Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Frankfurter Engel

Frankfurter Engel is a memorial in Frankfurt am Main dedicated to homosexual men and women persecuted in Germany, especially under Nazi rule. Opened in 1994, it was the first memorial of its kind in Germany. The project was conceived by Rosemarie Trockel. The sculpture shows an angel holding a scroll, based on one of the figures that once decorated the western portal of Cologne Cathedral. It is made at life size, with the angel’s head separated and reattached so that a scar is visible on the neck. The statue stands on an octagonal bronze pedestal with an inscription remembering those who were persecuted, killed, and later denied recognition.

Frankfurter Engel sculpture showing a winged figure in flowing robes holding a scroll and a small book or box.
The Frankfurter Engel monument depicts a winged figure standing on a pedestal with a scroll in one hand.
September 2007 © Reinhard Dietrich · CC BY-SA 3.0
Frankfurter Engel, a dark winged angel statue holding a scroll and a book on a pedestal in a cobblestone plaza.
The Frankfurter Engel stands on Klaus-Mann-Platz in Frankfurt, shown here with its pedestal and the surrounding plaza.
January 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Frankfurter Engel statue stands on a pedestal in a paved plaza with hedges and benches in front of a building with a circular window.
The Frankfurter Engel stands in a paved plaza bordered by hedges and benches, with a modern building behind it.
January 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Frankfurter Engel statue, a dark winged angel holding a scroll, stands on a pedestal in a cobblestone plaza.
The Frankfurter Engel monument stands in a circular plaza, surrounded by curved benches and greenery.
January 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Metal plaque for Frankfurter Engel with the title, year 1994, artist Rosemarie Trockel, website address, and a QR code.
Information plaque for Frankfurter Engel, the memorial to the persecution of homosexuals during the Nazi period.
January 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleFrankfurter Engel
Typememorial statue
Meaning of titleAngel of Frankfurt
Alternative namesAngelo di Francoforte; L'Ange de Francfort; Frankfurt Engel; Mahnmal Homosexuellenverfolgung

Historical context

Significancethe first monument and first fully sculptural memorial in Germany commemorating the persecution of homosexuals
Related comparative monumentsearlier related memorial plaques existed at Neuengamme and Dachau in 1985, in Berlin in 1989, and at Sachsenhausen in 1992; later, the Kölner Rosa Winkel in Cologne (1995) and the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism in Berlin (2008) were inaugurated
Persecution contextpersecution was especially severe during the Nazi period and continued after the fall of the Third Reich
Dedicated tohomosexual people persecuted and killed in Nazi Germany and later persecuted under Paragraph 175 in the 1950s and 1960s
Historical contextParagraph 175 of the German Criminal Code criminalized homosexual acts from 15 May 1871 to 11 June 1994; in East Germany it remained in force until 1968 and was reformed in 1969 and fully repealed in 1973

Creator

DesignerRosemarie Trockel

Discovery and provenance

Initial temporary memorialOn 1 December 1990, gay activists erected wooden crosses with the names of the dead in a park near the Old Opera House
Municipal approvalapproved by the city council and magistrate in 1992, with Socialists and Greens voting in favor; no city funding was provided
Design competitionannounced on 20 July 1992 and decided by a jury on 25 January 1993 at the Museum für Moderne Kunst; the selected design was Engel
Fundingestimated cost 361,000 DM; 105,000 DM from Hessische Kulturstiftung; 10,000 DM from Hannchen-Mehrzweck-Stiftung; the remaining amount was raised through donations, including a nationwide campaign
Donations raised360,000 Deutsche Marks by the end of 1994
InitiativeInitiative Mahnmal Homosexuellenverfolgung e. V. (IMH), founded in 1990
Public presentationthe initiative presented a memorandum in 1990 calling for a memorial for homosexual victims of National Socialism

Physical characteristics

Pedestaloctagonal bronze pedestal
Posethe angel has its head bowed; the head is detached and reattached slightly offset, leaving a visible scar on the neck
Forman angel holding an unfurled scroll or banner
Scale1:1

Materials

Original work statusthe original sculpture did not survive; only a damaged plaster model remains
Main materialblack-patinated bronze
Casting and foundrycast on 29 November 1993 at Glockengießerei Rincker, Sinn, Germany
Original datelate 19th century
Original sculptorPeter Fuchs
Original source of figureone of the 11 statues that decorated the pediment of the west portal of Cologne Cathedral

History and restoration

Reproduction methodthe damaged plaster model was reproduced at 1:1 scale as a wax casting
Opening date11 December 1994
Inauguration dateDecember 1994

Location and ownership

Current locationSchäfergasse and Alte Gasse, Klaus-Mann-Platz, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
CountryGermany
Square dedicationKlaus-Mann-Platz is named after Klaus Mann and was a meeting place for homosexuals

Iconography and meaning

Inscription languageGerman
InscriptionHomosexual men and women were persecuted and murdered in Nazi Germany. The crimes were denied, the dead concealed, the survivors scorned and condemned. The memorial warns that men who love men and women who love women may again be persecuted. Frankfurt am Main. December 1994.
Inscription originformulated by the memorial's initiators and naming the crimes of the National Socialists against homosexual men and women
Meaning / interpretationa warning that men who love men and women who love women could again be persecuted