by the German Federal Government and the Federation of German Industry (BDI).

Both the corporate design of the campaign and the design of the sculptures was conceived and implemented by the Berlin design agency “Scholz & Friends Identify”. The agency has been awarded several international prizes for this campaign – such as the coveted EVA Award in 2006. The sculptures were placed in central locations of Berlin’s city centre – like the Bebelplatz or the Gendarmenmarkt. The unveilings were accompanied by small parties at which politicians, members of the initiative or representatives of the firms involved gave opening speeches. The first sculpture to be unveiled was the “Modern Football Boot” in the Spreebogenpark on 10 March 2006. And on 19 May 2006 the last sculpture “Theory of Relativity” was delivered in the Lustgarten. In autumn 2006 the sculptures were dismantled. One of the sculptures, the “Automobile”, travelled to Munich. The further use or processing of the other pieces of art is still unclear.

The overall costs from planning to realisation amounted to between 300,000 and 350,000 euros per sculpture. All of them were made from the innovative plastic material Neopor and coated with a special glistening white lacquer. Production time was about two months for each item, the final installation at the locations took up up to three days.

Information panels both in German and in English along the journey through "Germany’s research landscape and cultural history" gave detailed explanations on each sculpture’s symbolism.

Translation 2

extract from Free City of Frankfurt

Frankfurt was one of the centres of the revolutionary movement of the pre-March era. Ludwig Böhne, a publicist who was born in Judengasse (i.e. Jews’ Lane) in 1786 and wrote satirical works, became an outstanding figure of the young Germany. The German Bundestag (i.e. the Parliament) and the urban elites who feared for their reputation tried to prohibit political associations and suppress the circulation of liberal writings. Nonetheless, the city’s oppositional circles were at the latest after the July Revolution of 1830 filled with revolutionary spirit. The step from idealistic zeal to decisive action, however, failed thoroughly. […] Although the event remained largely without consequences for Frankfurt’s bourgeois elites, it still affected them delicately: from then on a garrison consisting of 2500 Austrian and Prussian soldiers challenged the city’s sovereignty and the parliamentary diplomats reviled the Free City as a liberal one-horse town. […]

In 1848 at the beginning of March the revolutionary atmosphere from France spilled over the border. Like everywhere else, Frankfurt’s population demanded freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, equality of all citizens, amnesty for political prisoners and the arming of the people. On March 3rd the Senate conceded all demands apart from a complete emancipation of the Jews. The reform associations of the Montagskränzchen (i.e. Monday Assembly) requested a constitutional reform, for Frankfurt as well. A constituent assembly, to be elected by all citizens, was supposed to work out a new constitution to substitute the amendment file.

On March 9th the black-red-gold banner was fluttering over the government building. On March 31st the preliminary parliament assembled in the Paulskirche (i.e. Church of St. Paul) which had quickly undergone some changes. The walls and windows of the church were decorated with black-red-gold banners, the pulpit was covered in cloth, the organ was hidden behind a large curtain which showed a fresco by Phillip Veit: the Germania with a flag and a sword, to her right and left bay wreaths with patriotic lines written on them. To replace the altar the president’s table was put up.