Luther Monument
The Luther Monument is a monument dedicated to the reformer Martin Luther. The oldest one from 1821 is in Wittenberg. The largest one, the Luther Monument in Worms, was unveiled in 1868 as a composition of several statues, designed by Ernst Rietschel. Several monuments in the United States use a copy of Rietschel's main statue, including the Luther Monument in Washington, D.C., from 1884.
History
Monuments for Luther were mainly erected in the second half of the 19th century. In several German towns, the served as memorials for the Reformation which Luther initiated. They often connect to events in the reformer's life, sometimes a visit in the town. The oldest full-size monument is the, which was at the same time the first public full-size monument for a person who was not noble. It was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow and unveiled in 1821.The largest monument was designed by Ernst Rietschel, and unveiled in Worms in 1868. Several statues with Luther in the centre are arranged in the shape of a castle, reminiscent of Luther's hymn "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott". It influenced the design of other monuments. The central figure was copied several times, including seven replicas in the United States.
Monuments in Europe
- in Annaberg-Buchholz
- in Aš, Bohemia
- in Bad Schandau
- on the Friedhof der Dorotheenstädtischen und Friedrichswerderschen Gemeinden in Berlin, copy of the Wittenberg monument
- at the Marienkirche in Berlin by and Robert Toberentz
- in Bielsko-Biała, Poland at the Lutherkirche, by
- in Coburg in the Lutherschule, probably after Rietschel
- in Cottbus in front of the Niedersorbisches Gymnasium, by Heinrich Goetschmann
- in Dresden at the Frauenkirche, by Adolf von Donndorf after Rietschel
- in Elze
- in Eisenach by Adolf von Donndorf
- in Eisleben on the market square, by Rudolf Siemering
- in Erfurt, by Fritz Schaper
- in Hamburg at the Micheliskirche, by Otto Lessing
- in Hanover at the Marktkirche, by, completed by Ferdinand Hartzer
- in Kirchberg in the Lutherpark, copy after Rietschel
- in Magdeburg in front of the, by
- in Möhra by
- on Norderney, by Bernhard Högl
- in Nürnberg at the St. Sebald, with Phillipp Melanchthon
- in Speyer at the Gedächtniskirche der Protestation, by Hermann Hahn
- near Steinbach
- in Uelzen after Rietschel
- in Wennigsen, Lower Saxony, copy of Springfield, Illinois
- in Wittenberg on the market square, by Johann Gottfried Schadow
- Luther Monument in Worms, by Ernst Rietschel
Monuments in other continents
- in Nova Friburgo, Brazil by Otavio Teixeira M. Neto
- in Santiago de Chile, Chile by Serena Piacentini, first Luther Monument in Spanish-speaking Latin America
- in front of the Lutherkirche in Copenhagen, Dänemark by Rikard Magnussen
- in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta, by Danek Mozdzenski
- in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. by Hans Schuler
- in Clayton, Missouri, U.S. on the campus of the Concordia Seminary, copy after Rietschel
- Martin Luther at Worms in Decorah, Iowa, U.S. on the campus of the Luther College, copy after Rietschel
- in Dubuque, Iowa, U.S. on the campus of the Wartburg Theological Seminary, copy after Rietschel
- in Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. on the campus of the Concordia Theological Seminary, by
- in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. on the campus of the Lutheran Theological Seminary, by Hans Schuler
- Luther at 38 in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. in front of the First Lutheran Church, copy after the one in Fort Wayne
- in Mount Clemens, Michigan, U. S. at the Cadillac Memorial Gardens, copy after Rietschel
- in Seguin, Texas, U.S. on the campus of the Texas Lutheran College, by Elmer Petersen
- Martin Luther the Teacher, Martin Luther the Musician in Springfield, Ohio, U.S. on the Campus of the Wittenberg University, by A. Regis Milione
- in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. on the campus of the Concordia College, copy after Rietschel
- in Austin. Texas. U.S. on the campus of Concordia University Texas, by Eloiese Krabbenhoft, Professor at Texas State University, San Marcus, Texas. Using measurements and Cranach portraits from the Wittenberg Luther Museum's curator, Martin Treu, Krabbenhoeft employed forensic technology to create a Luther from 1501, the age of an entering freshman at Concordia.
- in Streator, Illinois, U.S. in the Hillcrest Memorial Park, copy after Rietschel
- Luther Monument in Washington, D.C., U.S., copy after Rietschel
- in New Ulm, Minnesota at Martin Luther College
- in Mequon, Wisconsin at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
- in Mequon, Wisconsin at Concordia University Wisconsin
Literature
- Otto Kammer: Reformationsdenkmäler des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts: Eine Bestandsaufnahme. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2004,.
- Christiane Theiselmann: Das Wormser Lutherdenkmal Ernst Rietschels im Rahmen der Lutherrezeption des 19. Jahrhunderts. Europäische Hochschulschriften, Frankfurt am Main 1992,.
- Familienblatt der Lutheriden-Vereinigung, 3. Band, Heft 5, 13. Jahrgang, Februar 1939. .