MOTHERLAND OF THE REFORMATION. EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Transcription

1 MOTHERLAND OF THE REFORMATION. EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

2 MOTHERLAND OF THE REFORMATION When Martin Luther was born on 10 November 1483, Saxony was at the height of its power. Elector Ernst and his brother Albert had been governing the most powerful country in the heart of the German Empire since But only two years after Luther s birth Ernst and Albert committed the most capital mistake in Saxon history: they divided the country and the ruling Wettin dynasty split up into two lines, the Ernestine and the Albertine. For a time now there were two countries under the name of Saxony, the Electorate and the Duchy, which were to play the most important yet different roles in the life of Martin Luther and in the progression of Reformation. While the ducal Albertines made Dresden their new residence, Torgau became the center of power under the electoral Ernestines. After the Albertines had deprived the Ernestines of their electoral dignity one year after Martin Luther s death, their strongly augmented Saxony, which by then also comprised Torgau and Wittenberg, the Mother of Reformation, had the leading role among the Protestant regions of Germany for a long time and made for the consolidation and advancement of the Reformation. Already by the end of the 16th century, Saxony was given the honorary title Motherland of the Reformation. On the occasion of the anniversary of the posting of the theses, the first Reformation Day was celebrated in Saxony in Today s federal state of Saxony also commits to the legacy of the Reformation and celebrates its most important events. Celebrate with us! UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2018 LEIPZIG GOD S WORK AND WORD IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES ART IN THE CONTEXT OF REFORMATION. The Reformation influenced nearly every area of life, not only in Germany but in other parts of Europe as well. It had also left lasting marks in art. On the occasion of the Reformation anniversary, the Grassi Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig invites its visitors to rediscover selected objects in a historic context that are displayed in the permanent exhibition Antike bis Historismus (from antiquity to historicism). These exhibits comprise sculptures, pieces of gold work, ceramic works, tin objects as well as coins and medals. They are made accessible to the visitor and highlighted in the exhibition by a signposting system. An accompanying publication provides depictions and detailed information on the exhibits. Additionally, further stock objects that are usually not displayed, especially graphic works and books, have been temporarily integrated in the permanent exhibition. 1 JANUARY UNTIL 27 DECEMBER 2017 DRESDEN MUSIC IN THE DRESDEN CHURCH OF OUR LADY What was only a ruin after World War II rose anew between 1993 and 2005 thanks to donations from all over the world. Today, as in old times, it represents the perfection of church construction according to Luther s ideals. After its renewed consecration the Church of Our Lady in Dresden (Frauenkirche) once more took its place as top class musical Church of our Lady in Dresden

3 venue. Naturally, music events taking place throughout the anniversary year 2017 will focus on the Reformation as well. Therefore, the Frauenkirche has invited prominent artists and even asked the composer Jörg Herchet to write a new composition basing on a famous hymn of thanksgiving by Martin Luther that will première on 24 June. Market square in Zwickau 18 FEBRUARY UNTIL 28 MAY 2017 ZWICKAU RENEWAL AND OBSTINACY ZWICKAU S PATH THROUGH REFORMATION. In Zwickau, the largest town in Ernestine Saxony, people were open to Luther s ideas, thus enabling the Reformation to spread quickly there. Though many conflicts arose on the way, which made it necessary for Luther to intervene time and time again. In the year of the Reformation anniversary, the Zwickau Art Collections present a special exhibition combining significant papers and documents from the archives, bibliophilic publications and printings, art works and objects from the famous library Ratsschulbibliothek, the municipal archive and further Zwickau museums so as to provide insights into the historic events that had wide-ranging effects far beyond the city limits. 11 MARCH UNTIL 5 JUNE 2017 DRESDEN LUTHERLAND. PHOTOGRAPHIES FROM THE WORLD OF FAITH. Starting in October 2015, the Leipzig photographer Jörg Gläscher began travelling the regions where the Reformation once started as well as other regions of Germany in order to encounter people and landscapes where Luther s ideas have been kept alive. His works are displayed in the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden, which is unique in its kind and constantly deals with current topics evolving around humans and society. of proper artistic objects as well as items on loan shows the impact the restructuring of church affairs after the Reformation has had and how it influenced everyday life in the parishes. 26 MARCH UNTIL 27 AUGUST 2017 BAUTZEN FIVE CENTURIES. THE SORBS AND THE REFORMATION. In Lusatia, the Sorbs have preserved their own culture until today. This Slavic minority profited from Luther s demand for propagation of the Word of God in the corresponding mother tongue through the development of a proprietary literature and manifold cultural achievements. This is depicted in a special exhibition in the Sorb Museum and in the Michaeliskirche Church in Bautzen. 1 APRIL 2017 TORGAU REOPENING OF THE MUSEUM KATHARINA-LUTHER-STUBE Luther and his wife were quite familiar with Torgau. Since the Saxon electors who protected Luther and promoted his ideas resided on Schloss Hartenfels Castle, the Reformer visited the town many times. In 1523, after her famous flight from the Marienthron convent near Grimma his wife-to-be Katharina stayed in Torgau for a while before travelling on to Wittenberg. In autumn of 1552, already a widow, she fled from the plague in Wittenberg and had an accident near Torgau in the course of which she broke her pelvic bone. The mainly originally preserved house in the city center of Torgau where she died three weeks later now houses the museum Katharina-Luther-Stube. On the occasion of the Reformation anniversary it has been redesigned. It illustrates the work of Luther s wife, divided in five main stages of life, as well as her reception through the ages. 19 MARCH UNTIL 28 MAY 2017 CHEMNITZ THE NEW FAITH AND THE ART. The building of the Chemnitz Schlossberg Museum itself represents the profound changes that were caused by the Reformation. The Benedictine monastery was closed and converted into a hunting lodge for the elector which, after numerous further changes, eventually became today s museum. In the anniversary year, a special exhibition consisting The memorial slab of Katharina Luther at St Mary s church in Torgau

4 1 APRIL UNTIL 5 NOVEMBER 2017 NOSSEN PROFESS! SAXON NOBILITY IN THE RELIGIOUS CONTROVERSY. The introduction of the Reformation and the initially opposing positions of the Ernestines and Albertines forced Saxon nobility to pick a position in the question of faith, often with far-reaching consequences that even lead to whole families splitting up. By means of personal objects a special exhibition at Schloss Nossen Castle shows the aristocrats journey through life underlining the distortions of those times. 5 APRIL UNTIL 17 JUNE 2017 CHEMNITZ LUTHER AND MARX. In GDR times, Luther was at first defamed as class enemy, partly because he had supported the suppression of the peasants uprising, but was later declared a revolutionary. In Chemnitz, back then deliberately named town of Karl Marx, socialism and Christianity clashed especially hard. But what unites Luther and Marx was the attempt to change society and humans for the better. This is reflected by a Chemnitz project on the occasion of the anniversary year dealing with the topic within the scope of music, literature and dance. The small courtyard of the Dresden Royal Palace 8 APRIL UNTIL 5 NOVEMBER 2017 MEISSEN LUTHER, SONGS AND OFFICIALESE. As opposed to other exhibitions, the exhibition in the Meissen Municipal Museum, housed by a former Franciscan monastery, shows an everyday picture of the Reformation and specifically illustrates how the lives of the Meissen townspeople changed due to this event. But it also highlights another aspect: for his Bible translation Luther used Meissen officialese, which consequently became the basis for a uniform German language. In the process Luther impressed with rich wordiness and his own neologisms that are still part of the common German vocabulary today. At the same time another exhibition is presented: Jan Hus und seine Zeit (Jan Hus and his period). Depiction of the Dresden Elbe Valley on a coat of Elector Johann Georg I. 9 APRIL 2017 DRESDEN OPENING OF THE RENAISSANCE WING IN THE DRESDEN ROYAL PALACE When Elector Augustus established the Kunstkammer (art chamber) in 1560 he laid the foundations for the world-famous Dresden State Art Collections. With the opening of the Renaissance wing the former Albertine residence shows the world-wide most comprising collection of ceremonial weapons, precious items and other objects from the Renaissance period and the times of Reformation. Moreover, the electoral wardrobe invites you to a historic fashion show. The mere fact that the robes of Saxon rulers and their wives have been preserved over the centuries is most impressive and unique. The Dresden Royal Palace itself is an authentic place of Reformation history. It was built by Elector Maurice in superb Renaissance shapes as the new center of the Protestant world after he had deprived his Ernestine cousin of his elector s dignity after the battle at Mühlberg. Maurice also built the castle chapel, one of the first Protestant church buildings, the portal of which depicts the profession of faith of the former Saxon rulers. 12 APRIL 2017 UNTIL 28 JANUARY 2018 LEIPZIG LUTHER IN DISPUTE. LEIPZIG AND THE CONSEQUENCES. In the location of the Leipzig New Town Hall there once stood Pleißenburg Castle. Breaking his promise to keep silent, which he had made after his hearing at the Reichstag in Augsburg, Martin Luther participated in the Leipzig Disputation there in During this debate with Johannes Eck he stated the differences of his opinion on the doctrine of the Catholic church and formulated his Sola Scriptura, which lead to the (originally not intended) break with the pope and the Albertine Duke George the Bearded. In Leip-

5 zig, his followers were also referred to as Lutherans for the first time. An exhibition in the Leipzig Municipal Museum examines the Leipzig Disputation and its consequences as the repression of Reformation ideology in Albertine Saxony, the introduction of the Reformation in Leipzig in 1539 following the death of George the Bearded and the further development up to the Schmalkaldic War. The central exhibits comprise the silver Lutherbecher (Luther cup), the wedding ring of Luther s wife Katharina and paintings and epitaphs by the two Cranachs. Chapel at Augustusburg Castle with Cranach Altar The Old Town Hall in Leipzig 29 APRIL 2017 RADEBEUL PREMIERE OF THE PLAY IN GOD S OWN LAND Upon the early death of Elector Maurice, his brother and successor Augustus dissociated himself from Protestants of other faiths and actually made Lutheranism the state religion. It was not before the 18th century that Saxony became more tolerant in religious questions once more. But the inglorious tradition continued to have an effect. The theologian Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg, who was ordained in 1741, was sent to Pennsylvania by the foundation Frankesche Stiftungen to care for three German-speaking Lutheran parishes. There he became involved in a dispute with Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravian Church from the Saxon town of Herrnhut, who wanted to unite all Protestants while allowing them to keep their individual practices. Mühlenberg on the other hand founded an institutionalised Lutheran church on the American East Coast and is still known as its patriarch today. Based on Mühlenberg s life, the theatre Landesbühnen Sachsen has created a play that is a product of the close cooperation of artists, historians, political and church institutions from the USA and Germany. After some performances at the home venue in Radebeul the play will be presented in Großenhain, Meissen and Torgau before going on stage in the USA as well. 29 APRIL UNTIL 5 NOVEMBER 2017 AUGUSTUSBURG LUTHER AND THE SECRET OF THE CRANACH ALTAR. After the death of Elector Maurice his brother Augustus became his successor. He ended all religious and political conflicts and lead Saxony back to prosperity. Having done so he could afford to build a superb castle compound in Renaissance style on a taper of quartz porphyry in the Ore Mountains in 1568 that was named after him. In the castle chapel that was consecrated in 1572 and sets the background for a special exhibition in the anniversary year there still stands the precious altarpiece with a painting by Lucas Cranach the younger depicting Augustus and his family as professed Protestants and providing deep insights into the epoch of the Reformation. 4 MAY UNTIL 24 SEPTEMBER 2017 LEIPZIG LUTHER LEIPZIG LETTERPRESS! MARTIN LUTHER IN LARGE PRINT. Without the invention of printing with movable letters, which was quite new at the time, Luther s ideas would not have spread as quickly as they did. Until the end of World War II Leipzig was considered the center of the German printing and publishing industry. Just as it had already played an important role in the production of print products during Luther s lifetime. On the occasion of the Reformation anniversary, the Leipzig Museum of Printing Arts visualises this important aspect of Reformation history by modifying the permanent exhibition and introducing additional activity stations. Yet, it also deals with Luther s great influence on the German language and the Luther Rose, his personal signet and one of the first trademarks. The Leipzig Disputation

6 12 MAY UNTIL 5 NOVEMBER 2017 MEISSEN A TREASURE NOT MADE OF GOLD. BENNO OF MEISSEN SAXONY S FIRST SAINT. Many legends tell of the life of St. Benno, who was the bishop of Meissen from 1066 to As he is supposed to have performed miracles, he was already worshipped during the 13th century. But it was the support of Duke George the Bearded, who had become a fierce opponent of Luther after the Leipzig Disputation, that enabled his canonisation in Martin Luther responded quite violently by publishing a polemic paper Against the new idol and old devil to be elevated in Meissen. After the Reformation, Benno s remains were transferred first to Stolpen and Wurzen and eventually to their final resting place at the Church of Our Lady in Munich. Thus, as if by miracle, a Saxon bishop became the patron saint of the city of Munich and of the state of Bavaria. For the first time, the exhibition will illustrate the symbolic role that Bishop Benno of Meissen and his canonisation played, not only during the time of the Reformation. To this end, numerous artworks will be brought together and put in dialogue for the first time, among them precious items on loan like the crosier and mitre of the bishop or the large-sized altarpiece from the St. Benno Chapel in Rome. Meissen with castle hill 18 MAY UNTIL 18 JUNE 2017 DRESDEN 40TH DRESDEN MUSIC FESTIVAL In its 40 years of history, the Dresden Music Festival has become a significant point of attraction for artists and a diverse audience from all over the world. In its anniversary edition the festival also focuses on the Reformation. Its highlight is the presentation of the silent film Luther ein Film der deutschen Reformation (Luther a film of German Reformation) with background music by the MDR symphony orchestra. 19 MAY UNTIL 31 OCTOBER 2017 TORGAU TORGAU RESIDENCE OF RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION. As residence of the Saxon electors from the line of the Ernestines Torgau was the political center of the Reformation. Although the town became less important after the The Great Spiral Staircase at Hartenfels Castle in Torgau electoral dignity had been transferred to the Albertines, it still remained of religious and political importance as the side residence of Reformation. In preparation for the Reformation anniversary the Dresden State Art Collections have been staging annual special exhibitions at Schloss Hartenfels Castle since 2012, among them the first national special exhibition Luther und die Fürsten (Luther and the Princes) in As the last in this series the special exhibition in the anniversary year deals with Torgau in the role as residence thus summarising all the other special exhibitions. It displays chosen showpieces from the Dresden Armoury. Moreover, it addresses Torgau s role as center of the art of goldsmithing, e.g. the Torgauer Apotheke, an Indian nacre chest in the setting and décor of a Torgau goldsmith. 21 MAY 2017 TORGAU OPENING OF THE SPALATIN HOUSE Frederick the Wise allegedly protected Martin Luther merely for political reasons and is said to never have met him personally. The closest confidant of the ruler was his court chaplain and confessor Georg Spalatin. He acted as mediator between Elector and Reformer thus becoming the helmsman of Reformation. As reward for his services Spalatin received the house Im Sack in Torgau as a gift from Frederick the Wise. It is the only house of overall 15 priests houses that has been preserved until today. And after extensive reconstruction works it is now dedicated to the work of Georg Spalatin. Yet another friend of Luther lived in Torgau: Johann Walter, the original cantor of the Protestant Church. He published the first Protestant choir hymnbook. Together with the musically interested and talented Reformer he worked on the Deutsche Messe (German Mass) and other songs. Later he founded today s Saxon State Orchestra in Dresden on behalf of Elector Maurice. With exhibits and musical performances his life is illustrated in the new exhibition as well.

7 25 UNTIL 28 MAY 2017 LEIPZIG PROTESTANT CHURCH CONVENTION IN LEIPZIG On the occasion of the Reformation anniversary the German Protestant Church Convention takes place in Berlin, with a great final service in Wittenberg. Additionally, six further lay conventions will take place at important Reformation locations. Under the motto Music. Debate. Life. the Protestant Church Convention will be held in Leipzig. It focuses on the town s resistant spirit and its rich musical tradition. What started with the Leipzig Debate still resounded in Leipzig s leading role in vanquishing the GDR regime. And Leipzig is also the town of Bach who expressed Luther s thoughts in texts and music like no other. Approximately 400 events at 100 locations await the visitors. Among the highlights is a performance under the name Zum Licht (Towards the light) and a concert with 10,000 brass players at Augustusplatz square. 9 UNTIL 18 JUNE 2017 LEIPZIG LEIPZIG BACH FESTIVAL The great composer Johann Sebastian Bach spent the last 27 years of his life in Leipzig and was buried at his main place of work, the Thomaskirche church. Under the motto Music and Reformation the Leipzig Bach Festival 2017 is dedicated to Luther s chorales that were extensively edited by Bach. Another focal point will be how Heinrich Schütz, the father of German music who mainly worked in Dresden, and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, who rediscovered Bach s music, dealt with the Reformer s legacy. The Small Zittau Lenten Veil 800 years in the nearby Ostritz and Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, together with Bohemian and Moravian exiled Protestants, founded the Moravian Church in Herrnhut following the tradition of Jan Hus, Reformation quickly made its way to Zittau. Today, the closed Franciscan monastery houses the Historico-Cultural Museum. The monastery church with its more than 80 epitaphs has been newly refurbished and builds the framework for an exhibition on the special history of the region in the age of Reformation. Bach Festival concert at Augustusplatz square in Leipzig 30 JULY 2017 UNTIL 7 JANUARY 2018 ZITTAU A DIFFERENT APPROACH. REFORMATION IN UPPER LUSATIA. In the course of time, Lusatia changed its owner several times. Yet none of these rulers reigned on-site. Thus, the region always preserved some autonomy and is still characterised by religious diversity today. While Germany s oldest Cistercian convent has persisted without interruption for 8 SEPTEMBER 2017 UNTIL 28 JANUARY 2018 LEIPZIG BACH AND LUTHER. The Leipzig Bach Museum is located in the former dwelling house of Bach s friend, the rich manufacturer Georg Heinrich Bose, next to the former school Thomasschule where Bach lived and taught. The special exhibition on the occasion of the Reformation anniversary illustrates the Protestant Thomas cantorate and the importance of Martin Luther s achievements for the composer. A special role comes to the original handwritings from the famous year of the chorale cantatas 1724/25 and a Luther Bible with a handwritten notice of possession by Bach. 10 SEPTEMBER 2017 TORGAU OPENING OF THE PERMANENT EXHIBITION AT HARTENFELS CASTLE. Schloss Hartenfels Castle in Torgau became a magnificent residence under Elector Frederick the Wise and his successors. The castle church is the first new Protestant

8 Courtyard of Hartenfels Castle in Torgau church building and was consecrated by Martin Luther himself in The builder was Elector John Frederick the Magnanimous who also built the famous Großer Wendelstein, the Great Spiral Staircase that has just recently been restored to its old colourful splendour. He was a nephew of Frederick the Wise and the last Saxon elector from the line of the Ernestines. He ranks as leading worldly innovator of Luther s doctrines in his time and, together with his wife Sibylle von Cleve, is at the center of focus of the new permanent exhibition in the former electoral chambers, which have recently been restored to their former glory, and the legendary Flaschenturm tower. The ruling couple embodies the importance of Torgau as the center of power of the Reformation and as significant European location of courtly representation. 24 SEPTEMBER UNTIL 30 DECEMBER 2017 ZWICKAU SCHUMANN AND LUTHER. On the occasion of the Reformation anniversary the Robert Schumann House explores the relation between the Zwickau composer and the great Reformer. Schumann s grandfather was a Lutheran priest in Thuringia. In his publishing house Gebrüder Schumann his father August Schumann published an edition of Martin Luther s writings as well as engraved illustrations of reformers. Martin Luther was a frequent topic of the musical magazine Neue Zeitschrift für Musik that was edited by Robert Schumann. In 1851, Schumann even attempted to compose an oratorio on the Reformer as drafts presented in the exhibition will show. Schumann s last composition was the transcription of an obituary chorale by Martin Luther, the original of which will be shown as well. MOTHERLAND OF THE REFORMATION. ON THE TRAIL OF A world EvENT. Also available: Motherland of the Reformation - On the Trail of a World Event brochure, 96 pages Please order at: CONTACT INFORMATION Fotos: Auerbachs Keller Leipzig (Foto AND IMPRINT Kunstmann), Augustusburg/Scharfenstein/ Publisher: Lichtenwalde Schlossbetriebe ggmbh, Saxony Tourism KULTOUR Z., LTM (Gerdt Mothes, Andreas (Tourism Marketing Company of Saxony) Schmidt), Tourismusverband Sächsisches Bautzner Strasse Elbland/Andreas Franke, Schlösserland Dresden Sachsen ggmbh, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (David Brandt, Jürgen Germany info@sachsen-tour.de Karpinski), Sylvio Dittrich, Wolfgang Gärtner, Rainer Weisflog, TMGS, Title: St Mary s church in Pirna Funded by the government of the Free State of Saxony Information on barrier-free offers at