Mendelssohn Monument, Leipzig

The western portal of the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas's Church) in Leipzig is often habitually referred to as the Mendelssohn Portal. The reason for that is the Mendelssohn Monument that stands directly in front of it and lends its name to the place. It honors the composer and former Leipzig Gewandhaus Kapellmeister, founder of the local Conservatorium of Music, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

The sculpture that we see today, however, is just a detailed replica of the original monument that once stood outside the second Gewandhaus, also known as the Neues Concerthaus, from 1892 to 1936, and was destroyed by the Nazis (because Mendelssohn was a Jew).

The current 2.8-meter bronze statue, jokingly described as the “Gründerzeit figure with toga”, was installed in 2008. It stands upon a stepped granite base, the upper part of which is made of red Meissner granite, and the lower two steps – of gray granite. The total height of the monument is 6.8 meters. Here, Mendelssohn is depicted holding a piano roll in his left hand and a baton in his right. His standing in front of a music desk indicates that he was the first musical conductor in the modern sense of the term.

Below, sitting at Mendelssohn's feet, on the steps, leaning on a lyre, is the muse of music, Euterpe. The two pairs of angels to her sides are also tuned in to the music theme: those on the left are singing, and the ones to the right are playing instruments: the flute and the violin. Inscribed on the pedestal's front is the name of the composer, while on the back is the inscription which translates as "Nobleness can only be expressed through the language of music". An organ in the bronze medallion on the left side of the pedestal symbolizes sacred music; the masks, the vase with a dance scene, the flutes and the sword, seen on the right side, symbolize secular music.

The location of the monument – in the garden outside the Thomaskirche – is also symbolic. In this church, Mendelssohn used to play and conduct organ concerts. The old Bach monument, found in the same park, was also donated by Mendelssohn. The two of Mendelssohn's Leipzig apartments – in Reichels Vorderhaus und Lurgensteins Garten – are also situated nearby.