Die drei Schwätzer, Gießen

The Three Chatterers are a bronze sculpture created by Karl-Henning Seemann in the central Hessian city of Giessen. They stand in the inner-city pedestrian zone at the junction of Plockstraße and Seltersweg.

The donor of the work of art was Volksbank Gießen on the occasion of the celebrations of its 125th anniversary, and on September 5, 1983, the unveiling took place in the presence of Lord Mayor Hans Görnert. Seemann's intention was to symbolize with the sculpture people of the homeland having a conversation - not an argument, but a normal conversation as it develops every day between citizens in the inner city. For the most part, the trio met with a very positive response. In the early years, passers-by occasionally provided the chatterboxes with hats, glasses and shopping bags, and put cigarettes in the figures' mouths or newspapers or potato chip bags under their arms. Although they have suffered several paint attacks over the years, they have since become a city landmark, even immortalized on their own fashion line, and a popular meeting place.

Between April 1991 and January 2011, Willi Rüspeler gave the three a voice in his weekly column Die drei Schwätzer meinen heute in the Gießener Anzeiger and had the figures, which he christened Mariechen, Waldemar and Justus, comment on current city events, sometimes mockingly, sometimes ironically, in short image sequences. In addition, the "Gießener Schwätzer" street art competition named after the sculpture took place in Giessen between 2001 and 2004.