Two bronze sculptures of a standing bull and a cow on shell limestone bases, flanking the open south-west entrance to Jahnplatz on Berlin’s Olympiagelände.
At a glance
The sculptures stand at the edge of the former Olympic sports grounds, where they are described as entrance sculptures to Jahnplatz. The cow originally had a calf beside it, but the calf is now missing.
Key facts
- Where: Olympiagelände, entrance to Jahnplatz, Berlin
- What: Monument
- When: 1935–1936
- GPS: 52.5200, 13.2398 · Open in Google Maps
History
The bronze figures were made by Adolf Strübe and cast by the Berlin foundry H. Noack. The art committee for the Olympic grounds had first proposed water animals for this position, and after asking several artists for designs, it chose Strübe’s proposal for a standing bull and a lying cow with a calf. The present arrangement, with the animals beside a broad staircase as an entrance to the paved square, follows changes made to the complex in 1982. Before that, the three animals stood within the water area of the practice swimming pool on Jahnplatz.
What you see
The two surviving figures are dark green bronze. The cow stands on a stone plinth in front of trees and a street lamp, with a sports field behind. The bull is on a similar stone base beside a road and grass. Each plinth carries the name “ADOLF STRÜBE”.
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Nearby
- Reichsadler at the Olympic Stadium, Berlin — an eagle sculpture within the same historic Olympic complex
Gallery
Sources
- Bildhauerei in Berlin, Stier und Kuh – Bildhauerei in Berlin: location, artist, foundry, dates, materials, inscriptions and the 1982 change
- Bildhauerei in Berlin, Bildhauerei in Berlin – Katalog: commission process and original placement in the pool
- nightphotos.de, Berlin Westend Olympiapark Deutsches Sportforum. Bronzeskulptur ‘Stier’ von Adolf Strübe 1935-1936: subject and location of the bull sculpture
- Third Reich in Ruins, Haus Deutschen Sport: description of the bull and cow at the end of the Jahnplatz courtyard
- Stefano Vigolo, photographs and notes to the editorial staff (2026): identification of the subject and the photographic viewpoint. Not a published source
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