Small Monument to Johann Sebastian Bach
Description:
It is located in close proximity to the Church of St. Thomas (Thomaskirche), in the green area near Dittrichsring.
It is the first in the world and the oldest monument to Bach, a gift of the composer and Kapellmeister of Leipzig Gewandhaus Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdi (1809-1847).
To raise money for the monument, Mendelssohn organized charity organ concerts held in the churches of the city (his organ appeared in Gewandhaus only in 1840). The first concert took place in the church of St. Thomas August 6, 1840. Mendelssohn performed Bach's organ composition. The last concert took place on April 23, 1843, after its completion, the monument was inaugurated in the presence of Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach, the 81-year-old grandson of Johann Sebastian.
The monument made of Elbe sandstone was sculpted by sculptor Herman Knaur on the project of the artist Eduard Bendemann. Over the years, the monument has been restored several times, the last restoration took place in 2005.