Of Donkeys and Artists

It took more than ten years for Osterode am Harz to get its donkey-driver monument. The story began as early as 1978, when the construction of a monument was first discussed. In 1982, the focus was on a possible location. The Heimat- und Geschichtsverein (Local History and Heritage Society) pushed the project forward and launched a fundraising campaign in 1983. After a longer pause, the project gained momentum again from 1984 onward.

Artur Wiese was particularly committed to the project and took over the fundraising campaign. By November 1986, 51,430 marks had already been raised; in December, the special account of the Heimat- und Geschichtsverein held 54,615 marks. While the fundraising continued, sculptor Helmut Moos was working on the design of the planned bronze group. A newspaper report from 1988 mentions that Moos had already created the sculpture as a clay model in 1976.

Then, of all things, an April Fool’s joke caused a stir.

On April 1, 1987, a donkey weighing around 200 kilograms suddenly appeared in front of the Old Town Hall. Made of welded sheet iron, it had been built by apprentices at the Anton Piller company in their training workshop; their instructor Gerd Schneider was also involved. The angular, technical-looking animal was deliberately intended as a joke. A sign proclaimed: “I am the first, but not the last donkey to stand here!”

The gag was well received—but the donkey was not built to last forever. The sandblasted iron began to rust and had to be removed. Later, another, more weather-resistant version was created for Freiheit. It was placed at the Brink, or on Freiheiter Hauptstraße, and is still standing there today. After one of its ears broke off, Gerd Schneider repaired the donkey once again.

The actual “Donkey Driver” finally arrived on June 3, 1988. Mayor Siegfried Wendlandt unveiled the bronze sculpture created by Helmut Moos in front of the Old Town Hall. It depicts a donkey driver holding a bottle of schnapps and a donkey loaded with a sack of grain. The figures are heading in different directions: the donkey passes the town hall on the right towards the Grain Magazine, while its driver heads left towards Martin Luther Square.

The grain sack bears the saying recorded by Heinrich Pröhle from a story from Lerbach:

“Eseltreiber juck, juck, juck, / hat en kleinen Schluck, Schluck, Schluck”

A plaque explains the historical background: “From Osterode, donkey drivers supplied the miners in the Upper Harz with grain.”

The unveiling ceremony combined humor with remembrance. At the beginning, a minute of silence was observed in memory of the victims of the Borken mining disaster. Afterwards, children rushed to the new sculpture and even climbed onto the donkey. Helmut Moos was pleased to note: “My work seems to be quite popular.”

And Mayor Wendlandt had the perfect punchline: “Using ‘donkey’ as an insult probably does not do justice to the dignity of this animal species.”

Thus, what had begun as an idea spanning several decades became a piece of Osterode’s urban history—and, in fact, it did not end with just one donkey.

Text compiled from:
archiv-vegelahn.de Wo wird wohl der April-Esel bleiben?
archiv-vegelahn.de Störrisches Tier verweilt jetzt vor dem Rathaus
archiv-vegelahn.de Wird das Eseltreiberdenkmal noch aufgestellt?
osterode-freiheit.de - Geschichtsblätter - So eine Eselei