Events
Highlights after the anniversary
2017 was the year of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and the culmination of the Luther Decade. There were numerous events, such as exhibitions or concerts, which dealt extensively with the subject of the Reformation and everything to do with it. Naturally, Martin Luther's Theses were only the impetus that triggered a century-long development. There will, therefore, be a great number of anniversaries to celebrate in the years to come. And where better to do that than in Saxony-Anhalt, the Cradle of the Reformation?
Due to major investment in the sites of the Reformation prior to its anniversary, the Reformation sites are in excellent condition. Thus, the World Heritage Sites in Lutherstadt Wittenberg and Eisleben have been extensively renovated and the infrastructure improved or expanded. The restored Wittenberg Castle Church and the Lutherstube in the Augusteum are particular highlights. In the Lutherhaus in Wittenberg, it will be possible to find out more about the construction work which was undertaken. In April, the exhibition “Building for Luther” which has been put together by the Foundation “Luthergedenkstätten” opens. It is likely that the buildings from the various eras have never been in such good condition.
Another outstanding project from 2017 was "Wittenberg in Reformation times” – a special attraction to mark not only the Reformation anniversary in 2017. A 360° panorama brings Wittenberg to life – with some of its most famous inhabitants Philipp Melanchthon, Cranach the Elder and the Younger, Katharina von Bora, Martin Luther and his fellow Reformer Justus Jonas. The show, with its fascinating and creative use of space, will stay open till October 2021.
In 2019, ‘Luther’s Wedding’ will of course once again be held as a large town festival in Wittenberg.
This was the year of Luther
In 2017, Reformation Day on 31 October was celebrated for the first and only time in Germany as a national public holiday. Many visitors from all over the world experienced impressive sights, found new religious impulses and discovered the effects of the upheaval caused by the Reformation with a series of exhibitions, concerts and congresses.
