Adolph Kolping Monument

A 1903 bronze monument in front of the Minorite Church to the ‘journeymen's father' Adolph Kolping, founder of the Catholic Kolping Society.

Monument City centre

The Adolph Kolping Monument on Kolpingplatz in front of the Minorite Church honours Adolph Kolping (1813–1865), founder of the Catholic journeymen's associations – today's Kolping Society – who is buried in the church.

Source: Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-06-24

At a glance

Unveiled: 1903
Artist: Johann Baptist Schreiner
Location: Kolpingplatz, in front of the Minorite Church
Financed: by donations from Kolping Society members

The journeymen's father

In the 19th century Adolph Kolping championed the social advancement of young craftsmen and founded a network of journeymen's associations that still exists worldwide. The bronze monument in front of his burial church keeps the memory of the "journeymen's father" alive and is part of the Kolping place of remembrance in the heart of the city.