Monument to the Fallen Polytechnicians in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71

This ornate marble plaque framed in the neo-classical style borrows architectonic elements from the ancient tombs. It was erected in 1873 within the portal of the main building of Karlsruhe Polytechnical College in memory of six students who had lost their lives in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. Normally, such monuments — of which many were erected during the German Empire — were situated in the fallen soldiers’ home towns. Their premature deaths were long remembered by members of their own communities. University life, by contrast, was marked by brief periods of attendance and often transient relationships. Yet, the bonds formed during these years were frequently deep and lasting. To have them cut short by death was painful, too. The war memorial of the Polytechnical College was designed by its professor of architecture, Heinrich Lang (1824–1893), and was built with public funds. By erecting this memorial to its members, the 48-year-old college at that time was following the lead of other academic institutions. It was one more step along the path toward achieving equality with universities, something it was striving for throughout the nineteenth century. Their corporative isolation from local urban communities was a centuries-long characteristic of universities. The Polytechnical College, although founded without such special status, joined this tradition symbolically by erecting its war memorial, thereby establishing itself as an independent social entity. kn