Kulturkampf and the consolidation of the catholic church in the new German empire ongoing, Bernward's political deeds, especially his role as tutor and advisor to Emperor Otto III and Emperor Henry II gained great symbolic value. Already in the 1870s, therefore, there were plans for a monument. But it was only in 1885, in a pastoral letter on the subject of Bernward that Bishop Sommerwerck made an open appeal, seeking support for the planned monument. The appeal had a surprisingly enthusiastic reception. Even the Prussian government indicated its willingness to cooperate from the outset. Out of eight submissions, that of C.F. Hartzer was selected. The substructure which he had envisioned was not accepted, however, and Hartzer immediately produced a new design, with the help of the architect Christoph Hehl, who was a close friend of his. On 28 September 1893, the day before Michaelmas, Bishop Sommerwerck revealed the new monument to a great audience of diocesan clerics, government officials, and the people of Hildesheim in a festive ceremony, calling the saint: Original location Originally the Bernward monument stood further north, roughly halfway between the cathedral and the bishop's house and looked down from the top of a podium which was more than three metres high towards the Großen Domhof to the north. This was the same location in which the Bernward Column stood until it was moved inside the cathedral for conservation reasons in 1893. The pedestal, made from light grey granite had neoromanesque architectural decorations and was divided into several different levels of decreasing size. On the rounded central level there were four bronze reliefs: the front one bearing Bernward's name and dates, the other three showing key scenes from his life, which showed him as a teacher, a church leader, and an artist - indicating the contemporary meaning of the monument. Immediately below the statue itself was a copy of the Cross of Bernward, which explains why this symbol is absent from the statue itself. The bronze reliefs were taken and melted down for war purposes in 1943. The statue itself was put in storage and escaped the destruction of Hildesheim. After the war, the cathedral chapter decided that the tall podium was no longer appropriate and it was removed in 1966. The reliefs Bibliography Monika & Karl Arndt. "Das Bernward-Denkmal in Hildesheim," in Bernward von Hildesheim und das Zeitalter der Ottonen, Vol. I, Hildesheim 1993, pp. 449–457