Die Trauernde
A 1949 sculpture by Gerhard Marcks standing in the churchyard of St. Maria im Kapitol, commemorating the victims of World War II.
since 1949
Die Trauernde — "The Mourning Woman" — is a sculpture in Cologne that serves as a memorial to the victims of the Second World War.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- War memorial sculpture
- Artist
- Gerhard Marcks (sculptor and graphic artist)
- Created
- 1949, commissioned by the City of Cologne
- Location
- Lichhof of St. Maria im Kapitol
- District
- Altstadt-Süd, city centre
- Status
- Listed monument in North Rhine-Westphalia
The Trauernde stands in the Lichhof – a medieval 'corpse courtyard' that literally served as a holding place for the dead before burial – linking this modern memorial with a centuries-old site of death beside the Romanesque church of St. Maria im Kapitol.
Things to do here
- Pause before the moving sculpture and remember the victims of war
- Take a close look at the work by Gerhard Marcks
- Explore the quiet Lichhof of St. Maria im Kapitol
- Visit the Romanesque church St. Maria im Kapitol right next door
- Take atmospheric photos of the figure
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
Artist and Commission
The figure was created by Gerhard Marcks, a sculptor and graphic artist. The City of Cologne commissioned the work in 1949 as a memorial to the victims of the Second World War.
Setting in the Lichhof
The sculpture stands in the Lichhof of the Romanesque church St. Maria im Kapitol. The Lichhof is a former burial ground — its name derives from the old German word for a churchyard cemetery — lending the site a quietly solemn atmosphere well suited to a work of mourning.
Timeline
- 1949Gerhard Marcks created the sculpture on behalf of the city of Cologne.
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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