Luther Monument (Worms)
Lutherdenkmal | |
 The monument in 2010 | |
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| 49°37′56″N 8°21′36″E / 49.6323°N 8.3601°E | |
| Location | Worms, Germany |
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| Designer |
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| Type | Bronze |
| Beginning date | 1868 |
The Luther Monument (Template:Lang-de) is an art installation that was erected in Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, to honour the Protestant reformer Martin Luther. Designed and partly made by Ernst Rietschel, it was unveiled on 25 June 1868. It consists of a group of bronze statues of the reformer, related people and allegorical related towns. The elements are arranged in the shape of a castle, reminiscent of Luther's famous hymn. One of the largest monuments for Luther worldwide,[1] it shaped the view of the reformer. Copies of his statue can be found in Europe and the United States.
History
Plans to build a monument of national importance to the reformer Martin Luther in Worms were already made in the 18th century. In 1856, an association, the Luther-Denkmal-Verein, was formed, which pursued the idea and collected donations from Europe and the Americas.[1] Among the historical topics remembered by the monument are Luther's Ninety-five Theses of 1517 and his appearance at the Diet of Worms in 1521, where he defended his theses facing Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.[2] The main statue of Luther is surrounded by several others of other reformers, political figures, and personified related towns. The overall shape is supposed to form a castle, representing Luther's hymn "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (A firm castle is our God).[3]
Ernst Rietschel designed the group in 1859. He completed the sculptures of Luther and John Wycliff but died in 1861. The other statues were mostly executed by his pupils.[1] Adolf von Donndorf contributed standing figures of Reuchlin and Frederick the Wise of Saxony, seated figures of Girolamo Savonarola, Peter Waldo and the allegorical town of Magdeburg, as well as reliefs. Johannes Schilling created a statue of the allegorical town of Speyer. Gustav Adolph Kietz made statues of Jan Hus, Philipp Melanchthon, Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, and the allegorical town of Augsburg. The architect Georg Hermann Nicolai, a pupil of Gottfried Semper, was also involved. The monument was cast at the Kunst- und Glockengießerei Lauchhammer.[4]
Luther is "dressed not in a monk's cowl but in a preacher's robe. His right hand, in a fist, rests upon a Bible which he holds in his left hand; his posture suggests courage and determination", as Hans A. Pohlsander wrote.[5]
The monument was unveiled on 25 June 1868 in a ceremony attended by around 20,000 people, including nobility and leading German Protestants.[1] Rietschel's statue of Luther became a typical image of the reformer in the late 19th century and became a model for many monuments to him, with copies in Europe and the United States, such as the Luther Monument in Washington, D.C. (1884),[6] the Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis (1903), in Decorah, Iowa (1911), Saint Paul, Minnesota (1921), Dubuque, Iowa (1923), and Detroit (1930).[5] The 150th anniversary of the monument was celebrated as a major event in 2018.[7]
Gallery
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Frederick the Wise of Saxony
Literature
- Ludwig Joseph Hundhausen: Das Luthermonument zu Worms im Lichte der Wahrheit. Gedanken und Thatsachen zur Beantwortung der Frage: Kirche oder Protestantismus? Franz Kirchheim, Mainz 1868.
- Christiane Theiselmann: Das Wormser Lutherdenkmal Ernst Rietschels (1856–1868) im Rahmen der Lutherrezeption des 19. Jahrhunderts. Europäische Hochschulschriften, Frankfurt am Main 1992. ISBN 3-631-44332-3.
- Ferdinand Werner: Das Lutherdenkmal und die Wormser Grünanlagen. In: Die Gartenkunst 24 (2/2012), pp. 223–259.
References
- ^ a b c d "Worms Luther Monument". Worms, Germany. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ "Das Lutherdenkmal in Worms". regionalgeschichte.net (in German). Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ "150 Jahre Lutherdenkmal in Worms". evangelisch.de (in German). 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ "Kunstgussmuseum Lauchhammer" (in German). Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ a b Pohlsander, Hans A. (2010). "The German Heritage, Continued". German Monuments in the Americas: Bonds Across the Atlantic. Peter Lang. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-3-03-430138-1.
- ^ "Martin Luther Statue / German Roots in Washington". Goethe-Institut. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ "Tausende genießen spektakuläres Programm rund um Lutherdenkmal" (in German). Protestant Church of Hesse and Nassau. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
External links
- 3D lutherdenkmal.de