Fritz Reuter Memorial, Bronze monument in Stavenhagen, Germany

The Fritz Reuter Memorial is a bronze monument in Stavenhagen depicting the seated writer on a granite pedestal. The figure shows him holding a book on his lap, placed within a setting that includes additional bronze and granite artistic elements.

In 1909 Stavenhagen's committee launched a competition open to artists of German Reich nationality, not an international one; 92 designs arrived and five shared prizes of 1,400 marks each. Wilhelm Wandschneider won the commission, combining his two entries into a seated Reuter with relief benches. The unveiling, planned for Reuter's 100th birthday in 1910, took place on 12 July 1911, his 37th death anniversary, before the two Mecklenburg grand dukes.

The eight bronze reliefs set into the granite benches show 45 figures from Fritz Reuter's best-known works, including Ut mine Festungstid, Ut de Franzosentid, Ut mine Stromtid and Kein Hüsung. Their titles are given in Low German, the language in which Reuter wrote.

The monument stands in the town center of Stavenhagen and is easy to reach on foot. Nearby, the Fritz Reuter Literature Museum offers more information about the writer's life and literary contributions.

The sculpture shows Reuter with his hand resting at his chin, capturing a moment of literary reflection or creative satisfaction. This gesture gives the figure a thoughtful quality that visitors often notice when observing the details up close.