Monument to Freiherr vom Stein

Opposite the Berlin Arsenal, at the end of the former Foreign Ministry of the GDR (now a branch of the Foreign Office), stands a bronze statue of the Prussian reformer and statesman Freiherr vom Stein. The statue (1860-64) is the finest work of the Berlin sculptor Hermann Schievelbein (1817- 67), one of the younger members of the Rauch school. The statue, 3.3 m/11ft high, shows Freiherr vom Stein (1757-1831), wearing the Order of the Black Eagle, leaning on a stick held in his left hand and holding up his right hand in a gesture of command.

The base, 4.5 m/15ft high, was left unfinished on Schievelbein's death and was completed by Hugo Hagen. At the corners are four life-size statues symbolizing Stein's virtues - patriotism, energy, honesty and piety. One of the figures points to the "Monumenta Germaniae Historica," a collection of medieval sources on German history which was initiated by him. Four large bronze reliefs on the base depict mythological scenes: Hope promising Borussia (Prussia) a glorious future; the spirit of sacrifice of the Prussian people; Borussia leading her children into battle; the victors crowned with garlands. A narrow frieze below these scenes shows events in the life of Freiherr vom Stein: the reform of Prussian administration, 1807-08; abolition of serfdom; raising of the Landwehr (National Militia); Tsar Alexander visiting Stein; the Allied entry into Leipzig, Stein vowing to pursue the enemy to Paris; opening of the first Diet of Westphalia; a municipal reorganization, 1808. On the base of the statue is the inscription "To the Minister Freiherr vom Stein from a grateful Fatherland." The monument, originally erected in 1870, suffered severe damage during the Second World War. It was removed from its original site in 1969, restored and re-erected in its present position in 1981, on the 150th anniversary of Freiherr vom Stein's death.