Goethe-Denkmal

On the eastern edge of the Großer Tiergarten in Berlin, across from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, stands the monumental Goethe Monument. This work of Carrara marble was created between 1876 and 1880 by the sculptor Fritz Schaper in the Neo-Baroque style. It commemorates the great German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and ranks among the major works of the Berlin school of sculpture. The ensemble, roughly six meters (about 20 feet) tall, shows the poet on a stepped pedestal flanked by three allegorical figure groups. They symbolize lyric poetry, represented by a Muse and Eros; dramatic art, represented by a seated woman holding writing implements; and scientific research, represented by a woman reading.

The history of the monument is closely tied to the Berlin art scene of the 19th century. After a competition, Schaper, who was still little known at the time, received the commission because the committee had been unable to reach a clear decision at first. The unveiling ceremony in 1880 was attended by numerous prominent figures, including the imperial family. The monument was damaged in World War II, which led to several restorations. To protect the delicate marble from the air pollution of the time, the original was moved to a lapidarium in 1982 and replaced with a concrete copy. Since air quality in the Tiergarten has improved considerably in the meantime, the far better preserved original returned to its original site after an extensive restoration between 2009 and 2012.