42) Richard Wagner

During the 1900 craze for glorious monuments of heroic history, Tiergarten becomes the main location for an abundance of dignified and pompous works. Among them there is the 1903 monument for Richard Wagner, a sculpture by Gustav Eberlein, one of the sculptors who worked on the golden Victory Column. He wins the commission for the monument which is financed by a former singer and wealthy producer of cosmetics.

In 1987 the already very large monument receives a prominent roof, a shelter to protect it from the damage of acid rain. (Acid rain, now considered a mere concern of the ’80s Zeitgeist). Recently a video camera and a large floodlight keep the monument safe also from the habitual Wagner vandalism, projecting a powerful blast of light that crosses the entire forest at night.