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All the United States Illinois Chicago Livonian Wolves at the Leaping Wall
Livonian Wolves at the Leaping Wall is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Livonian Wolves at the Leaping Wall

In one Chicago park, a trio of werewolves are waiting to devour their fallen brethren.

Chicago, Illinois

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Jeff Wagg
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The Livonian Wolves at the Leaping Wall   Jeff Wagg / Atlas Obscura User
Care for a leap?   Jeff Wagg / Atlas Obscura User
Your sacrifice is required.   Jeff Wagg / Atlas Obscura User
A bit of Poe, perhaps?   Jeff Wagg / Atlas Obscura User
They wait.   Jeff Wagg / Atlas Obscura User
Just another neighborhood park. With werewolves.   Jeff Wagg / Atlas Obscura User
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About

On a residential block in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood, a small park features an unusual sculpture depicting three wolves leaning against a stone wall. One is reading a book as a raven looks over his shoulder. 

The sculpture was created in the early 1990s by Ellen Nesvick, in association with Columbia College. It's based on an illustration called "Legends Rustiques," drawn by Baron Dudevant Jean Francois Maurice Sand in 1858. 

The story goes something like this: in Livonia (think the Baltic, not Michigan), Christmastime saw men turn into ravenous wolves devouring everything in sight, beer and humans included. After their debauchery, they'd gather at the town wall where they'd take turns leaping. Those who didn't land successfully—usually the fattest and softest among them—were devoured by their fellow canids.

Not bad as folk tales are concerned, but this story takes a creepy turn when one learns of Thiess of Kaltenbrun, a man put on trial in 1692 for believing himself to be a werewolf. He was convicted of heresy, flogged, and banished for life. In Thiess' defense, he claimed to be a "werewolf of God," but whatever his actual identity, his trial contributes to the wonder of this modern depiction of wolves at the wait.

No visit to the wolves is complete without a quick tour around some of the other sculptures on site, including some large spheres and a rather creepy specter lurking beneath a stone altar. You'll also find an uncomfortable figure perched atop a 12-foot pole.

Update May 2019: This space will be renovated during the summer of 2019 into a performing arts space for students of Columbia College Chicago. 

Update May 16, 2019: The statue was destroyed by the crew doing renovations due to "Internal Miscommunication". 

Related Tags

Werewolves Sculptures Art Aletrail

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The park is easily located on the corner of S Wabash Ave and 11th St in the South Loop.

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Added By

Jeff Wagg

Edited By

hana, Tim Stafford

  • hana
  • Tim Stafford

Published

May 7, 2015

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  • https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/05/16/columbia-college-parks-sculptures-destroyed-during-renovations-due-to-internal-miscommunication/?fbclid=IwAR0xf2QXlXVE7j5r5i5k8QxCahbwDGv32tsoqrZQEV1iEQUNQyZw543w5aw
Livonian Wolves at the Leaping Wall
72 East 11th Street
Chicago, Illinois, 60605
United States
41.869555, -87.625076
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