Luther Monument (Worms)
The Luther Monument in Worms was created in honor of the reformer Martin Luther by Ernst Rietschel (overall design as well as the statues of Luther and Wyclif ) and unveiled on June 25, 1868.
In addition to the international Reformation monument in Geneva , it is considered the largest Reformation monument in the world.
history
The main historical motive for erecting the monument was, besides the posting of the theses in 1517, Luther's role at the Diet of Worms in 1521 , when he defended his theses before Emperor Charles V. In addition to Rietschel, who came up with the overall design, his students Adolf von Donndorf (statues of Waldus, Savonarola, Reuchlin, Friedrich the Wise and Magdeburg), Johannes Schilling (statue of the personified city of Speyer) and Gustav Adolph Kietz (statues of Hus , Melanchthon, Philipp the Magnanimous and Augsburg) and the architect Hermann Nicolai , a student of Gottfried Semper , participated in the design of the monument. It was cast in the Lauchhammer art foundry . Rietschel's Luther statue in the center of the monument was formative for the portrayal of Luther in the late 19th century and was replenished for numerous Luther monuments in Central Europe and North America.
description
In the center of the square complex stands a 3½ m high statue of Martin Luther on a raised pedestal , surrounded on three sides by a tinned wall. Eleven other statues surround Luther on pedestals at the corners of the main pedestal and at the corners and sides of the wall. The entire monument stands out from its surroundings by three steps, via which it can be entered on the open side.
The main pedestal is decorated with quotes and portrait reliefs of the Saxon electors Johann the Steadfast and Friedrich the Magnanimous , the Luther employees Justus Jonas and Johann Bugenhagen , the Imperial Knights Franz von Sickingen and Ulrich von Hutten and the Swiss reformers Johannes Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli . Scenes from Luther's life are depicted below.
Flanking people sitting below the reformer include Petrus Waldus , John Wyclif , Jan Hus and Girolamo Savonarola .
Depicted on the surrounding wall are the Elector Friedrich the Wise and Philip the Magnanimous as Luther's protectors, as well as Johannes Reuchlin and Philipp Melanchthon . Furthermore allegories can be seen that refer to historical events of the Reformation . These are the "Augsburg with the Peace Palm", with reference to the Confessio Augustana of 1530 and the Augsburg Imperial and Religious Peace of 1555, the "protesting Speyer", with reference to the Diet of Speyer 1529 , and the "mourning Magdeburg" Reference to the destruction and looting of Magdeburg in 1631 during the Thirty Years' War by the Catholic League under Johann T'Serclaes von Tilly .
The 27 cube-shaped battlements of the walls show the coats of arms of important Reformation cities.
Picture gallery
The picture arrangement follows the structure of the monument from the center outwards (see # description ).
Others
The big shoes of Luther is the name of another memorial site that was opened in the Heylshof garden not far from the Luther memorial on April 18, 2017 .
literature
sorted alphabetically by author
- Friedrich Hofmann : The reformers in the foundry . In: The Gazebo . Issue 27, 1867, pp. 227-231 ( full text [ Wikisource ]). - (with illustration).
- Ludwig Joseph Hundhausen: The Luther Monument in Worms in the light of truth. Thoughts and Facts in Answering the Question: Church or Protestantism? Franz Kirchheim, Mainz 1868.
- Christiane Theiselmann: Ernst Rietschel's (1856–1868) Luther Monument in Worms as part of the 19th century Luther reception . European university publications, Frankfurt am Main 1992. ISBN 3-631-44332-3
- Ferdinand Werner : The Luther monument and the Worms green spaces . In: Die Gartenkunst 24 (2/2012), pp. 223-259.
Web links
- regionalgeschichte.net: The Luther Monument in Worms
- worms.de: The Luther Monument in Worms
- lutherdenkmal.de: 3D tour with video explanation
Individual evidence
- ↑ description of the Luther monument , Worms.de. Retrieved September 26, 2018
Coordinates: 49 ° 37 ′ 56.6 " N , 8 ° 21 ′ 38.3" E