Among the most endearing attractions of Heidelberg is the Bronze Monkey or Bridge Monkey. Much of the action in Death Cruise, the first Reiker For Hire novella, takes place in 19th century Heidelberg Germany, a place I called home for a while in the 20th century.
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Neckar means 'wild one' or 'wild fellow', named by Celts who lived here during the Iron Age. The river begins in the Black Forest and flows north to join the Rhine at Mannheim. The term can also refer to water nixies of myth, regionally called Nekk, Neck or nyx.
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By the old bridge (Alte Brücke) of Heidelberg is a bronze statue, a monkey with a mirror. The story goes back to the 15th century. A bridge tower is built to intimidate enemies. The original stone monkey inside the tower, holding a copper mirror, is intended as a mockery.
Built in 1788, the current arched bridge is constructed of red sandstone from the Neckar, the river it spans. It's about 22 ft (6.7 m) high. Several bridges have graced the river there, beginning with a Roman pile bridge in the first century AD.
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It's followed by a stone construction in about 200 AD. When that collapses, the Neckar is without a bridge for over a thousand years. Since the 13th century, eight bridges have been constructed on the site. That's a lot of bridges.
The previous stone statue of the monkey bared his bum to the Bishops of Mainz with a very rude gesture. In the Nine Years' War (1688 - 1697), the French destroyed the stone monkey and bridge tower. An engraved poem by Martin Zeiller, also 17th century, remains.
“Why are you staring at me?
Haven’t you seen the old monkey in Heidelberg?
Look around and you probably will see –
more monkeys like me!”
In the modern bronze version by German sculptor Gernot Rumpf, the monkey makes a gesture to ward off the evil eye. Created as a political statement centuries ago, now a popular tourist attraction, the Bridge Monkey encourages self-reflection.
READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure
READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series
READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries