High up from his pedestal, Albrecht Dürer looks out over Albrecht-Dürer-Platz. The laying of the foundation stone for his memorial on the 300th anniversary of his death in 1828 was a national event, as was the ceremonial inauguration in 1840. The Albrecht Dürer memorial was the first memorial in Germany erected in honor of an artist, designed by Christian Smoke and cast by Jacob Burgschmiet.After its heyday in the Middle Ages, Nuremberg had sunk into a slumber. It was only in the 19th century that romantic writers such as Tieck, Eichendorff or Brentano rediscovered the beauty and importance of the former Free Imperial City of Nuremberg. They were followed by artists and art enthusiasts such as the Bavarian King Ludwig I. I After the unveiling of the Albrecht Dürer monument, the bronze Albrecht Dürer in close proximity to the Albrecht Dürer House became a place of pilgrimage in honor of the world-famous artist.