Eichenkönig Sculpture at Klauhörn Village Square

There is a beautiful sculpture at the rest area

Surrounded by huge, old oaks on the edge of the village square in Klauhörn stands the oak king, who seems to be directing the trees and his surroundings.
The artist Jörg Ridderbusch has created an object for this favorite place that names many contrasts and thus tells a charming story of the place: Klauhörn is a very old settlement in today's municipality of Apen. In order to have protection from thundering winds, the settlers planted oak trees a long time ago, which were supposed to provide protection. Ridderbusch created a monument to these trees in the form of the oak king. -In his right hand the king holds the Aper globe, which here, however, quotes a Boßelkugel that is at least as important to the claw horns as the oaks and which anchors the old king in the present.
Ridderbusch designed the figure of the king from sheet steel bands, the structure of which echoes the barked oak bark of the trees. The oak leaves, which play around the figure and underline the liveliness and dynamism of the object, are also made of steel. Despite the heavy material, the figure appears energetic, dynamic and flexible. Ridderbusch achieves this through the posture of the figure on the one hand, and through the colors used, which convey lightness, on the other.
This object shows how important areas of tension can be: light needs firm, history needs a present and movement needs rest. So linger a moment on the oak bench, over which the oak king watches.
Enjoy the moment.This favorite place is equipped with a listening station, which can be activated with a QR code