Central Park In Bronze

Location: 59th Street and Fifth Avenue

Artist/Designer: Carl Borner (original)           

Materials: Cast iron, aluminum, frosted glass

Installation: 1979

Funding: Gift from the citizens of Hamburg, Germany

 

This finely crafted, ornate, cast-iron lamp was a gift of goodwill and friendship from Hamburg to New York City. It is a replica of the lighting on the Lombard Bridge over the river Elbe in Hamburg.

 

The name Lombard comes from a small Germanic tribe that was known as the Winnili in the seventh century. When Vandals gave them a choice to pay tribute or fight, the Winnili chose to fight. The women tied their hair in front and marched into battle with their husbands to create a greater force. The leader of the Vandals asked, “Who are these long-beards?” Thus, they became known as Lombardi in Italian, which translates to long beard in English.