German Statues in Chicago by Bert Lachner
1.Friedrich von Schiller of Marbach and Weimar, 1759-1805, was the driving force of the ‘Sturm und Drang’ period in Germany and elsewhere. His statue stands proudly at the South end of the Flower Garden of the Conservatory in Lincoln Park. It was erected in 1959 at the 200th Anniversary of the German Day Association.
This bench and inscription behind the Goethe monument is self-explanatory. A place of reflection at corner Diversey, Lake View and Sheridan Roads.
Goethe as a young, beautiful and dynamic Adonis with a mighty eagle, who inspires thought and deed of his mind and body. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832, is also located on the most northern corner of Licoln Park, at Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road.
Gottfried Lessing by Albin Polasek, 1930, occupies a place in Washington Park, close to the University of Chicago campus, near 55th Street and 800 E. Cottage Grove Avenue.
Fritz Reuter proudly stands in Humboldt Park. His statue was created by Franz Engelsman and dedicated in 1893. It is located at 3000 W North Humboldt Boulevard near Grower Drive, north of 1200 N. Division Street.
This Haymarket Marty’s Monument has been designated a National Historic Landmark, which represents the Labor Movement’s struggle for workers’ rights. Several German participants of the uprising were judged and hanged. One of them, August Spies, uttered these words before he died:
“The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today”.
Dedicated in 1887, it is located in the German part of the Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.
Alexander von Humboldt stands on the South side of the Boat House in Humboldt Park. Created in 1892 by scluptor Felix Görling, the statue is located at 3000 W. North Humbold Boulevard.
Dr. Martin H. Schmidt, a young enthusiastic art historian from Oberursel near Frankfurt, inspires us as he researches German points of interest in Chicago, nd lets these icons come alive.
Schwendler’s Bronze Candelabra at Union Station, circa 1925, by the Sterling Bronce Company of New York.
This Theodore Thomas memorial was created by Sculptor Albin Polasek (1879-1965) in 1923 and dedicated on April 24, 1924. It was relocated in 1941 to its present location in Chicago’s Grant Park on the corner of Balbo and South Michigan Avenue, near the Hilton Hotel.
The bronze statue depicts the “Lady of Music, Art, Prose, Poetry and Drama”. She stands on a base of granite, surrounded by steps, seats and potted flowers.