Luther Monument (Steinbach)
The Luther monument near Steinbach (town of Bad Liebenstein , Wartburg district ) is a cultural monument, it was erected in 1857 at the instigation of Duke Bernhard Erich Freund von Sachsen-Meiningen and commemorates the faked capture of Martin Luther , who was banned from the Reich , on May 4th on his way back from Reichstag zu Worms (1521) to Wittenberg by soldiers of Elector Frederick the Wise . Luther was brought to the Wartburg , where he quickly translated the Bible into German.
location
About two kilometers southwest of the Luther memorial is Altenstein Castle with the Altensteiner Park . To the north of the monument is the Rennsteig with the Glasbach desert and the striking Gerberstein . You can find it not far from the L 1027 coming from Steinbach in the direction of Ruhla , where there is a corresponding sign on a small forest path behind a curve on the right-hand side.
The obelisk
The approximately ten meter high monument is made as an obelisk from Seeberg sandstone . It has the shape of a square column, the sides of which are crowned by eyelashes . Above it rises a top - a delicate pinnacle - which ends in a pyramid crowned by a finial. The column rests on a three-tiered foundation wall. The memorial stone is surrounded by a cast-iron fence decorated in a neo-Gothic style.
West side
Here
Dr. Martin Luther
on May 4, 1521
by order of
Friedrich the Elder. Wise
electors of Saxony
repealed
and led to Schloss Wartburg
.
He will drink from the brook by
the way, so he will
hold up his head.
Psalm 110.7.
North side
He who
walks in righteousness and speaks
what is right ... he
will dwell on high
and rocks will be his
fortress and protection.
Isaiah 33.15 a. 16
South side
Lord my rock,
my castle,
my Savior,
my God,
my refuge,
in which I trust.
Psalm 18.3.
East Side
Erected by
Bernhard Erich Freund,
Duke of Saxony Meiningen
in 1857
Luther beech and Lutherborn
A determination of the place where Martin Luther was placed by the elector's commissioner on his return journey from Worms was probably made years after the deed. A spring protruding from a prominent beech tree on the roadway served as orientation. From then on, the vernacular handed down the two as Lutherborn and Lutherbuche .
As a result of a severe storm that raged in West Thuringia at the same time as a solar eclipse on the afternoon of July 18, 1841, the trunk of the Luther beech broke at a height of three meters and one last branch remained. The wood and sticks of the Luther beech were given to the parish of Steinbach, and craftsmen made souvenirs from the wood. An offshoot was planted in the Lübeck Cathedral Cemetery in 1873 , where it has developed into a large beech tree to this day. A copper beech planted in 1983 is reminiscent of the Luther beech that previously existed here. Since 1817 a boulder with the inscription May 4th MDXXI has designated the spring contained here as Lutherborn .
On the history of the memorial
Report from a contemporary witness
The course of Luther's capture was written down in a timely report. The author was a citizen of Eisenach and canon, Johannes König, who wanted to receive the information from Luther's uncle Heintz from Möhra and who passed on his knowledge to an addressee at the Mainz Cathedral Foundation, Kaspar Westhus, sealer of the Cathedral Foundation.
“ … Doctor Lutter went to Isenach uss next Saturday and to his father’s brother against More. When he has now contradicted by More uff Sweyna pull and uff the castle to the old stone of Burckarten Hondes drove through (,) and his Junkschaft (,) who those geleith, umbgewant uff the walde at was knowing churches Glasbach called (,) funff be reißigen Come and run over the wagon and tear yourself out of the wagon up to the forest, and next to the horses in the forest he must have walked with ... He liked this from Heinzen Lutter, his father's brother, who was the guest he was write after me. "
Accordingly, after he had arrived in Eisenach, Luther had interrupted his journey and moved briefly to his uncle in nearby Möhra. The continuation of the journey led him past Altenstein Castle, where he was provided with escort protection by the lord of the castle Burkhardt Hund in the direction of Schweina. Below the Glasbach desert, this escort suddenly turned around and shortly afterwards Luther and his companions were surrounded by five horsemen, who were the only ones to drag Luther from the wagon and kidnap him into the forest, running alongside the horses ...
Celebrations at the Luther Monument
- The Luther Festival of 1817
In preparation for the 300th anniversary of the Reformation, the previously overgrown space around the Luther beech was leveled, the spring was captured and surrounded by a tasteful wall with an inscription.
- The Luther Festival of 1830
In the shadow of the old Luther beech, the Duke of Saxony-Meiningen organized a folk festival on June 25, 1830 to commemorate the transfer of the Augsburg confession. The celebration was a major event at that time, the chronicler reports about 8,000 visitors. After singing the song A strong castle is our God and a short sermon, a detailed lecture by Meiningen's senior consistorial councilor Mosengeil on Luther's simulated kidnapping at this place followed.
- The feast of picking up the brushwood in 1841
In the presence of the highest representatives of the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen, Duchess Marie and their guests - Hereditary Prince Bernhard and Duchess Ida of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach as well as numerous descendants of Martin Luther - the folk festival of wood and brushwood collection took place on July 27, 1841. The remains of the Luther beech, which had been broken off by the storm on July 18, were recovered and transferred to the village of Steinbach.
- The celebration of the inauguration of the Luther Memorial in 1857
At the instigation of the Duke of Meiningen, the construction of the Luther memorial began in spring 1857 and the memorial was inaugurated on July 26th.
- The celebration of the 500th birthday of Martin Luther
In 1983 the 500th birthday of the reformer was celebrated nationwide in the GDR . In May there was a memorial ceremony at the Luther monument in Steinbach, attended by numerous visitors from the region and spa guests from nearby Bad Liebenstein . A copper beech was planted as a new Luther beech .
literature
- K. Volkmar: Luther's Capture , Schmalkalden 1930
- R. Kohlschmidt: The Luther beech near Altenstein , in: Blätter für Heimatkunde of the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, Erfurt from August 25, 1926.
- Gerd Schäfer: The Luther beech near Steinbach , in: Altensteiner Blätter Jahrbuch 1995, pp. 64–73
References and footnotes
- ^ A b Gerd Schäfer The Luther beech near Steinbach In: Altensteiner Blätter Jahrbuch 1995, pp. 64–73
- ↑ Walter Böner Where did the old pass road run across the Thuringian Forest, on which Luther's capture took place? In: Urgeschichte und Heimatforschung Weimar 1987, issue 24 pp. 34–44
- ↑ Where did the old pass road run ... In: Urgeschichte und Heimatforschung 1987 p.38
- ↑ Gerd Schäfer The Luther beech near Steinbach In: Altensteiner Blätter Jahrbuch 1995, p. 70
- ↑ Gerd Schäfer The Luther beech near Steinbach In: Altensteiner Blätter Jahrbuch 1995, p. 71 f
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 51 ′ 3 ″ N , 10 ° 22 ′ 39 ″ E