The Jena Erlkönig is a monument in Jena.
It stands on the way from Wenigenjena to Kunitz in the Saale floodplain in front of a rock face and is reminiscent of the ballad of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Originally made as a wooden sculpture by Theodor Wolff, the statue was replaced by a stone figure by Otto Späte in 1891 on behalf of the owner of Thalstein Castle, Wolf von Tümpling.
It is a powerful, larger-than-life figure of the Erlkönig, who, as an old man with a long beard and robes, stretches out his hand over a pond below him.[1] The statue actually carries a sword in its right hand. This was put back in place during the last renovation, but unknown people removed it or destroyed it.
According to a legend, Goethe is said to have heard the story about the Erlkönig from a farmer in the “Grüne Tanne” inn and incorporated it into a poem. The location of the ballad is said to be identical to the location of the monument; The local landscape with its trees and the fog that often occurs on all river floodplains should be recognizable in the poem. Another legend, which has since been disproven, tells of Goethe's ride from Jena to Dornburg and the poet's inspiration from the rising Saale mists.
On April 27, 1990, the 0.6 hectare site was placed under protection as a natural monument. The monument has been a designated stop on the Saale cycle path since 2004. The scenic route takes cyclists past the Erlkönig monument to Thalstein Castle and on to Kunitz.
(Wikipedia)