statue at heidelberg train station, porter muck

 this started with a picture on facebook.   i take pictures of everything and this was at the train station.   simple, right?   nooooo.   my smart mouth sister thought she could trip me up with a bunch of questions about it.    what does the case say?  who is this?   what's with the 73 on his pin?   fine.   i looked it up.   i couldn't let her win.   so, here's the story of the the statue-

   the case says porter muck, 1837 - 1905. his real name was johannes fries but his nick name was muck. he was a beloved porter in the original train station #73.

 he was well known for his kind, loving, loyal, but humorous and witty demeanor. ironically, he didn't become a popular figure until after his death when a poem written for his burial was published. now there are pictures of him in a few of the older restaurants and his death mask is on display at another restaurant.   (ew!)   the name plate at the bottom has the name of the artist, armin guther.   the artist donated this  statue to the station.   it is dedicated to the artist's sons, andrew and stefan guther.