Richard Wagner Memorial Bust (Baltimore, MD)
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Location
Just off Lake Drive, on the southeast corner of Mansion House lawn, in Druid Hill Park
GPS: 39° 19′ 16.82″ N 76° 38′ 44.51″ W
History
First Prize for winning the 19th Triennial National Saengerfest, a German cultural festival focused on choral performances, in 1900, was a bronze bust of composer Richard Wagner. The United Singers of Baltimore took the title and the trophy at the contest, which was held in Brooklyn, New York, with the song Sheiden (Parting) by D. Melamet. The singers gifted the statue to the city thereafter and in 1901 it was placed on the lawn of Druid Hill Park’s Mansion House where it remains to this day. The house now serves as the main administrative building for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. R. P. Golde created the statue as well as the Conradin Kreutzer Memorial in Patterson Park.
Notes
Captain Kidd, the famed Scottish Privateer and Pirate is rumored to have buried a sizable treasure of gold and jewelery near the Mansion House grounds. At one point, so much digging went on that the house’s foundation was in danger and the fortune seekers had to be removed. No treasure was ever located. The Wagner Bust sits on the edge of the road next to an ornate pond only migrating geese can access. The surrounding park is vast and open, making this one of the more tranquil spots within city limits.
Nearby
- Columbus (Druid Hill)
- Washington (Druid Hill)
- William Wallace
- Eli Seigel Stone
- The Repeal Statue
- John Cook Garden & Sundial
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