Leipzig and the Reformation
In the footsteps of Luther and Bach 1 Content
03 Leipzig and the Reformation
04 Leipzig Disputation
06 Martin Luther in Leipzig – a city tour
10 J. S. Bach and Protestant church music
12 The Luther Trail in Saxony
14 Events
15 Tours, excursions, educational trips
16 Our tour package
Current information about the various exhibitions and events in the anniversary year of 2017 and beyond is available at: www.luther-in-leipzig.de
2 Leipzig and the Reformation
In the 15th and 16th century, Leipzig was of crucial importance to spiritual and economic life in the Electorate of Saxony. The Reformation brought an unexpected boom to the city, in the same way that Leipzig was key to the unfolding of the Reforma- tion: Luther’s writings were printed in vast quantities here and disseminated throughout the country. Leipzig printer Melchior Lotter published more than 160 writings by the Reformer.
Martin Luther in Leipzig Martin Luther was born in Eisleben in 1483. He studied theology and then went to Wittenberg, where he became professor at the theological faculty of the university. From Wittenberg he repeatedly travelled about 60 miles to Leipzig – some- times even on foot. However, Luther’s most important visit to this city of trade came about in 1519: this was the year of the Leipzig Disputation, a rhetorical debate between Luther and the theologian Johannes Eck. It marked a turning point for Luther himself and for the Reformation movement. Leipzig will duly celebrate this occasion in 2019.
Follow in the footsteps of the Reformer and his supporters Melanchthon and Lucas Cranach the Elder. And of course: Johann Sebastian Bach. Two centuries later, the great com- poser and choirmaster of St. Thomas made the Lutheran spirit and Protestant views of life resound in his considerable oeuvre of sacred music.
1) Luther and his wife Katharina 2) Old City Hall with the Museum of City History 3) Portrait of Luther as Junker Jörg by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1521 (Museum of Fine Arts)
3 Leipzig Disputation
1517 saw the birth of the Reformation. When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg on 31 October of that year, it was the beginning of Luther’s public clash with the institution of the Church and with the papacy in particular. Luther attacked the commercial sale of indulgences, which allowed believers to pay to redeem them- selves and their dead relatives from sin rather than going to confession to do so. He was particularly opposed to the activities of Johann Tetzel, a preacher of indulgences and the source of the saying “As soon as a coin in the cofferrings, the soul from purgatory springs!”
The smouldering conflict between Luther and the Church hierarchy came to a head in the summer of 1519 in Leipzig – at the famous Leipzig Disputation. This began on 27 June with a Mass in St. Thomas Church, at which the St. Thomas Boys Choir also sang. Accom- panied by his friends, the scholar Philipp Melanchthon and the theologian Andreas Karlstadt, Luther held his own against his opponent, the theology professor Johannes Eck, a supporter of the Pope. Their verbal duel lasted several days and took place in Pleissenburg Castle, now the site of the New City Hall. It covered a range of topics including indulgences, the legiti- macy of the Pope, free will and divine grace. For Martin Luther, the Disputation, also known as the “Leipzig Church Battle” in
4 Leipzig Disputation German, represented a final break with the Roman Catholic Church. Because of his refusal to recant his theses on the sale of indulgences, Luther and his followers were finally excommu- nicated from the church and outlawed by the Emperor in 1521.
The Reformation finds its way to Leipzig Henry the Pious introduced the Protestant faith as the state religion in the Duchy of Saxony at Pentecost 1539. The official ceremony in Leip- zig was also attended by Luther. He preached in the chapel of Pleissenburg Castle and gave a ceremonial speech in St. Thomas Church, accompanied by a performance of the St. Thomas Boys Choir. The Reformer’s last visit to Leipzig was in August 1545, when he attended the Evangelical consecration of the University Church. He died in Eisleben on 18 February 1546.
4) Over the rooftops of Leipzig 5) Sandstone portrait “The Mocking of Luther” on the Fregehaus 6) Luther window in St. Thomas Church
Did you know...? Leipzig printer Melchior Lotter was one of the first to print the 95 thesesas a poster.
5 Martin Luther in Leipzig – a city tour
There are many places in Leipzig where Martin Luther and his companions once stayed. Follow in Luther’s footsteps on a tour through the centre of the city (see map on page 8).
1 St. Thomas Church This late Gothic house of worship dates back to the 12th century. A memorial plaque on a pillar in the nave recalls the start of the Reformation, launched by Luther with a sermon in 1539. One of the largest stained-glass windows in the church shows Luther holding the Bible. St. Thomas Church is also inextricably linked with Johann Sebastian Bach, who served as choirmaster of the St. Thomas Boys Choir for 27 years and whose tomb is in the choir.
3 Pleissenburg Castle (today the New City Hall) The Leipzig Disputation took place in Pleissenburg Castle in 1519. The building was destroyed around thirty years later, and the imposing New City Hall was built on its foundations in 1905.
Did you know...? Johann Tetzel, preacher of indul- gences and Luther’s opponent, died of plague in 1519 and was buried in the choir of St. Paul’s.
6 4 Auerbachs Keller In Luther’s times, the wine cellar was owned by Heinrich Stromer von Auerbach, a friend and supporter of the Reformer. In later years, Goethe also spent time here and found inspiration for a famous scene in his play “Faust”.
5 Old City Hall Built in 1556, this magnificent example of Renaissance architecture now houses the Museum of City History, where visitors can see paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder, writings of Martin Luther, the Luther Chalice and the wedding ring of Luther’s wife.
11 University Church of St. Paul With the service and final sermon given by Luther in Leip- zig on 12 August 1545, the monastery church of the Domi- nican Order, consecrated in 1240, became the Protestant University Church of St. Paul. Although it was only slightly damaged during the Second World War, the GDR author- ities had the church demolished in 1968. Today, the Paul- inum on the new university campus traces the outlines of the original Church of St. Paul.
7) Paulinum – University Church of St. Paul and auditorium 8) Auerbachs Keller 9) Katharina von Bora’s original wedding ring, 1525
7 Central Station
Hainstraße
Goerdelerring 8 129 7 Katharinenstr.
Schützenstr.
e
Dittrichring ß Ritterstraße a Kre 6 r u Nikolaistraße zst t raße
Barfußgäßchen Reichsstraße Markt s e
h Klosterg. Schuh- Salzg. t macherg. e o
e G ß e a
ß r
t e a s 5 r ß Grimmaische Straße t n Thomasg. a s r o 10 r t
s e m l u o e 4 l
s Q a
n 1 Augustus- S I
Georgiring Burgstr. platz Neumarkt Universität r. r S t
Petersstraße Leipzig ne Dresd Sporerg. 11 Johannis- Preußerg. platz 12 Universitätsstr. Martin-Luther-Ring 2 Kupferg. Johannisgasse
Magazin-G. 3 Goldschmidtstr.
Roßplatz 1 Gewandgäßchen Martin-Luther-Ring
2 Thüringer Hof On his visits to Leipzig, Luther is believed to have often stayed in this guest house, which belonged to his friend Dr H. Schmiedeberg.
6 Barthels Hof / Market square, corner of Hainstrasse Luther is thought to have preached to the people from the bay window here in 1539, although this is not attested.
7 Katharinenstrasse 11 / Fregehaus The Gothic entryway leads to a small inner courtyard with a sandstone portrait depicting the Emperor, the Pope and a monk, and the year 1535. The meaning is some- what ambiguous, and the title “The Mocking of Luther” is contested.
8 Hainstrasse 16 – 18 (today Hôtel de Pologne) This is where Melchior Lotter lived. He was a key figure in the dissemination of Luther’s ideas: between 1518 and 1520 alone, more than 40 of Luther’s writings were printed in his workshop. During the Leipzig Disputation, Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon and Andreas Bodenstein (known as Karlstadt) stayed in this house.
8 Central Station
Hainstraße
Goerdelerring 8 129 7 Katharinenstr.
Schützenstr. e
Dittrichring ß Ritterstraße a Kre 6 r u Nikolaistraße zst t raße
Barfußgäßchen Reichsstraße Markt s e h Klosterg. Schuh- Salzg. t macherg. e o
e G ß e a
ß r
t e a s 5 r ß Grimmaische Straße t n Thomasg. a s r o 10 r t
s e m l u o e 4 l
s Q a
n 1 Augustus- S I
Georgiring Burgstr. platz Neumarkt Universität r. r S t
Petersstraße Leipzig ne Dresd Sporerg. 11 Johannis- Preußerg. platz 12 Universitätsstr. Martin-Luther-Ring 2 Kupferg. Johannisgasse
Magazin-G. 3 Goldschmidtstr.
Currently certified as accessible – Roßplatz 1 Gewandgäßchen detailed information available at: Martin-Luther-Ring www.sachsen-barrierefrei.de
9 Museum of Fine Arts The museum has a large collection of graphic works and 18 paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger, of which eleven are on display. The most famous is the “Portrait of Luther as Junker Jörg” (1521) by Cranach the Elder.
10 St. Nicholas Church This church, completed in 1165, has a Gothic pulpit dating from Luther’s time, which is known as the Luther Pulpit for this reason. In the autumn of 1989, St. Nicholas Church played a crucial role in the Peaceful Revolution as the site of the Monday peace prayers.
12 St. John’s Cemetery (today Johannisplatz) Sebastian Fröschel gave the first Protestant sermons in St. John’s Church in 1523, in response to which the citizens of Leipzig rushed to the gates of the city. The church is no longer in existence.
For more information, go to www.luther-in-leipzig.de
9
J. S. Bach and Protestant church music In 1723 the genius composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) became cantor and choirmaster of St. Thomas Church, a position he held for 27 creative years until his death. During that time he wrote outstanding works of music, such as the Christmas Oratorio, St. John’s Passion and St. Matthew’s Pas- sion as well as numerous cantatas. The staunch Lutheran also dedicated much of his energies to the Protestant chorale.
The special importance of spiritual songs for the Evangelical Church had been stressed by Martin Luther himself, who is said to have stated once that “Singing is a noble art and exercise”. More than 30 hymns by Luther have been preserved to this day. Many of them were used by Johann Sebastian Bach as a basis for multi-part music for choir and organ adaptations, which have never lost their captivating appeal. This kind of music resounds regularly in St. Thomas Church during motets and concerts by the world-famous St. Thomas Boys Choir.
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 – 1847), who revived interest in Bach’s work and is himself inseparably linked with Leipzig, also had a form- ative influence on Protestant church music: the son of Jewish parents, he was still a child when he converted to Protestantism. His deep religious feel- ings had a decisive influence on his musical work: In addition to the “Reformation Symphony”, he also wrote the two outstanding oratorios “St. Paul” and “Elijah”.
10) Johann Sebastian Bach (Leipzig Museum of City History) 11) Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
11 The Luther Trail in Saxony
The Luther Trail in Saxony leads to a number of locations where Martin Luther, his wife and other reformers lived and worked. The circular trail, which covers some 550 km, forms part of the German Luther Trail network and connects to paths in Saxony- Anhalt and Thuringia. www.lutherweg-sachsen.de
Torgau In Luther’s day, Torgau and its Renaissance castle Hartenfels were the main residence of the Ernestine line of Electors of Sax- ony and an important centre for the Reformation: in 1544, the castle chapel was consecrated by Martin Luther as the first newly built Protestant church. Luther’s wife Katharina is buried in the town, in the Church of St. Mary. Johann Walter, the pub- lisher of the first Protestant choral hymn book and a close friend of Martin Luther, was choirmaster in Torgau from 1526.
Borna Martin Luther travelled to Borna on many occasions. Here he visited his friend Michael von der Strassen, a strong advocate of the Reformation, and preached several times in the Church of St. Mary in the town.
Nimbschen Convent At Easter 1523 the nun Katharina von Bora escaped from the Cistercian convent in Nimbschen near Grim- ma together with eight other sisters, from which time she lived in Wittenberg. Two years later she married Martin Luther, with whom she then had six children.
Did you know...? Johann Walter is considered to be the earliest choirmaster of Protestant church music.
12 Sachsen-Anhalt
Bad Düben A 9 Löbnitz Dreiheide Torgau
Werbeliner See Schildau Eilenburg A 14 Mulde
Luppe Freistaat Wurzen Sachsen A 9 Leipzig Elbe
Trebsen Cospudener See
A 38 A 14 Störmthaler Grimma Mügeln See Kloster Sornzig Neukieritzsch Kloster Nimbschen Kloster Leisnig Buch
A 9 eiße Elster Colditz W Borna Döbeln
Waldheim Rochlitz
Kriebstein Gnandstein Kloster Wechselburg Altenburg A 72 Mittweida
A 4 kauer Mulde Penig Zwic
Wolkenburg A 4
Crimmitschau Glauchau
A 72
Zwickau
12) Torgau 13) Katharina von Bora 14) Nimbschen Convent 13 Events
Anyone who wants to follow in Martin Luther’s footsteps in the Reformation year of 2017 should definitely visit Leipzig. The programme “500 Years of Reformation” is not only very extensive, but also shows the historical occasion in all its facets. Visitors can enjoy light shows and theatre spectaculars, concerts and festivals, lectures and book pre- sentations. Among the highlights of the anniversary year is the Kirchentag on the Way from 25 – 28 May 2017 with the theme “Sounds of Leipzig: Music. Debate. Life.” and the Leipzig Bachfest from 9 – 18 June 2017.
Get excited! Leipzig will look at the Reformation beyond 2017 as well. The next big anniversary is, after all, right around the corner: In 2019 the city will celebrate “500 Years of the Leipzig Disputation” – you can look forward to an abundance of events!
Regular Music Events
Motets with St. Thomas Sunday Concert Boys Choir * 11 am Fridays 6 pm Music Salon of Mendelssohn House www.mendelssohn-stiftung.de Motet and Cantata by J. S. Bach with St. Thomas Boys Monday Concert at Choir and the Gewandhaus the Bach Monument Orchestra *, Saturdays 3 pm July – August, Mondays St. Thomas Church 7 pm www.thomaskirche.org in front of St. Thomas Church * except during school holidays and www.bachkonzerte.eu concert tours
More information is available at: www.luther-in-leipzig.de
14 Tours, excursions, educational trips
Themed tours: “In the footsteps of Luther through Leipzig” “Luther and Bach” “Via Thomana – 800 years of church, choir and school”
These and other tours of Luther landmarks can be booked through: Leipzig Erleben GmbH Tourist Information Katharinenstraße 8 04109 Leipzig www.leipzig-erleben.com Email: [email protected] Phone: +49 (0)341 7104-230
Educational trips to Leipzig and to other Luther landmarks can be booked through: ReiseMission GmbH Jacobstraße 10 04105 Leipzig www.reisemission-leipzig.de Email: [email protected] Phone: +49 (0)341 3085-410
Kirchentag on the Way in Leipzig: “Music. Dispute. Life” 25 – 28 May 2017 www.r2017.org
15) St. Thomas Boys Choir 16) Memorial plaque in St. Thomas Church recalling the start of the Reformation
15 Our tour package from €185 per person in Martin Luther and Leipzig a double room — Single person • 2 nights incl. breakfast in a hotel in Leipzig supplement from €60 • Leipzig Card: 3-day ticket for free travel on local transport services within Leipzig and a range of discounts (view all discounts at www.leipzig.travel/leipzigcard-en) • Public walking tour of the city at 11 am on the second day of your stay • “In the footsteps of Luther” in the Auerbachs Keller restaurant, including a guided tour and coffee and cake (1 cup of coffee and 1 piece of Mephisto gateau per person) at 2 pm on the second day of your stay • Single entry to the Museum of City History at the Old City Hall, (featuring Luther’s writings, the Luther Chalice, Katharina von Bora’s ring) • 1 x tourist map for each room
Offer valid: All year round; museum closed on Mondays The deadline for registration is four weeks before your arrival. Our general terms and conditions apply.
We would be happy to put together a group deal for you!
Please send your enquiry to: Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH Augustusplatz 9, 04109 Leipzig Phone: +49 (0)341 7104-275, Fax: +49 (0)341 7104-251 Mail: [email protected] This flyer as a pdf Internet: www.leipzig.de, www.leipzig.travel for mobiles
Stadt Leipzig Dezernat Kultur
City of Leipzig Department for Culture, New City Hall, 04092 Leipzig Phone: +49 (0)341 123-4200, Email: [email protected]
www.leipzig.travel Funded with financial support from the government www.leipzig.de of the Free State of Saxony.
Photo credits: Title (Thomaskirche): fotolia.com / F. Seidel; TV SBuHL e. V., LTM / Andreas Schmidt, Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig, Heimrich & Hannot /Christian Günther, Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Leipzig / Punctum (Bertram Kober) / Christoph Sandig, Wartburg Stiftung / Rainer Salzmann, LTM / Dirk Brzoska; Maps: Lutherstätten Leipzig: fenchelino design – Gaby Kirchhof, Lutherweg Sachsen: Tourismusverband Sächsi- sches Burgen- und Heideland e. V. (TV SBuHL)