Lehár Monument in Kurpark Garden

The operetta composer Franz Lehár (1870 - 1948) was not only a major contributor to the silver operetta era, but also an international celebrity who contributed significantly to the flair of Ischl in the interwar period. As early as 1912, he had bought a villa in Ischl, which was later named after him (today the Lehár Museum). In his villa he lived regularly, where he also died there in 1948.

The monument was erected in 1958, the bust had to be replaced in 1980 for copyright reasons. The current bust is signed: Franz Anton Coufal 1980. The original bust was by Heinrich Zenz (Gmunden) and the model by Mario Petrucci.

The monument has a polished black granite base with the portrait bust of the composer in white marble.

The ceremonial speech at the unveiling of the bust was given by Paul Knepler, Lehár's last living coworkter at the time. He ended his speech with the following words: “And just as Lehár's fame will never wither, so the flowers in front of his monument will never wither, but will always bloom anew. And in later days the singer of love and cheerfulness, the great master Franz Lehár, will be remembered here!”

To the grave at the cemetery