Goethe Monument (Chicago) Explained

Goethe Monument
Height Imperial:18
Metric Unit:cm
Imperial Unit:feet
Weight:80 tons
City:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:13

The Goethe Monument (or Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Monument) is a bronze statue by Herman Hahn in Chicago's Lincoln Park, in the U.S. state of Illinois, unveiled in 1913.[1] It depicts a larger-than-life, neoclassically-styled hero in undress with a draped cape, peering far into the distance, with a bent leg perched on a rock and a hunting eagle perched on his knee. The allegorical statue is not a portrait sculpture of the German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, but rather seeks to embody the "spirit of Goethe"; a low wall behind the statue shows a bas-relief of Goethe and a quote from his play Faust in German and English. The inscription on the statue reads: "To / Goethe / The Master Mind of the / German People / The Germans of Chicago / 1913".[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Monument Chicago Park District . 2023-08-15 . www.chicagoparkdistrict.com . 2023-03-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230323234111/https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-monument . live .
  2. Web site: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe statue - Chicago, IL. adgorn. waymarking.com. August 15, 2023.