Anscavallo

Welcome to the Anscavallo

The sculpture of the bronze horse by Jürgen Goertz, erected in 1993, divided opinion among the people of Ansbach. It polarized opinion and the hatred was probably greater than the love at the beginning, as evidenced by the many indignant letters to the editor in the local newspaper. In the meantime, "the Anscavallo" has become an integral part of the townscape and it is impossible to imagine Schlossplatz without it.

The lusty large sculpture is full of allusions to social and artistic freedoms. It is synonymous with disciplined self-administration, critical self-confidence, static prudence and dynamic forward momentum. It allows itself the extravagance of a single turned front foot, a proudly swelling chest, a three-eyed horse's head and a cogwheel-spiked horse's mane. The rear section makes use of a baroque profiled double leg, a buxom horse's hindquarters, the wild and disheveled horse's tail made of cast vinewood hair and the unabashedly organically constructed outlet for the horse's apple production.

Together with the fountain of the "Ansbacchantin", the Amazon enjoying the beautiful moments of life while drinking wine, the wheel elements symbolizing the pulsating traffic and the two bus shelters crowned with bird sculptures, the ensemble forms a charming contrast to the historical façade of the Margravial Residence.

The ensemble constantly reveals new facets and is always exciting and redesigned by the changing seasons.

Between the two representative palaces opposite the residence, a small fountain is placed in a distinctively designed niche. It was designed by Manfred Mayerle and was inaugurated in 1985.

Source: Tourist Information Ansbach, CC-BY-SA 4.0