Monument to Goethe

The monument to Goethe, opened in 1900, is located on the corner of the Ringstrasse and Götegasse in Vienna, a city where the musician himself has never been. With the creation of this monument was associated with many disputes and disorders.

The obligation to raise money for the creation of the monument was assigned to the relevant committee, which, as it turned out, squandered two-thirds of the necessary amount, the collections of which lasted for several years. After long proceedings in 1889, a competition was announced among sculptors for the project of the monument and a year later, among the many works presented, the committee identified two possible options - the works of sculptors Victor Tilgner and Edmund Hellmer.

Three years after the revision, the projects were again submitted for consideration, after which one was rejected for technical reasons, and the second was approved only after a scandal caused by public discontent.

After so many twists and turns, today we can see the bronze figure of the great composer, whose work is known all over the world, rising on a high pedestal. Hellmer depicted the creator sitting in a spacious armchair, with a tired, thoughtful and distant-looking look.