Goethe Monument

The Goethe Monument at the eastern edge of the Grosser Tiergarten commemorates Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and stands within sight of the Brandenburg Gate. Created between 1876 and 1880 by sculptor Fritz Schaper in neo-Baroque style, it ranks among the signature works of the Berlin School of Sculpture. Goethe stands in contemporary dress on a tall pedestal, surrounded by three allegorical female figures representing lyric poetry, drama and research, an unusually differentiated composition for a poets monument. Schaper had earlier designed the Goethe statue in Frankfurt, but this Berlin version is considered his finest. The monument survived the Second World War largely undamaged. Walking from the Brandenburg Gate through the Tiergarten towards Bellevue, you pass it within minutes.