Lessing-Denkmal, Bronze monument in Brunswick, Germany

The Lessing Monument is a 2.60-metre bronze statue of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, cast in 1849 and unveiled in 1853, standing on a pedestal of Harz granite at Lessingplatz. The figure wears a long coat and knee breeches and holds a book in his left hand; the bronze has a green patina. A dark metal plaque with an inscription is set into the upper block of the pale grey stone base, which is enclosed by a black wrought-iron fence with pointed finials.

The monument was unveiled in 1853 after the rediscovery of writer Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's burial site sparked a growing desire to honor him. Sculptor Ernst Rietschel from Dresden created the work as one of the first human figures rendered this way in Brunswick.

The monument stands on Lessingplatz, the square named after the writer whose last years were spent in Brunswick. The bronze head was modelled on a portrait bust by the Brunswick engraver and sculptor Christian Friedrich Krull, so the face visitors see derives from an 18th-century likeness rather than a life sitting.

The monument stands in the open on Lessingplatz, surrounded by a low wrought-iron fence with pointed finials, so it is seen from the path rather than approached closely. The pale gray stone pedestal and stepped platform are best read in daylight, when the dark plaque on the upper block is legible.

The bronze casting was done by Georg Howaldt, a local craftsman whose name remains little known today. The statue was moved to Wendhausen during World War II and later returned to its original location.