Heidelberg Monkey Bridge and its symbolic keeper (11 photos + 1 video)

If this strange little animal laughed at you, then good luck in life is guaranteed.





At a quick glance, this creature looks like a cat. But in fact, it is a monkey - an honorary bronze inhabitant of the Old Bridge in the German city of Heidelberg. The sculpture was placed here as a reminder to people who should remember their origins, equality and look over their shoulders to where they came from.



Heidelberg

The statue reminds both city dwellers and provincials that they are no better than their fellow countrymen.





The current statue has only existed since 1979, although the monkey appeared in this place in the 15th century. In an earlier incarnation, she also held a mirror to passersby, but with her other hand she clutched her bottom. She disappeared during the Palatinate War, which lasted from 1689 to 1693.



The current statue, cast in bronze by Professor Gernot Rumpf, has its free paw extended forward, with the fingers forming a mano cornuta (horned hand) to ward off the evil eye. The head is hollow, with holes for the eyes, which now allows visitors to take selfies using it as a mask.



It is believed that the monkey brings good luck. If you rub a mirror, it guarantees a cash flow; if you rub the monkey's paw, then the person will definitely return to Heidelberg again; and if you rub the small bronze mice that are nearby, it will ensure fertility and an increase in wealth.





The plaque features a poem about the monkey written by the Baroque writer Martin Zeiler in 1632:

Was this my angaff en?

Have you ever seen anything like Heydelberg?

That's me and her,

You'll find me looking at you.



Why are you looking at me?

Have you not seen the old monkey from Heidelberg?

Look here and there,

There you'll find many more like me.



Although the poem's author subtly and playfully pokes fun at the readers, placing the head in a bronze monkey mask offers a chance to participate in the antagonism rather than become its target. For a moment, the man becomes a monkey, looking around at the waiting tourists and judging their curious glances.