Heinrich Heine monument, Bronze memorial sculpture at Schwanenmarkt, Düsseldorf, Germany.
The Heinrich Heine monument is a bronze sculpture at Schwanenmarkt that consists of fragmented facial features of the poet arranged within a cubic frame made of tubes. The installation surrounds various symbolic objects and invites visitors to explore it from different viewpoints.
The sculpture was created in 1981 by artist Bert Gerresheim, following multiple attempts since 1887 to establish a memorial to the German poet in his hometown. The long struggle for this monument reflects the city's complex relationship with Heine's legacy.
The memorial includes symbolic objects that reflect Heine's life: drums reference his poem 'Doktrin', pillows allude to his years of illness, and women's shoes point to his relationships. These items tell stories about personal moments in the poet's life.
The memorial sits on a public square and is freely accessible at any time, allowing visitors to explore it at their own pace. The structure enables people to walk around the installation and view it from multiple positions.
The creation of the work was based on Heine's death mask, preserved at the Heinrich-Heine-Institut, which Gerresheim enlarged and transformed into distorted components. This transformation from a personal relic into a public art installation gives the sculpture a profound emotional quality.
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