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 Light and Strength - Coburg, Germany
N 50° 15.845 E 010° 58.916
32U E 641254 N 5569872
Martin Luther as "The bringer of the light of faith"
Waymark Code: WMTBHA
Location: Bayern, Germany
Date Posted: 10/28/2016
Views: 6
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It is hard to imagine the great Reformer Martin Luther as a naked man on horse back, but that is exactly what this statue means. Its official name is Light and Strength and it depicts Martin Luther as the deliverer of the light of faith.
In 1530, Luther planned attending the Imperial Diet of Augsburg, but seized with an imperial ban he wasn't able to. Duke Johann the Steadfast granted him asylum at Coburg Fortress and Luther spent 6 months there, corresponding with his followers, working on his new doctrine and continuing his Bible translation.
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The work Luther did at Coburg Fortress had a tremendous influence on the ongoing reformation and the fortresses chapel was soon named Luther Chapel.
Charles Edward, the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a great admirer of Martin Luther and wanted a monument commemorating Luther's stay in Coburg and the work on the Reformation he did from here. It was to be dedicated on the 400th anniversary of the publication of Luthers Ninety-five_Theses. The original plan was to build a huge statue in downtown Coburg. That plan was scrapped because of the ongoing World War I. Instead, the duke personally financed a design by sculptor Hans Klett, to be put in front of the Luther Chapel at the Fortress.
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An online article by the German radio network Deutschlandfunk (unfortunately only in German) tells the complete story of the statue.
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Identity of Rider: Martin Luther
Name of artist: Hans Klett
Date of Dedication: 10/31/1917
Material: Bronze
Position: All Hooves Planted
Identity of Horse: Not listed
Unusual Features: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Enjoy your visit, tell your story and post a picture.
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