Adolf IV.

The Adolf IV sculpture stands in bronze at the former Franciscan monastery in Kiel’s old town. Karl-Henning Seemann created the figure in 2005, and it rises approximately 3.6 metres above the surrounding memorial site. The monastery marks one of the key surviving traces of Kiel’s thirteenth-century foundation.

The figure shows Adolf IV removing knightly armour while taking on a simple monk’s robe. Its helmet and hood suggest two faces, turning the change from warrior to monk into a single unfolding image. Two principal views face the city and the monastery, while wax-plate casting leaves detailed folds across the bronze clothing and armour.

A fountain and bronze relief complete the setting above the founder’s crypt. The relief presents the medieval city layout as a post-war ruin beside the former altar site. Adolf IV founded Kiel and lived as a monk in the monastery, whose Gothic-inscribed gravestone remains preserved.