Goethe Monument (Leipzig)
The Goethe Monument in Leipzig is a bronze statue standing on a high pedestal on the Naschmarkt in front of the Alte Handelsbörse , which depicts Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) as a young man with reference to his almost three years of study in Leipzig. It was created by Carl Seffner (1861–1932).
history
Relatively late compared to other cities with a connection to Goethe, namely in the 1890s, the idea of a Goethe monument matured in Leipzig, with the city archivist Gustav Wustmann (1844-1910) playing an essential role. Around 1895 Carl Seffner presented a sketch for a statue of the young Goethe. Initially, a marble statue in a green area was planned. In March 1898, a memorial committee issued an appeal for donations to finance a memorial after Seffner had submitted a well-developed design for a bronze statue in 1897 . In May 1901, the Naschmarkt was selected as the location where a trial installation of the model took place on May 23 .
A 28-year-old Leipzig gymnastics teacher in a suitable theater costume was the model for the casting template. Since Seffner did not have a picture of Goethe from his time in Leipzig, he used pictures from later stages of life for the facial features. The Berlin architect Max Bischoff designed the base. The bronze statue was cast in 1902 by the Noack & Brückner company . The inauguration took place on June 28, 1903.
To the total cost of 44,000 marks , the city contributed 10,000 marks each from the legacy of Franz Dominic Grassi (1801–1880) and from the foundation of Ferdinand Rhode (1802–1872).
The monument
The 2.65 meter tall bronze statue of the young Goethe stands on a 2.5 meter high pedestal made of red granite . The posture, the base of the statue and the rococo costume show that the student is strolling outdoors. The step motif suggests an informal natural activity, the book in the right indicates intellectual activity during the walk. It is often interpreted Goethe came from a walk from the Rose Valley and adventure himself over the Naschmarkt towards Auerbach's Cellar , where his friend Behrisch (1738-1809) lived and which building it later on the scene in Auerbach's Cellar in Faust I still will be connected in a special way.
- The side medallions
Friederike Oeser
Käthchen Schönkopf
The base bears the inscription “Johann Wolfgang Goethe” on the front in a laurel-wreathed gold medallion and “Student in Leipzig 1765–68” on the back.
The sides are decorated with two portraits of girls in relief . On the left, on the west side, one sees in profile Friederike Oeser (1748–1829), the daughter of his Leipzig drawing teacher Adam Friedrich Oeser (1717–1799), with whom Goethe was on friendly terms. The right, eastern side shows Anna Katharina (Käthchen) Schönkopf (1746–1810), the landlady of the inn where Goethe had lunch during his studies in Leipzig and who was his first great love.
The portraits give the memorial firm local references, and their laurel wreaths, together with those on the front, establish a relationship with the decoration system of the stock exchange facade behind.
literature
- Markus Cottin, Gina Klank, Karl-Heinz Kretzschmar, Dieter Kürschner, Ilona Petzold: Leipzig monuments . Sax-Verlag Beucha 1998, ISBN 3-930076-71-3 , Volume 1, pp. 24-26
- Horst Riedel: Stadtlexikon Leipzig from A to Z . PRO LEIPZIG, Leipzig 2005, ISBN 3-936508-03-8 , p. 188
Web links
- Goethe Monument Leipzig. In: Leipzig Lexicon. Retrieved June 24, 2015 .
- Goethe on the Naschmarkt. In: tripadvisor. Retrieved June 24, 2015 .
Coordinates: 51 ° 20 ′ 25.4 ″ N , 12 ° 22 ′ 32.6 ″ E