With the completely changed architectural surroundings - behind the stairs today there is an office building that was formerly built for the Stasi - it has no urban significance.

Three of its side surfaces show figures from the work of Richard Wagner as reliefs in larger than life size.

The three Rhinemaidens from the opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen are depicted as undressed women on the front.

They are intended to symbolize music, poetry and drama at the same time and thus allude to Wagner's striving for the Gesamtkunstwerk.

[4] The young Wagner stands on the base as a colored bronze sculpture, 1.8 metres (6 ft) tall, in everyday clothes.

"[5] Behind this figure rises 4 metres (13 ft) tall like a shadow, a black bronze plate with the outline of the older Wagner, symbolizing his great life's work.

The work on it was already in until the purchase of the marble block from Laas, South Tyrol, was thriving when, in 1911, Klinger submitted new plans to the then mayor, Rudolf Dittrich (1855–1929).

[4] In relation to the 50th anniversary of Wagner's death, a new memorial project was started in 1932 under Mayor Carl Goerdeler (1884-1945).

The foundation stone for what is now the planned “Richard Wagner National Monument” was laid near the Elster basin on 6 March 1934 by Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) at Goerdeler’s side.