The Luther Monument is a well crafted visual portrayal of the history of the Reformation designed…read moreby Ernst Rietschel and after his death in 1861 completed by his students in accordance with his design. The monument was finished June 25, 1868. A ceremony was held and saw notables like Kaiser Wilhelm I in attendance. Lords, scholars and personifications of important cities from the immediate and subsequent history of the Reformation are positioned throughout the monument At it's center is Martin Luther raised as a center piece to the story of the Reformation movement. Seated at his feet are four figures from the movement which finally led to the Reformation, Peter Wardus (1180) France, John Wyclif (1320-1384, Jan Hus (1369-1415) Bohemia and Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498). The statues on the corner pedestals symbolize secular dominion and the power of the spirit. Reliefs surround the monument which depict important events in the Reformation like the refusal of Martin Luther to recant his beliefs at the 1521 Diet of Worms. I gave this monument four stars because it depicts the entire Reformation movement history. The reformers before Martin Luther, Martin Luther and the important events of the Diet of Worms and events after the Reformation. The Martin Luther hymn is inscribed under his statue, "A Mighty Fortress is our God".