The arrival of King Wilhelm I in Saarbrücken on 9 August 1870

Saarland was occupied by the French at the beginning of the Franco-German War. Three days after the storming of the Spicherer Höhen, the Prussian king moved into Saarbrücken victoriously. After the foundation of the Reich, the City Council of Saarbrücken commissioned Anton von Werner with a three-part mural cycle to decorate the town hall. Shown is an event that did not take place this way: The arrival of the king had been announced for August 8, but he arrived only on August 9. On that day, the city's dignitaries, including the mayor, were not present to greet the king. Werner's design shows the traces of the fighting: sandbags, barrels, wounded and representatives of all classes - craftsmen, traders, soldiers, citizens, military.