The Monument to Hermann Sudermann

The monument to the writer Hermann Sudermann in Šilute is a gray marble bust on a two-meter high pedestal (sculptor Erich Schmidt-Kestner). It was erected on November 2, 1930, on the donations of the people of Šilutė, near the Evangelical Lutheran Church, on a plot donated by Hugo Scheu, the owner of Šilute.

In 1945, the monument was demolished to build a cemetery for Soviet soldiers. The bust was gone. On May 25, 1996, in cooperation with the German cultural society “Ännchen von Tharau” and its chairwoman Maja Ehlermann-Mollenhauer, the monument was restored according to the drawings of the monument demolished in the post-war years, found in the Berlin archives,. The bust was sculpted in Berlin from Bavarian marble, according to the project of the sculptor Harald Haacke. The expenses of the production and transportation of the monument to Šilute were covered by the members of the “Annchen von Tharau” society, and it was erected by the Herman Sudermann Literary Local History Club of Šilute with the support of the public.

H. Sudermann was born on September 30, 1857, in Macikai village near Šilute. He studied at a private primary school in Verdaine, and then continued his studies at the gymnasium in Elbing (East Prussia). In 1875, he graduated from the Tilse high school and continued his studies in Konigsberg and Berlin, living on tutoring the children of the rich privately. Later, he dropped his studies and took up journalism. H. Sudermann wrote 20 dramas and several prose works. In 1889, his drama “Honour” brought him international recognition. He was the most popular author of theater works of his time. In “Lithuanian Short Stories” he depicted the places and people of his native land. This work was dedicated to the cultural patron of Šilute, Hugo Scheu. The short stories “Journey to Tilžė”, “Mikas Bumbulis” and “John and Erdmė” are the top of H. Sudermann’s mastery.