Imagine Leipzig’s Rosental. Now picture a 4.75-meter-high sandstone stele. This is the Gedenkstein Louise Otto-Peters Bust. It honors Louise Otto-Peters a pioneer of the German women’s movement.
Louise Otto-Peters co-founded the Allgemeiner Deutscher Frauenverein. This translates to the General German Women’s Association. She was also its first chairperson. The Gedenkstein Louise Otto-Peters Bust stands as a protected monument.
The Gedenkstein Louise Otto-Peters Bust wasn’t always here. Originally, it stood in the Old Johannis Cemetery. The construction of the Grassi Museum necessitated its relocation in July 1925. During the move, it lost its three-tiered granite base.
Look closely at the Gedenkstein Louise Otto-Peters Bust. Notice the two marble reliefs. The upper relief shows Louise Otto-Peters in profile. A laurel wreath surrounds her image.
The lower rectangular relief contains two scenes. These scenes symbolize her work. The left scene represents women’s education. This was a significant concern for Otto-Peters. The right scene depicts women uniting. The Allgemeiner Deutscher Frauenverein exemplifies this union.
Between the reliefs, you’ll see an inscription. It reads “Louise Otto-Peters” above. Below, it says “The Leader on New Paths / in Gratitude and Veneration / the German Women.” A springtime genius symbolizes Otto-Peters showing women a new beginning.
The Allgemeiner Deutscher Frauenverein decided to erect a monument to Louise Otto-Peters in her death year. Johanna Brandstetter collected funds through donations and a lottery. Adolf Lehnert a Leipzig sculptor created the artistic design. He had even taken Otto-Peters’ death mask. Lehnert collaborated with sculptor Otto Schütze. Bruno Eelbo a Leipzig building councilor handled the architectural structure.
The city initially rejected the association’s proposal to place the monument in a public park. After three years of back-and-forth, the unveiling finally occurred on June 10, 1900. It took place in the Old Johannis Cemetery.
In 2000, the Louise-Otto-Peters-Gesellschaft e.V. commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Gedenkstein Louise Otto-Peters Bust’s unveiling. They held an exhibition and a festive event. They also donated an explanatory panel. It stands to the right of the monument.
The city of Leipzig restored the marble panel in 2016. They handed it over to the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum. A replica replaced it on the monument. The Louise-Otto-Peters-Gesellschaft e.V. updated the explanatory panel next to the monument in 2017.
Since autumn 2017, the Gedenkstein Louise Otto-Peters Bust like other valuable city monuments has been encased over the winter. This protects it from weather and other damage.
Consider the Gedenkstein Louise Otto-Peters Bust not just as stone and marble but as a symbol. It embodies Louise Otto-Peters’ enduring legacy and the ongoing pursuit of women’s rights.