Goethe Monument (Chicago)

Goethe Monument
The statue in 2005
Map
Completion date1913 (1913)
Dimensions550 cm (18 feet)
Weight80 tons
LocationChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°55′57.4″N 87°38′19″W / 41.932611°N 87.63861°W / 41.932611; -87.63861

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.[1] The inscription on the statue reads: "To / Goethe / The Master Mind of the / German People / The Germans of Chicago / 1913".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Monument | Chicago Park District". www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  2. ^ adgorn. "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe statue - Chicago, IL". waymarking.com. Retrieved August 15, 2023.