In August of this year, one of the members of the B-17 delegation asked me about the significance of this statue, Altkönig (Lit: old king). All I could tell her was the inscription left by the artist, Inga Dilcher-Hassenstein, who donated her piece of art to the city of Oberursel in 1998, and then found its permanent spot in Camp King in 2004.
Now, who is the ‘Altkönig’? In its original form, the Altkönig is the third highest mountain of the Taunus range in Hesse, Germany, reaching 798 metres above sea level. Around 400 BC, the Celts settled on the Altkönig Mountain, built the Heidetrank Oppidum, as well as several ring walls around the summit, which are still present.
This is the only information I could find in regards to the statue’s namesake.
The statue is part of a little rest area adjacent to the former Officers’ Club (Mountain Lodge).
Der Altkönig
Inga Dilcher-Hassenstein – 1975 Ms. Inga Dilcher-Hassenstein ( Name of the artist and date presented)
Geschenk an die Stadt Oberursel -1998 (Presented to the city of Oberursel in 1998)