The nearby park at the foot of Abteiberg features outdoor sculptures from different periods in the museum’s history.
Christian Odzuck, Geozentrik, 2014, exhibition view EIN AHNUNGSLOSER TRAUM VOM PARK – Phase 2.1, 2014, Sculpture Garden and Hans Jonas Park, Mönchengladbach, photo: Museum Abteiberg
Hans Jonas Park lies in the heart of downtown Mönchengladbach, just a short distance from Museum Abteiberg’s sculpture garden. With its mature trees and works by Ferdinand Kriwet, Christian Odzuck, and Ruth Buchanan, it offers a peaceful green space in the city center.
The redesign of Hans Jonas Park in 2021 brought new visibility to the contemporary artworks at the site.
Ferdinand Kriwet’s Lesewald (Reading Forest, 1980/81) is part of Mönchengladbach’s historically significant public art program and occupies a prominent position on a sightline to Haus Erholung. Museum Abteiberg’s conservation department restored the work in 2022 in close consultation with the artist’s estate.
Ferdinand Kriwet, Lesewald (Reading Forest), 1980/81, detail, Hans Jonas Park, Mönchengladbach, photo: Susanne Titz, 2022
The other works in the park were also restored, secured, and in some cases repositioned in consultation with the artists. These include Hans Burgeff’s Denkmal für Hans Jonas (Monument to Hans Jonas, 1997) at the entrance to the park and Brigitte Zarm’s ensemble Feder-Zeichen / Zeichen-Feder (2004) on the steps of the Volkshochschule. They also include works that Museum Abteiberg originally installed temporarily in Hans Jonas Park in 2014 as part of the project Ein ahnungsloser Traum vom Park (An Innocent Dream of a Park). Their positive reception and the support of the Mönchengladbach public meant that these works remained in the park longer than originally planned:
- Christian Odzuck’s large-scale sculpture Geozentrik (Geocentrics)
- Ulrike Möschel’s Versunkene Wippe (Sunken Seesaw)
- Tanja Goethe’s planting bed
- the streetlights from Alex Morrison’s Traumstraße (Dream Street), between Hans Jonas Park and the sculpture garden
Ulrike Möschel, Versunkene Wippe (Sunken Seesaw), 2013, Hans Jonas Park, Mönchengladbach, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026, photo: Markus Ambach
Ulrike Möschel, Versunkene Wippe (Sunken Seesaw), 2013, Hans Jonas Park, Mönchengladbach, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026, photo: Museum Abteiberg, 2013
Tanja Goethe, Sir Hans Sloanes Plates, 2012/13, Hans Jonas Park, Mönchengladbach, photo: Sebastian Fritzsch
Tanja Goethe, Sir Hans Sloanes Plates, 2012/13, Hans Jonas Park, Mönchengladbach, photo: Eva Caroline Eick
Alex Morrison, Traumstraße (Dream Street), 2013, alley between Spatzenberg and Fliescherberg, Mönchengladbach, photo: Markus Ambach
Alex Morrison, Traumstraße (Dream Street), 2013, alley between Spatzenberg and Fliescherberg, Mönchengladbach, photo: Eva Caroline Eick
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