The hidden statue at Eckernförderplatz used to be part of a fountain on the facade of the Academy of Fine Arts (Hochschule der bildenden Künste) in Charlottenburg. Now, it’s tucked away in Wedding, surrounded by bushes and stinging nettles. No one seems to know why.

“Orpheus with the Animals, the Power of Music” (Orpheus mit den Tieren, Die Macht der Musik) isn’t immediately visible as you stroll through the quaint park at Eckernförder Platz in Wedding. To find it, you’ll need to know its location and navigate through the tangle of branches and nettles.

There he stands—Orpheus, the legendary musician and poet of ancient Greece, serenely accompanied by a lion and a deer.

I have no clue how he ended up there, as it’s definitely not where he started.

The figure was originally part of a fountain on the East Pavilion of the Academy of Fine Arts on Hardenbergstraße in Charlottenburg. Orpheus had a counterpart on the West Pavilion. “Prometheus Mourned by the Oceanids” (Prometheus von den Okeaniden beweint) remains there today, though it has been restored and is no longer a functioning fountain.

During World War II, the Academy of Fine Arts suffered extensive damage, and the sandstone statue of Orpheus bears visible scars from the conflict. A bullet hole pierces one side of his leg, while the opposite side reveals markings likely caused by shrapnel.

Moreover, Orpheus is without his head, the lion has lost its feet and an ear, and the deer is missing its head and a leg. Whether this damage resulted from wartime events or occurred during the relocation of the figures from their original site remains uncertain.

The sculpture “Orpheus with the Animals, the Power of Music” still endures, tucked away in a hidden corner of overgrown greenery in Wedding.

If you know when the figure was moved and why, please leave a comment or send me an email.

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