Düsseldorf Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Düsseldorf's cartwheeler=== {{Main|Düsseldorf's cartwheeler}} The ''Düsseldorfer Radschläger'' (''boy who does [[Cartwheel (gymnastics)|cartwheels]]'') is said to be the city's oldest tradition. The symbol of the cartwheeler can be found on souvenirs and various things in Düsseldorf have cartwheelers to thank for their names.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} ==== Legends of its origin and history ==== {{More citations needed section|date=December 2014}} The tradition cannot be linked to one specific historical event. Instead, there are several stories surrounding the beginnings of the Düsseldorf cartwheelers. Probably the most well known version is the [[Battle of Worringen]]. In the battle of 1288, [[Adolf VIII of Berg|Count Adolf]] devastatingly defeated the [[Archbishop]] of [[Cologne]]. As a consequence of this victory, Düsseldorf obtained [[town privileges]]. Inhabitants, especially children, ran joyfully on the streets and performed [[Cartwheel (gymnastics)|cartwheels]]. Another story talks about a wedding procession during which one of the wheels of the wedding carriage broke. In order to fend off the threat of bad luck, a boy supposedly jumped up to the carriage, took hold of the wheel and thus became a living part of the wheel. Whether the story is about the marriage of [[Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine|Jan Wellem]] and [[Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici]] or the wedding of Margravine [[Jakobea of Baden]] and [[John William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg|Johann Wilhelm]] is debatable. Another story gives an account of the wedding between Margrave Jacobe von Baden and Johann Wilhelm, in 1585. According to legend, she felt miserable about her marriage, but the cartwheelers who displayed their skills next to her carriage were able to make her smile. Numerous travelers were attracted to the city by great exhibitions – the forerunner of today's fairs – between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. During this time the children who did cartwheels found out that it was a profitable source of income. The bourgeoisie accepted this in good humour as a symbolic act of local patriotism. In the beginning the lads shouted ''"för eene Penning schlage ich das Rad“'' (a cartwheel for a penny). The Jan Wellem monument returned to Düsseldorf at the end of the Second World War. The procession was accompanied by torches, fanfares and cartwheeling boys. =====Cartwheelers in the cityscape===== Cartwheelers can be found at several fountains within the city and near many small landmarks. The most famous is Cartwheeler's Fountain in ''Burgplatz'' ([[:de:Burgplatz (Düsseldorf)|de]]) with an inscription of a quote by Hans Müller-Schlösser: "''Radschläger wolle mer blieve, wie jeck et de Minschen och drieve''" (We will always remain cartwheelers, however crazy it drives people.) The fountain was designed by Alfred Zschorsch in 1954 and donated by ''Heimatverein Düsseldorfer Jonges'', which is a club devoted to the maintenance of local and regional traditions. There are other cartwheelers that decorate storm drains and the [[door knocker]] on the Church of Lambertus, designed by Friedrich Becker. He created the cartwheeler in front of the Schadow Arcades.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} The tradition has been kept alive by the ''Alde Düsseldorfer Bürgergesellschaft von 1920 e. V.'', a society founded in 1920, which organized the first cartwheeler competition on 17 October 1937. This event has been held annually since 1971<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.christmasmarkets.com/individual-christmas-market/dusseldorf-christmas-market/|title=Düsseldorf Christmas Market {{!}} Christmas Markets|newspaper=Christmas Markets|access-date=9 November 2016|archive-date=9 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109224141/http://www.christmasmarkets.com/individual-christmas-market/dusseldorf-christmas-market/|url-status=live}}</ref> in cooperation with the ''Stadtsparkasse'' (a local bank). Formerly held in the ''[[Königsallee]]'', it has taken place since 2006 on the ''Rheinwerft'', near the old part of town. This is a fixed date in the city's calendar of events. About 500 boys regularly participate in the event and girls have also taken part since 1971. In an art project ''Radschläger-Kunst'' (Cartwheeler Art) launched in 2001, over 100 cartwheeler sculptures were designed by various artists. The door knocker on the Church of Lambertus<ref>[[:de:St. Lambertus (Düsseldorf)#/media/Datei:Radschläger-Türklopfer an St. Lambertus in Düsseldorf.jpg|picture]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=August 2020}} served as a model for the sculptures that are {{convert|2|m|0|abbr=off}} high, {{convert|2|m|0|abbr=off}} wide and {{convert|30|cm|0|abbr=on}} deep. They were positioned around the city centre. Some of the sculptures have been auctioned off to companies and private owners.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page