I’m sure Glashütte’s inhabitants had envisioned celebrating 175 years of its watchmaking industry much differently than it has turned out. This little town has such a moving and industrious history to celebrate. It’s nice to see that some of the prepared events are going ahead now following a hard year of COVID-19 restrictions, even if in a different way than initially envisioned.
Walter Lange memorial statue unveiled in Glashütte, Germany on September 18, 2020
One of these special events involves the memorial statue of Walter Lange that was commissioned by A. Lange & Söhne and the city of Glashütte, which was unveiled on Friday, September 18, 2020.
While I imagine that without COVID-19, A. Lange & Söhne might have wanted celebrate the occasion a little differently, the intimate gathering of Walter Lange’s immediate family (son Benjamin and his wife Joanna), Glashütte VIPs, former Saxon minister president Kurt Biedenkopf, and only as much press as you could count on one hand – all healthfully spaced 1.5 meters away from each other during the event – felt a lot more like the way Walter Lange would have personally wanted this to go. “I’m sure that my father would have liked this special and symbolic place too,” Benjamin Lange said in his speech about the freshly refurbished church square vis-à-vis the memorial monument to Walter Lange’s great-grandfather, Ferdinand Adolph Lange.
Walter Lange’s memorial statue in Glashütte is directly opposite that of his great-grandfather, Ferdinand Adolph Lange
Lange was one of the most down-to-earth people you could ever have hoped to meet. And while no effort was ever spared for his beloved A. Lange & Söhne, he never liked fuss about his own person. Which is why I venture to say this memorial statue and the bigger event planned for the unveiling might have displeased him. But because of the special situation, it likely ended up being more his style. At any rate, I certainly felt his presence that day smiling out at us.
Walter Lange passed away at the age of 92 in January 2017. Following in the footsteps of his famous ancestor, in 1990 he re-founded his family’s company after close to 40 years of non-existence as part of the East German combine Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb, reasserting Glashütte as the center of Germany’s fine watchmaking in a modern era, going hand in hand with the mechanical renaissance.
Walter Lange memorial statue by Thomas Jastram
The culmination of a nearly three-year project, Hamburg-based sculptor Thomas Jastram was commissioned to create the statue. Having completed his studies at the Dresden University of Fine Arts in the 1980s, Jastram seemed like a natural fit to craft the life-sized bronze figure, especially since one of the key themes in his work is the spatial exploration of the human form.
Thomas Jastram in his Hamburg studio working on the Walter Lange memorial
Jastram’s goal was to depict Lange’s likeness as approachable, radiating the same aura as the man. “He is standing because he was not a sitter,” Jastram laughed as he described his process to me. Note the welcoming positioning of Walter Lange’s hands and arms.
And – of course – the statute wears a watch. Though it’s not possible to ascertain which watch it is on the statue, Lange was generally wearing either the Lange 1 or the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite when I saw him, both of which belonged to the re-founded brand’s original launch collection of 1994.
Closeup of the wrist of the Walter Lange memorial in Glashütte
Lange’s likeness was very purposefully not put on a pedestal – Walter Lange would not have wanted that – instead, it greets visitors to St. Wolfgang’s newly refurbished square at eye level.
When Hartmut Knothe, A. Lange & Söhne’s first managing director, and Glashütte mayor Markus Dressler took the covering off the statue, literally unveiling it to the public, my first thought was that it didn’t look much like Walter Lange. But I came to realize that was because Jastram refused to give him eyeglasses. “That doesn’t translate well to the medium,” the artist explained.
Walter Lange without eyeglasses is a strange sight, changing the way his face looks immensely. Jastram crafted Lange from a composite idea gleaned from years and years’ worth of photos and videos. “I try to find the happy medium,” he explained.
Glashütte mayor Markus Dressler (left) and Hartmut Knothe, A. Lange & Söhne’s first managing director, unveil the Walter Lange memorial
“Thomas Jastram succeeded in depicting Walter Lange’s personality and appeal,” Dressler said in his speech.
Why is Walter Lange important?
Walter Lange was of retirement age in 1990 when Germany’s reunification allowed him and business partner Günter Blümlein to undertake a renewed founding of A. Lange & Söhne, looking to restore it to its former glory. Walter Lange was 66 years old at the time. “This was a most difficult moment in Glashütte’s history,” Markus Dressler, Glashütte’s mayor, said in the speech he gave at the unveiling. “It was a crossroads that could have meant the end of Glashütte’s watch industry.”
R to L: Wilhelm Schmid (CEO A. Lange & Söhne), Benjamin Lange (Walter Lange’s son), and Markus Dressler (mayor of Glashütte) with the new memorial statue
Lange registered his new company, Lange Uhren GmbH, on December 7, 1990. This date was representative as it was the anniversary of the company’s original founding in 1845. “That was the impetus needed to ignite the renaissance of our original Glashütte watch industry,” Dressler remarked.
Lange Uhren GmbH was a joint venture between Walter Lange and the watch group known as LMH, managed by Günter Blümlein, which already included Swiss watch brands Jaeger-LeCoultre and IWC. “He never doubted that success for his company and for the city would come,” Dressler added.
Walter Lange was more than proud of initiating this resurgence, but it wasn’t pride that drove him to do it. It was love of his craft, respect for his family, and appreciation for Glashütte’s people.
Benjamin Lange with the new memorial statue of his father, Walter Lange
“Walter and Ferdinand Adolph Lange lived in different epochs, but each one accomplished exceptional achievements,” said Benjamin Lange in his speech. “And their motivation was the same: ambition, of course, to make the best watches, but never personal wealth. It was always about the people of this region and avoiding impending poverty.”
For an in-depth description of Walter Lange’s life, see The Life And Times Of A. Lange & Söhne Re-Founder Walter Lange.
You may also enjoy:
Happy 90th Birthday To Walter Lange With A Look Back At The Modern A. Lange & Söhne
Lange & Söhne Live Video Event From SIHH 2018: Remembering Walter Lange
Film: A. Lange & Söhne “A Legend Comes Home”
Lange & Söhne Lange 1 25th Anniversary Edition: Celebrating A Quarter Century Of Asymmetrical Cool
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Ein schöner und wichtiger Artikel, danke vielmals. Vor allem, weil er auch die Sicht des Künstlers beschreibt, der Walter Lange eben genau so zeigen wollte. Seltsam unpassende Posts darüber sollten so überflüssig werden. Ein schöner Ort vis-a-vis von Adolph Lange.
Looks like a statue of a child dressed in a wee suit wearing a Nixon mask. Jesus Christ.
si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses.
I’ve looked at some of Jastram’s work, and it’s rather good, especially the ‘Small Rider’ where I could swear I detect the tiniest hint of Giacometti. But this one, I dunno. I certainly don’t understand enough about sculpture to say its objectively bad, but I just think Walter may have deserved something…different.
Gav, it took me a few minutes to get friendly with it too. After spending some time there and talking to the artist, I came to the conclusion it is good. We are all just really missing the eyeglasses that were such a part of him.
“Get friendly with it” is a good way of putting it I suppose. The more I glance back at Jastram’s work the more it makes sense.
I do understand your reticence entirely.
From this statue I feel a warmth, a genuine and welcoming energy emanating along with a very strong sense of pride. I like it! A very well considered and fitting depiction of a great and caring man.
I love that that is what you get from it – that was supposed to be the impression! And I think Walter Lange would have loved that his statue radiates that.
Also should have mentioned both the article and website, to me, is very effective and well constructed. A great find! Thank you.
Thank you!
I saw Mr Lange just once, at SIHH. He was standing at the booth entrance, smiling at people as they came in. Such an important man yet completely unassuming. He seemed like a genuinely warm person.
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