Schillerdenkmal, Marble statue at Albertplatz, Dresden, Germany.
The Schillerdenkmal is a 3.40-metre marble statue of Friedrich Schiller by Selmar Werner, set on the Jorge-Gomondai-Platz southwest of Albertplatz in Dresden's Innere Neustadt. The figure stands in a rotunda 7.50 metres across, reached by a single step down, with nine reliefs by Werner on its walls showing scenes from Schiller's works.
The monument was created by sculptor Selmar Werner and unveiled in 1914, during a period when German-speaking cities were actively placing statues of writers in public spaces. Dresden chose Albertplatz for this tribute, linking the square to the city's broader appreciation of literary figures.
The nine reliefs inside the rotunda, all by Selmar Werner, follow Schiller's texts from left of the entrance: The Division of the Earth, Hero and Leander, Joan of Arc's vision, Hector's farewell, The Hostage, The Song of the Bell, The Girl from Abroad, The Cranes of Ibycus and Tell's shot. They are carved in a strict style without perspective depth, treating the wall only as a surface for the figures.
The monument stands on Albertplatz at the corner of Hauptstrasse and Königstrasse and can be visited at any time without charge. It sits in a central spot in the Neustadt district, making it a natural stop during a walk along the main street.
The nickname 'Schiller in the Bathtub' arose soon after the 1914 unveiling, when the poet's marble figure was set inside a rotunda only shoulder-high. The monument survived the 1945 air raids largely intact because its open area was mostly spared and the marble was boxed in for winter protection, as was then customary.
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