What stories could this grave tell? Karl Ludwig Manzel rests here. He was a German sculptor, painter, and graphic artist. Manzel lived from 1858 to 1936.
Manzel’s journey began in Neu Kosenow. His talent led him to Berlin. He arrived penniless but determined. He enrolled in the Prussian Academy of Arts. He supported himself by teaching drawing. He also provided illustrations for magazines.
His teachers included Albert Wolff and Fritz Schaper. A sculptor’s association helped him gain success. He received a scholarship to Paris. He stayed there for three years.
In 1889, Manzel returned to Berlin. He became a freelance artist. He secured a contract with the Imperial Family. He produced busts and reliefs for them. His breakthrough came in 1894. He received commissions for the Berlin Cathedral and the Reichstag. In 1895, he joined the Academy. The next year, he became a Professor at the Museum of Applied Arts.
Manzel succeeded Reinhold Begas in 1903. He headed the Masters Studio until 1925. Josef Thorak was one of his best-known students. Thorak became an official sculptor of the Third Reich. Manzel served as President of the Academy twice. He served from 1912 to 1915 and again from 1918 to 1920.
He signed the Manifesto of the Ninety-Three in 1914. This document supported Germany’s invasion of Belgium.
Kaiser Wilhelm II and Georg Wertheim were his friends. The Kaiser renovated a manor in Cadinen. He hired Manzel to modernize the earthenware factory. Manzel created Jugendstil designs. These were for pitchers, vases, and jars. Wertheim Department Store gained exclusive rights to sell these products in 1905.
In his final years, Manzel turned to painting. He produced altarpieces for churches in Charlottenburg. One of his last works was a bronze medallion. It depicted Joseph Goebbels.
His grave is here at Stahnsdorf South-Western Cemetery. It is decorated with a female head. He sculpted it early in his career.
Manzel’s major works include figures for the Berlin Cathedral. Another is the Sedina fountain in Stettin. The Sedina figure was melted down in 1942. The fountain was later reconstructed. Szczecin City Council approved re-establishment of the Sedina figure in 2012.
He created Group 15 in the Siegesallee. It features Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg. Side figures include Johannes von Hohenlohe and Wend von Ileburg. His statue representing Labor stood in Wertheim’s department store.
A monumental Christ-relief, “Come unto me,” was intended for a church in Gnesen. However, the city became part of Poland. The relief is now part of F. W. Murnau’s grave memorial. It stands not far from Manzel’s own grave.
Karl Ludwig Manzel’s art and life are now part of Berlin’s history.