Richard Wagner Monument

On the southern edge of Berlin's Großer Tiergarten, across from the Indian Embassy, stands the Richard Wagner Monument. Created between 1901 and 1903 by the sculptor Gustav Eberlein in the Neo-Baroque style, it is considered one of the major works of the Berlin school of sculpture. The monument was donated by the cosmetics entrepreneur Ludwig Leichner, who awarded the commission to Eberlein after an extensive competition. The ceremonial unveiling took place in October 1903 in the presence of the imperial Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia.

The monument is made of Pentelic marble and shows a 2.7-meter-tall figure of Wagner seated on a chair, gazing into the distance. The composer is surrounded by figures from his operas, which adorn the base. They include Wolfram von Eschenbach, Tannhäuser, Brünnhilde with the dead Siegfried, as well as Alberich and a Rhinemaiden from the Ring of the Nibelung. In keeping with the spirit of the era, these figures cast Wagner as an intellectual hero and point to the artist's eternal fame.

The monument survived World War II largely undamaged, but weather and vandalism called for urgent conservation measures in the 1980s. Because the stone was too fragile to be moved, the monument received a protective canopy in 1987 in the form of a Plexiglas barrel vault. A coat of wax also shields the marble from further environmental damage, so today visitors can admire the historic ensemble in its original form.