Schiller Monument (Berlin)
The Schiller Monument in Berlin is a marble statue erected in honor of the German poet Friedrich Schiller at Gendarmenmarkt in the Mitte district. Created by Reinhold Begas, it shows Schiller as a confident young man wearing a laurel wreath, surrounded by four seated allegorical women symbolizing lyric poetry, tragedy, philosophy, and history. The monument also includes reliefs of muses and poets of the past. Planned for Schiller’s centenary, it was finally unveiled in 1871 after delays caused by war. Removed under the Nazi regime, it was later returned to Gendarmenmarkt and reconstructed in 1988, with a bronze copy also standing in Schiller Park in Wedding.
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Identification | |
| Title | Schiller Monument (Berlin) |
| Type | Monument / memorial sculpture |
| Subject | Friedrich Schiller (Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, 1759–1805) |
| Original-language name | Памятник Шиллеру |
Historical context | |
| Commemoration | Centenary of Schiller's birth on 10 November 1859 |
| Planning | In 1861 the Berlin magistrate announced a design competition; 25 sculptors participated; the city also formed a Schiller committee |
| Funding | 10,000 thalers from Prince Regent Wilhelm, 10,000 thalers from the Berlin magistrate, and 12,680 thalers from public donations |
| Foundation stone laid | 10 November 1859, on Schiller's 100th birthday, before the theatre; no design had yet been prepared |
| Planned unveiling | Originally planned for 1869, Schiller's 110th birthday |
Creator | |
| Sculptor | Reinhold Begas |
| Style association | Berlin School of Sculpture of the 19th century |
| Competition result | Begas was selected in early 1864; Rudolf Leopold Siemering was the main rival; Adolf Menzel was among the jurors |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Model date | 1794 |
| Model for Schiller figure | Johann Heinrich von Dannecker's 1794 bust of Schiller |
| Design and work period | Begas worked on the monument from 1864 to 1866 in a modern studio at Stülerstraße 4 in Berlin's Tiergarten district |
| Model artist | Johann Heinrich von Dannecker |
Physical characteristics | |
| Base | Cube-shaped pedestal on a hexagonal raised plinth, reached by five steps |
| Water feature | Four semicircular basins surround the pedestal; the monument is not a fountain, although it originally had thin water jets from lion-head spouts |
| Allegorical figures | Four seated women placed on the rims of the basins at the corners of the pedestal |
| Reliefs | Two flat reliefs on the pedestal |
Materials | |
| Main material | White marble |
| Other materials | Cast-iron decorative grille; bronze copy made in 1941 for Schiller Park |
Appearance | |
| Depicted Schiller figure | A self-confident young man wearing a laurel wreath |
| Depicted Schiller pose | Confident stance |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Pedestal inscriptions | Dedications to Schiller |
| Pedestal relief 2 | Schiller being presented to the great poets of earlier times |
| Pedestal relief 1 | Schiller receiving a lyre from the Muses |
| Allegorical themes | Lyric poetry, tragedy, philosophy, and history |
| History allegory | Back right; her tablets list Schiller, Lessing, Kant, Goethe, and other famous figures |
| Tragedy allegory | Front right; originally carried a dagger and a mask, but only the mask remains |
| Lyric poetry allegory | Front left; holds a swan-neck harp |
| Philosophy allegory | Back left; holds a scroll inscribed with the Ancient Greek words 'Know thyself' ('Erkenne Dich selbst') |
Location and ownership | |
| Current location | Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin-Mitte, Berlin, Germany, in front of the staircase leading up to the former Royal Theatre (Konzerthaus Berlin) |
| Original planned site | In front of the theatre on Gendarmenmarkt |
| Former square name | Schillerplatz |
| Bronze copy location | Southern part of Schiller Park, Wedding, Berlin |
History and restoration | |
| East-West exchange | A cultural monument exchange agreement of 6 May 1986 between West and East Berlin returned surviving parts to East Berlin |
| Major restoration | A major reconstruction and cleaning were carried out in autumn 2006 |
| Reinstallation | The monument was partly reconstructed and restored and reinstalled at its former site in December 1988 |
| Removal and damage | The monument was dismantled in 1936 during Nazi redevelopment of Gendarmenmarkt; it fell over during removal and was severely damaged |
| Relocation in 1951 | The marble original was installed in Lietzensee Park in West Berlin in 1951 |
| Storage after removal | The damaged parts were stored in several places, including a shed in Treptow |
| Square renaming | The central part of Gendarmenmarkt was renamed Schillerplatz in late 1871 and kept that name until 1936 |
| Unveiling | 10 November 1871, Schiller's 112th birthday, delayed by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 |
Significance | |
| Historical significance | First public monument to a poet erected in Berlin |
| Artistic significance | An early major sign in Berlin of the shift from late classicism in the tradition of Christian Daniel Rauch to Neo-Baroque; Begas's allegorical figures are especially characteristic of this style |
| Career significance | Begas's first major commission |
| Art historical assessment | Considered one of the masterpieces of the Berlin School of Sculpture |
Other | |
| Heritage status | Registered historic monument; listed as a historic building after reinstallation in 1988 |