Schiller Monument

No—Friedrich Schiller was not a true-born Franconian, unlike Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the second defining poet of the Weimar Classicism movement. Between 1782 and 1784, however, Schiller lived in the city briefly on three occasions, and he witnessed the premiere of his successful play *Kabale und Liebe* at the Frankfurt City Theater. On the occasion of Schiller’s 100th birthday in 1859, the city council therefore decided to commission a larger-than-life monument to him, designed by the Frankfurt sculptor Johannes Dielmann: His “Prince of Poets” stands four meters tall and holds a book, a quill pen, and a laurel wreath. Even at first glance, everyone should recognize Schiller’s significance for German literature. After its unveiling, the monument initially stood at the Hauptwache, then temporarily on Rathenauplatz. But since 1955, it has graced the green oasis of the Taunusanlage, right behind the Taunustor—from which, by the way, you also have a great view: Through the trees, the view leads directly to Frankfurt’s skyline.