King Uzziah (Azariah)

Uzziah, also known as Azariah, was crowned king when he was only 16 years old.

He expanded the army in Jerusalem to fight the Philistines and Arabs. But all that power made him reckless, and he sacrilegiously entered the Temple to burn incense on the altar, which only the priests were allowed to do. In punishment, God gave him leprosy and he was forced to live the rest of his life isolated from society.

The statue

The statue is a portrait of the architect Gerhard Fischer (1890–1977). Fischer was afraid of heights and did not like to climb ladders. Instead, he sent his wife Dorothea (Tulla) up to measure profiles and perform checks, while he sat on the ground taking notes. They communicated via a field telephone. On the statue’s plinth we see Dorothea Fischer standing on a ladder measuring profiles, while carrying her husband on her back, as she did in every way throughout her long life.