Lincoln Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Friedrich Von Schiller

Poet and Dramatist

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 14, 2026

1. Friedrich Von Schiller Marker

Inscription.
Born Nov. 10, 1759
Marbach, Germany

Died May 9, 1805
Weimar, Germany

200th Anniversary

Erected 1959 by German Day Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Immigration. A significant historical date for this entry is November 10, 1759.

Location. 41° 55.32′ N, 87° 38.111′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Lincoln Park. It is on North Stockton Drive north of West Webster Avenue, on the right when traveling north. The memorial is in Lincoln Park, a short walk from the west entrance into Lincoln Park Zoo. The plaque is on the rear (south) side of the pedestal holding the statue of Schiller. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60614, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Helping Wildlife Thrive (within shouting distance of this marker); North American River Otter (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named North American River Otter (within shouting distance of this marker); Grey Seal (within shouting distance of this marker); Eadie Levy's Landmark Café (within shouting distance of this marker); Japanese Macaque (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Grey Seal (about 300 feet away); Lion House, Lincoln Park Zoo (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. This statue in Lincoln Park is a replica of one erected in 1876 in Schiller's hometown of Marbach, in southwestern Germany. The Chicago statue was dedicated on May 18, 1886.

The statue was designed by German sculptor Ernst Bilhauer Rau. Rau died of a pulmonary hemorrhage in 1875, one year before the Schiller statue, which proved to be his most famous work, was erected.

Schiller is the namesake of Schiller Street on the near north side, about a mile (eight

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 14, 2026

2. Friedrich Von Schiller Marker

The plaque is on the rear (south) side of the pedestal holding the statue of Schiller.

blocks) south of his statue.

Also see . . .
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Friedrich Schiller.

Excerpt: "Johann Christoph Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) is best known for his immense influence on German literature. In his relatively short life, he authored an extraordinary series of dramas, including The Robbers, Maria Stuart, and the trilogy Wallenstein. He was also a prodigious poet, composing perhaps most famously the “Ode to Joy” featured in the culmination of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and enshrined, some two centuries later, in the European Hymn. In part through his celebrated friendship with Goethe, he edited epoch-defining literary journals and exerted lasting influence on German stage production. He is sometimes referred to as the German Shakespeare; his are still among the most widely produced German plays both in Germany and internationally."

(Submitted on February 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Chicago Park District: Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller Monument.

Excerpt: "In the 1880s, Chicago’s German community had great enthusiasm for Schiller and a committee
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 14, 2026

3. Friedrich Von Schiller statue
of Germany Citizens spent several years raising money for a monument to the revered writer. In 1885, after a large group of German immigrants held a meeting in Chicago’s Turner Hall, a corner stone and foundation were laid in Lincoln Park. They committee hired William Pelargus, an artist from Stuttgard, Germany, to recast Rau's original Schiller Monument. The committee also contracted with Lake View marble cutter John Gall to create and attractive granite base for the Chicago monument."

(Submitted on February 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) image. Click for full size.

Portrait by Anton Graff, courtesy of Dresden City Art Gallery (via Wikimedia Commons), circa 1791

4. Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 36 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.