Erlkönig, Jena

The Jena Erlkönig is a monument in Jena.

It stands on the path from Wenigenjena to Kunitz in the Saale floodplain in front of a rock face and recalls the ballad of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Originally executed by Theodor Wolff as a wooden sculpture, the statue was replaced in 1891 by a stone figure by Otto Späte on behalf of the owners 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 robe, stretches out his hand over a pond lying below him. Actually, the statue carries a sword in his right hand, this was also reattached during the last renovation, but unknown people have removed or destroyed it again.

According to legend, Goethe is said to have heard the story about the Erlkönig from a farmer at the "Grüne Tanne" inn and worked it into a poem. The place of action of the ballad is said to be identical with the location of the monument; the landscape on site with its trees and the fog, which is common on all river meadows, is said to be recognizable in the poem. The term "Erlkönig" refers to the black alder forest, which is also found here and has been considered an eerie mythical place since the Middle Ages.

Another legend, now disproved, tells of a ride by Goethe from Jena to Dornburg and the poet's inspiration by the rising mists of the Saale.

On April 27, 1990, the 0.6-hectare site was placed under protection as an area natural monument. Since 2004, the monument has been a designated stop on the Saale Cycle Route. The scenic route leads past the Erlkönig monument to Thalstein Castle and on to Kunitz.