Totem Pole is rotten: Lahr loses a souvenir of Canadian Times
Marveled and admired, and yet: The days of the Canadian totem pole, which had been erected at 1977 Lahr Stadtpark are counted. He has become rotten and is degraded.
Badishe Zeitung
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
The machine stability, so Richard Sottru, head of the department public green and environment at the city council is no longer possible. "We have a bad feeling," says Richard Sottru. Two years ago we had the totem pole removed the wings. It is critical at the foot of the totem pole, the point where it is attached to a steel frame. In addition, the stake was durchgefault in the core. The woodpeckers knew about this process and would have used the stake for years as an attack target. "We have no chance to get the pole. With screws we can not fix it," he describes the situation. It will therefore remain no choice but to dismantle than the totem pole with the help of a mobile crane. And then one must see what happens, "he breaks or he still holds?". When the pile stops, he is placed in a corner of the city park on the floor, where he can face his rotting.
"Gesture of friendship" of the Canadian Forces
The totem pole was first presented at the Canadian National Day 1977 (July 1) as a "gesture of friendship" by the Canadian Forces in the city park: "In recognition of ten years of generous hospitality and cooperation." For totem poles, the wood of the red cedar is used traditionally. The Lahr strain comes from the Jordan River, 65 kilometers north of Victoria (British Columbia) and at that time was about 100 years old. Three Schnitzer took five weeks to complete the four symbolic figures. Designed the totem pole by Tony Hunt, who worked alongside his brother Calvin Hunt and John Livingston. The design of Lahr totem pole goes back to the culture of Kwagulth Indians.
This brief summary shows that the totem pole is a work of art, which is also about copyright and other things. Also the expense of manufacturing such a pile is considerable. A request of the city at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin has shown that a similar large totem pole costs a little more than $ 100,000. Lot of money. The message has not, however, ruled on the question whether one would assume the cost of a new pile in whole or in part. One thing is clear, however, that one could abgewinnen a copy produced in Germany nothing, because it was not connected idealistic value. The totem pole - lasting symbol of Canadian presence in Lahr - had been renovated in the spring of 2004 at the expense of the Canadian Embassy. At the time of the tenth anniversary of the withdrawal of the Canadian Forces has been committed.
