Original: Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War , by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873 , Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War ( 1866 ) and France in the Franco-Prussian War ( 1870 71 ) , giving the statue a new purpose .
Simplified: By the time it was finished on 2 September 1873 Prussia had also beat Austria in the Austro-Prussian War ( 1866 ) and France in the Franco-Prussian War ( 1870/1871 ) .