The German states fought against France in the Franco-Prussian War. It was triggered by the dispute over Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’s candidacy for the Spanish throne. The war began in July 1870 and ended in May 1871 after the Germans had taken Paris. Among other things, France had to cede Alsace-Lorraine. It was only after this war that the German Empire was formed and the arch-enmity between Germany and France only deepened.
Although there was no fighting in Cologne, Cologne was always a hospital city and many French prisoners of war who were wounded ended up in Cologne’s hospitals. Many of them died and so 515 French soldiers were buried in a cemetery on Melaten. One year after the war, in 1872, the defeated France asked to be allowed to erect a memorial for its fallen soldiers. Priests in particular campaigned for this and the mayor of Cologne agreed to the request. The memorial was created by the Cologne stonemason Johann Baptist Berger. The text on the cross reads: “Erected by their compatriots in memory of the French soldiers who died in 1870/71. R.I.P.”
Two things were special about it. There was not yet a memorial for fallen German soldiers on Melaten, that only came later.
And despite this deep hostility, they not only allowed the cross to be erected, but the people of Cologne took care of it themselves and collected money for the cross. A very conciliatory gesture.
If you would like to join us and discover Cologne on our guided tours, then sign up for our newsletter. We will inform you about the current dates every month:
Subscribe to the newsletter
