Bronze Elvis statue in Bad Nauheim turns five, celebrates during European Elvis Festival

A soldier, not a star

The life-size bronze statue on the Usabrücke in the spa town of Bad Nauheim depicts Elvis Presley not as the sequined Las Vegas entertainer known from films, album covers, and stage performances, but as a US soldier in uniform. There is no pompadour hairstyle, no sideburns, no glittering costume. That portrayal was a deliberate choice by the initiators, who wanted to reflect the reality of Presley's time in Germany. Elvis served in the military from October 1958 to March 1960, stationed at a base in Friedberg in central Hesse, and lived in the neighboring town of Bad Nauheim during that period. The statue's pose is based on an actual photograph of Presley standing on that very bridge, a picture that served as the direct model for the bronze figure.

He was here as a soldier and not as a musician in Germany, after all. You have to stick to the truth.

Meike Berger and her friend Angela Storm conceived the idea for the statue in 2018. The two women collected approximately 40,000 euros in donations to fund the bronze casting, according to their own account. The statue was installed in 2021 and has now stood on the bridge for five years, serving as a reminder that the "King" of rock and roll actually lived for a time in the Wetterau region.

Wear and patina

The bronze Elvis barely shows that he is already five years old, Berger says. The only visible signs of age appear where visitors frequently touch the figure. The shoulder, hand, and facial features have become polished and shiny from constant contact by passersby who cannot resist reaching out. Apart from that, the statue has suffered no serious damage over the years. A stubborn sticker once adhered to the figure, and on two separate occasions red paint was splashed onto the face.

A sticker stuck stubbornly, twice he got red paint in his face. That looked pretty shabby under the eyes.

Fortunately, all of the damage was removable. Should the statue ever be irreparably damaged, a backup plan already exists. A raw Elvis figure was 3D-printed for the original bronze cast and could be used to recast the statue from recycled bronze if the need arises. The "King" could, in an emergency, be resurrected from the ashes, or rather from bronze recycling.

Anniversary celebration

The fifth-anniversary celebration is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, during the "European Elvis Festival," when fans from around the world once again make the pilgrimage to Bad Nauheim. The event will feature music, speeches, and, as Berger notes, the most important thing: the certainty that Elvis still stands. The city expects roughly 25,000 visitors for the Elvis weekend, according to its own figures.

Berger looks forward to the gathering as a chance for like-minded fans to connect in the spa town where Presley once lived during his military service in the Wetterau.

The community of real Elvis fans that comes together there. And that you are with people who tick similarly.