Kaiser Wilhelm Monument at Porta Westfalica

Where the River Weser squeezes between the Wiehen Hills and the Weser Hills, a stone canopy topped by an imperial crown stands high on the slope, sheltering a bronze emperor with his hand raised. The Kaiser Wilhelm Monument at Porta Westfalica is 88 metres high in total and visible from far across the plain around Minden. Built to celebrate national greatness, today it is above all a viewpoint with a history worth thinking about.

History: a monument from the Province of Westphalia

After Emperor Wilhelm I died in March 1888, monuments to him sprang up all over Prussia. On 15 March 1889 the Westphalian provincial parliament chose Porta Westfalica, the "Gateway to Westphalia", by a narrow majority. Hohensyburg near Dortmund was also in the running. The idea came from Alexander von Oheimb, district administrator in Minden.

Construction ran from 1892 to 1896 to plans by the Berlin architect Bruno Schmitz; the sculptor Caspar von Zumbusch created the emperor's figure. It was inaugurated on 18 October 1896, deliberately on the anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig and of Wilhelm's coronation as King of Prussia in 1861. The style is known as monumental style, a transition from historicism to modernism. Today the monument belongs to the Westphalia-Lippe regional association (LWL), which restored it and opened a visitor centre in 2018.

What to see

• The statue: Wilhelm I wears a cuirass, high boots and a coronation cloak decorated with eagles. His left hand rests on his sword, his right is raised in greeting, and he wears a laurel wreath.
• Canopy: Six slender piers carry a dome shaped like an imperial crown with orb and cross. The piers were kept narrow so the figure stays clearly visible.
• Ring terrace: The lower terrace is 120 metres across and rests on a wall with 30 buttresses. A broad staircase leads up to the upper terrace with the inscription "To Wilhelm the Great / the Province of Westphalia".
• View: From the foot of the monument it is about 170 metres down to the Weser. You look across the river, north over the lowlands and across to the Jakobsberg.
• LWL visitor centre: Inside the platform base, six media stations in German and English tell the natural and cultural history of the Porta.

Good to know

The builders used Porta sandstone from the nearby Wolfsschlucht quarry, cheaper than the Ibbenbüren sandstone first planned. While the terrace was being built, the ground subsided and stones broke loose and fell. Opposite, on the Jakobsberg, a Bismarck tower has stood since 1902, so the Porta has a national monument on each side. Some 100,000 to 200,000 people come up here every year.

Visiting and getting there

The grounds and the monument are free to visit. The car park at the monument charges a fee and fills up quickly on fine weekends. On Sundays and public holidays shuttle bus 518 runs up from the "Porta Bahnhof", "Willem" and "Kaiserhof" car parks. Regional trains stop at Porta Westfalica and Minden. On foot, two paths lead up from Porta Westfalica station: the direct one past the Goethe open-air theatre, or the steeper route through the Wolfsschlucht gorge.

The site is step-free up to the upper terrace; the statue itself is reached only by stairs. The visitor centre has two lifts. There is a restaurant at the monument and a kiosk at the car park. Allow one to two hours for the monument, exhibition and view, more if you hike up. Check the visitor centre's opening hours before you go.

Tripto tip

After your visit, drive down to the Weser and look back from the riverbank. Only from the valley do you understand why this spot was chosen: the monument stands like a guard over the gap.