Donkey, dog, cat and a rooster. Four friends find a new home in Bratislava

A 'Town Musicians of Bremen' statue has been unveiled in the city.

The new Bratislava sculpture is made of coloured bronze, its height is almost five metres, and it weighs two tons. The new Bratislava sculpture is made of coloured bronze, its height is almost five metres, and it weighs two tons. (Source: Barbora Jančárová)

The Town Musicians of Bremen have found a temporary home in Matej Korvín Square in Bratislava’s Old Town.

A painted bronze statue depicting the famous Brothers Grimm tale will stand in the new square for 10 years, after the city of Bremen and the private German art collection MAP Collection lent it to the Slovak capital.

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“The work is inspiring and positive. In today’s difficult pandemic times it can be a source of encouragement,” said Bratislava-Old Town Mayor Zuzana Aufrichtová.

The sculpture, which is five metres high and weighs two tons, was created by German artist Markus Lüpertz, the Bratislava Old Town wrote on Facebook.

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“Strange statue”

As for the well-known German fairy tale, it tells a story of aging, neglected animals that decide to start a new life.

Because the masters of the donkey, rooster, dog, and a cat mistreat them, the brave animals rebel against their fate and set out into the world, experiencing adventures and dangerous situations as they travel around. Though they want to become musicians in Bremen, they eventually move into a house of robbers, whom they have scared away.

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“I believe people will like the statue, that it will become a meeting point, and that they will say: We will meet there, under that strange statue with the four animals stacked on top of each other,” Lüpertz said during his visit to Bratislava.

Statues inspired by the fairy tale can also be found in Germany, the USA, Latvia and Japan.

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