Obentraut Monument

The Obentraut monument stands in Seelze, a town in the Region Hannover. A sandstone pyramid five and a half metres high, it crowns a wrought-iron cross above a gilded sphere. The north face shows the Obentraut coat of arms, the monogram of sculptor Jeremias Sutel, and a Latin inscription. In the 17th century it was placed beside the main road outside the village; centuries later the village grew around it and now the road runs past its centre. Since 1982 the monument has been protected by law. The monument honours Hans Michael Elias von Obentraut, a cavalry general who fought for the Protestant cause in the Thirty Years War. On 25 October 1625 his force of seven hundred horsemen met the ten-thousand-strong army of the Catholic League under Tilly near Seelze. According to legend, Obentraut rode to the battle without a helmet and wearing only one boot, and there he was fatally shot. He was buried in the Marktkirche in Hannover. Beside the pyramid two bronze sculptures mark the legend: a giant boot by Auke Schuurmans and a helmet by Klaus Noculak. Both objects tower over visitors, recalling the gear Obentraut left behind when he joined the fray. The open square around the monument is quiet now, but the story of his last ride still draws those who pass through Seelze.