Diederichs's stone

Diederichs's stone was a German monument in Qingdao that commemorated Admiral Otto von Diederichs and the German occupation of the Kiautschou Bay concession on 14 November 1897. It stood about 5 meters tall on the southwestern slope of Signal Hill, at an elevation of 98 meters. Its most prominent feature was a plate with the imperial eagle of the German Empire and inscriptions in German and Chinese.

Don't miss

• A plate decorated with the imperial eagle of the German Empire
• German inscription: 'For him who won for Kaiser and Reich the land all around, let this rock be named Diederichs's stone'
• Rock inscription noting the date of the German occupation: 14 November 1897
• A separate Chinese inscription to the right of the German text
• A Japanese inscription added in 1914, reading '7 November of the third year of the Taishō period'

Getting there

Know before you go

• The monument was located on the southwestern slope of Signal Hill, at an elevation of 98 meters.
• The monument was dismantled in 1922, so no physical remains exist at the site today.

A bit of history

The monument was dedicated on 21 November 1898 by Prince Henry of Prussia. After Japan occupied Qingdao in November 1914, a Japanese inscription was placed across the imperial eagle. When Japan handed Qingdao back to China on 10 December 1922, the monument was dismantled and parts taken to a military museum in Tokyo.