Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller - Chicago, IL
Posted by: adgorn
N 41° 55.327 W 087° 38.112
16T E 447330 N 4641324
This famous German poet is immortalized in bronze at the south end of the garden in Lincoln Park. It is a copy of an original monument, made in 1876 in Marbach, the city of Schiller's birth, regarded as the masterpiece of its sculptor Ernst Raus.
Waymark Code: WM7TV2
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 12/03/2009
Views: 6
The Chicago monument was cast in Stuttgart, Germany by William Pelargus and unveiled in May of 1886 by a group known as Chicago Citizens of German Descent. A plaque commemorating his 200th anniversary was added in 1959.
Friedrich Schiller, known as the Poet of Freedom the world over. His name had been held in high esteem in this country until the beginning of this century, when he was seemingly forgotten. The idea of human rights and political freedom for all mankind is at the core of all of Schiller's works: his poems, dramas, historical and philosophical writings.
From the Smithsonian Art Inventory site (
visit link)
Figure: approx. 8 x 3 x 3 ft.; Base: approx. H. 12 ft. W. 16 ft.
Inscription: Modell von E. Rau (Front of base:) SCHILLER (On bronze plaque back of base:) Friedrich von Schiller/Poet and Dramatist/Born Nov. 10, 1759 Died May 9, 1805/Marbach Germany Weimar, Germany/200th Anniversary/German Day Association/1959 signed
Description: Standing male figure with proper left leg slightly forward and proper right arm bent at the elbow and resting at chest level. He carries a document in his proper left hand.
Located in Lincoln Park, east of Stockton Drive at Webster Avenue, Chicago, Illinois