1. Martin Luther’s Statue Iwona Ciecierska & Marta Skorupko

2. Who was Martin Luther? Martin Luther was a German religious reformer living in the 16th century. He initiated a new religion - Protestantism. He is well- known for writing 95 theses, in which he condemned selling of indulgence and he also wanted to put liturgy in vernaculars.

3. Martin Luther’s monument in Bielsko Biała Martin Luther’s monument is located in Bielsko Biała, in Martin Luther’s Square. It is the only statue of this reformer in Poland. The structure is 2.5 meters tall and it weighs 690 kilograms. The figure is dressed in a gown and it has its hands stretched out ahead. It stands on a granite base built by a local stonemason – Theodor Gröger. It was unveiled on 8 September 1990.

4. Where did the idea come from? The idea for the monument in Bielsko Biała came from the owner of a textile factory - Heirlich Wilhelm Förster. It was accepted by the parish of the city. But the main discussion was in 1897 when the idea became popular amongst the citizens. The official project was shown on 10 November 1897 at the meeting of the members of the parish. They decided not to copy any existing image. They apointed a special department for erecting Martin Luther’s Statue. Adolf Mänhardt was the main coordinator.

5. Money? Money?! Money! Money for the construction came from donations of the parish people and the sale of miniature packages of the monument. The parish applied for help to municipalities of Warsaw and Tomaszów Mazowiecki. In 1899 they invited tenders for the contractor. And the winner was… Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the honour to present – Franz Vogel!!! It was Vogel who chose the site for the statue.

6. Here it is… The preparations for the celebrations of unveiling the monument started in May 1990, but the main celebration was on 8 September the same year. At first the appearance of the monument aroused a lot of controversy because the face of Luther was different from the actual appearance. Vogel wanted to present his heroism, greatness and the power of the city and national pride.

7. The only one in Poland... There were two more monuments in Poland – one in Gdańsk and one in Brzeg – but they had been destroyed. Only one remains in Bielsko Biała, even after being shot at by Soviet soldiers. © by Michał ‘Mumin’ Lepianka