In order to make the Severinskirchplatz more beautiful, a competition was organized. The result was the plastic from Sepp Hürten in 1990. The beautiful girl is also known as chocolate or chocolate girl.
The reference to chocolate comes from the former chocolate factory Stollwerck, which was located in the Südstadt until the 1970s.
Travelers at the beginning of the 19th century mainly reported two things from the south of the city. A sweet scent hung over the quarter and there were the so-called Stollwerck girls. The workers in the chocolate factory enjoyed a dubious reputation. They were accused of working (usually 14-16 years old) and of not preparing for the role of housewife and mother. A newspaper article in 1902 reported that they could not run a household, neither sewing nor cooking. In the evening they would go out and dance. They worked 84 hours a week, even on Sundays. According to this article, the company Stollwerck ensured that the girls received cooking and household lessons. This took place on Sunday afternoon, it was expected that the girls participated.
If you look at the sculpture, you notice the somewhat provocative pose of the girl. Keck offers the girl the chocolate to the passers-by. On the one hand, it recalls the reputation of the girls, but also their emancipated attitude as a worker.
An artist photographed the sculpture for three years and observed how it was treated in public space. Sometimes there are red and white bollards around her, sometimes the flower buckets are planted in front of her, at carnival she is hidden behind a boarding cabin.
She called the girl “Gerda”, in reference to the most common female first name at the time.
Sources:
https://www.denkmalplatz.de/stollwerck-maedchen-in-koeln/
https://www.meinesuedstadt.de/das-schokoherz-der-welt-ja-das-war-koelle/ http://www.stadtrevue.de/archiv/artikelarchiv/2221-eine-aus-der-nachbarschaft/
Gerda,Published by: Salon Verlag, Cologne, 2011,Photobook, 64 pages,96 color illustrations,Hardcover, 21 x 28 cm, € 22,-,ISBN: 978-3-89770-392-6