Goethe - Schiller Monument - Milwaukee, WI - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) is the famous German writer and philosopher.

Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) was known as the Poet of Freedom the world over. The idea of human rights and political freedom for all mankind is at the core of all of Schiller's works.


More from the Smithsonian:
"Dimensions: Sculpture: approx. H. 12 ft.

Inscription: (On lowest left side of sculpture:) RIETSCHEL, ERNEST F. (On front of plinth, incised letters:) GOETHE SCHILLER (On front of base, incised letters:) GOETHE/SCHILLER signed

Description: Goethe stands passing a laurel wreath to the younger Schiller. Schiller holds a scroll in his proper left hand. Goethe wears an open, knee-length coat, a shirt with ruffled-collar, a vest and leggings. Schiller wears an open, mid-calf length coat, a vest and leggings. The sculpture is mounted on a tapered, tiered base and is part of an exedra setting with bench. Three steps lead up to the exedra setting.

The monument is a replica of a sculpture that was created in 1847, for the front of the Dresden Court Theater in Weimar, Saxony. The monument commemorates Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller. The Milwaukee monument was presented by thirty German-American cultural societies. Originally installed elsewhere in Washington Park, the monument was moved to its current site near the Blatz Temple of Music to make way for the construction of the North-South freeway. Bronze plaques originally on the base have been stolen."

New plaque inscription: "Erected by the German Citizens of Wisconsin and dedicated to the city - June 14,1908. Rededicated September 14, 1960. German-American Societies of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 250th birthday, August 28, 1749, celebrated on August 1, 1999 by the German-American Societies of Milwaukee, Wisconsin."

Excellent additional background information from Wikipedia:

"The plaque on the left side reads:

Was Du ererbt von Deinen
Vätern hast Erwirb es,
um es zu besitzen
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
1749–1832
Weltbürger – World Citizen

These are lines from Goethe’s Faust I.i, “That which you inherit from your fathers / You must earn in order to possess.”—Goethe’s Faust, trans. Randall Jarrell, p. 35 (1976).

The plaque on the right side reads:

Wer nichts waget
der darf nichts hoffen
Friedrich von Schiller
1759–1805

These lines are from Schiller's Don Carlos: "Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing."

Originally, the Milwaukee Swabian Benevolent Society wanted to erect a monument to Schiller, a fellow Swabian, but other Milwaukee German societies wanted to participate in the monument's creation. In 1902 thirty organizations and various private donors, including local families such as the Vogels, Brumders, and Nunnemachers, formed a monument association to raise funds for the artwork. They raised $10,000 for the monument and $5,000 for the pedestal. "In 1908, a coalition of German groups had little trouble agreeing that Germania in Milwaukee should be represented by a copy of the bronze statue created by artist Ernest Rietschel for the front of the Dresden Court Theater in Weimar, Saxony. The larger community was quick to accept the monument." The Milwaukee monument was thus cast by the foundry in Lauchhammer, Germany from Rietschel's original 1857 mold.

The monument was dedicated on June 12, 1908 as part of a great celebration that included thousands of people singing and reading Goethe's and Schiller's works, a dedication speech by Christian Steger, and a gymnastics demonstration. The monument had to be moved from its previous location in Washington Park to its current location west of the Emil Blatz Temple of Music in 1960 because of Highway 41's location. The rededication ceremonies took place on September 1, 1960. A time capsule that had been placed in the base of the monument was found. It contained both German and English newspapers and magazines, records of the Schiller-Goethe Association and copies of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Social Democratic Herald.

There are four Goethe-Schiller Monuments in the United States, each incorporating a copy of Rietschel's 1857 bronze in Weimar. In addition to Milwaukee, they are in San Francisco (1901), Cleveland (1907), and Syracuse (1911)."

URL of the statue: [Web Link]

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