Kandelaber

The Kandelaber stands at Opernplatz in Frankfurt as a piece of public art by Berlin architect Richard Lucae. Richard Lucae created this Kandelaber for Frankfurt in 1880. It formed part of the opera complex that Lucae designed after winning a competition during the 1870s. The complex rose in Frankfurt between 1873 and 1880. Several candelabras originally illuminated the area around the opera house, but only this one survives in its original form. This survivor has a round stone bench around its base. Its richly decorated sandstone pillar carries four wrought-iron brackets that once held candles. Cast iron and sandstone define its structure. The opera house suffered extensive destruction during the Second World War before reopening as a concert and congress hall in 1981. Restoration followed the old style, with Horst Wellmann travelling to Hungary for knowledge of traditional casting techniques. The city of Frankfurt owns this surviving artwork. Its materials and preserved details connect Lucae’s architectural design with the craft of historic public lighting.