Schiller monument

The Schillerdenkmal stands before the Württemberg State Theatre in Stuttgart’s Upper Schlossgarten. Created by sculptor Adolf von Donndorf and carved in marble by Richard Schönfeld, it was unveiled in 1913. The statue shows an idealised Schiller descending from Olympus with a golden lyre, as Donndorf intended. The monument is worth visiting for its bold artistic vision and unusual placement. Donndorf deliberately set the low granite pedestal so visitors meet Schiller’s gaze at eye level. This contrasts with earlier versions by Bertel Thorvaldsen and Ludwig von Hofer, where taller pedestals force upward glances. The work also reflects the fading 19th-century monument mania and Donndorf’s long involvement with Schiller’s image. Beside the theatre’s main entrance, the marble figure wears a draped toga and stands on a small stone block. A tall plane tree shades the lawn where the statue faces away from the smaller theatre building. Nearby, Karl Donndorf’s Jugendstil Schicksalsbrunnen and Wander Bertoni’s abstract steel sculpture Ikarus complete the triangular group of artworks. The setting remains calm despite the city centre location.