Luther memorials in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Bavaria and Thuringia

Description

1. Luther’s birthplace	Eisleben	inscribed	Z: 32 U / E: 676889 / N: 5711503
2. House in which Luther died	Eisleben	inscribed	Z: 32 U / E: 676487 / N: 5711613
3. Church of St. Peter and St. Paul	Eisleben	submitted	Z: 32 U / E: 676847 / N: 5711412
4. St. Anne’s Church	Eisleben	submitted	Z: 32 U / E: 675982 / N: 5711711
5. St. Andrew’s Church	Eisleben	submitted	Z: 32 U / E: 676527 / N: 5711652
6. Home of the Luther family (Luther’s parents’ house)	Mansfeld	submitted	Z: 32 U / E: 669967 / N: 5718753
7. St. George’s Church	Mansfeld	submitted	Z: 32 U / E: 669906 / N: 5718658
8. Castle	Wittenberg	submitted	Z: 33 U / E: 337351 / N: 5748767
9. Castle church	Wittenberg	inscribed	Z: 33 U / E: 337376 / N: 5748817
10. Luther Hall	Wittenberg	inscribed	Z: 33 U / E: 338364 / N: 5748516
11. Collegium Augusteum	Wittenberg	submitted	Z: 33 U / E: 338378 / N: 5748570
12. Town and parish church of St. Mary’s	Wittenberg	inscribed	Z: 33 U / E: 337834 / N: 5748824
13. Bugenhagen’s house	Wittenberg	submitted	Z: 33 U / E: 337900 / N: 5748852
14. Melanchthon’s house	Wittenberg	inscribed	Z: 33 U / E: 338270 / N: 5748605
15. Cranach houses	Wittenberg	submitted	Z: 33 U / E: 337682 / N: 5748786 Z: 33 U / E: 337758 / N: 5748766
16. Hartenfels castle and castle church	Torgau	submitted	Z: 33 U / E: 361987 / N: 5713898
17. Fortress (Veste)	Coburg	submitted	Z: 32 U / E: 644888 / N: 5648794
18. Augustinian monastery	Erfurt	inscribed	Z: 32 U / E: 641210 / N: 5569837

The birthplace of the Reformation was in central Germany, a region which today more or less corresponds to the three federal states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.

In the late Middle Ages and early modern era, this was a politically, culturally, religiously and economically dynamic region characterised by specific power relationships and social milieus. It was from here in 1517 that a movement emerged which was to spread around the whole world. Considerable parts of this cultural landscape of the Reformation were in the territory of the House of Wettin, i.e. the Electors and Dukes of Saxony (the Ernestinian and Albertinian lines); in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Wettins were among the most powerful rulers in the German Empire. (Coburg was also ruled by the Saxon dukes during the Reformation period – it did not join Bavaria until 1923.) Yet even powerful dynasties of counts such as the Counts of Mansfeld were advocates of reform.

This historic cultural landscape, which is still notable today for its wealth of monuments from the late Middle Ages and early modern era, is also home to the chosen group of Reformation sites. These are a cross-section of the specific categories of buildings which played an important role in the history of the Reformation.

Some were the sites of important events or where crucial ideas were formed, while others are memorials; some, indeed, are both.

Monument	Category at the time of the Reformation	Event and/or idea	Memorial site
3. St. Peter and St. Paul	Town and parish church		•
5. St. Andrew’s	Town and parish church	•	•
7. St. George’s	Town and parish church		•
12. St. Mary’s	Town and parish church	•	•
4. St. Anne’s	Monastery	•
8. Castle	Castle	•
17. Fortress	Castle	•	•
9. Castle church	Castle church	•	•
16. Hartenfels castle and castle church	Castle church	•	•
11. Collegium Augusteum	University building	•	•
10. Luther Hall	Occupied by academics	•	•
14. Melanchthon’s house	Occupied by academics	•	•
13. Bugenhagen’s house	Parsonage	•
15. Cranach houses	Artists’ houses	•
1. Luther’s birthplace	Residential		•
6. Home of the Luther family (Luther’s parents’ house)	Residential		•
2. House in which Luther died	Residential		•
18. Augustinian monastery	Church and monastery	•	•

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

The Reformation memorials in central Germany are a testament to the political, economic, social, scientific, spiritual, architectural and artistic environment in which the Reformation took place.

The chosen locations and buildings are places where events of lasting importance occurred in the collective memory, places of political and religious practice. They are the most important locations where the ideas behind the Reformation were developed and taught. It was here that the thoughts and ideas, the writings of the main protagonists, the works of art, originated.

The sites link together to form a historic cultural landscape of the Reformation. Topography, settlements, buildings, archaeological remains and artistic and cultural treasures form a multi-layered network of important objects and places. At the time of the Reformation, the castles and church buildings to be found here were still newly built.

The individuals, events, ideas and achievements of the Reformation were kept alive at these locations over the centuries by preserving the past and/or refurbishing these locations in contemporary style. They are the most important memorial sites of the Reformation anywhere in the world, and not only for Protestants.

The buildings represent the beginning of a chapter in human history characterised by a division between faiths in the Christian world which has continued to the present day, but which has also had an impact on entire countries and regions and has thereby contributed considerably to the diversity of our lives in terms of culture and the way in which we see the world. The Reformation embodies one of the most serious and lasting changes in the development of theology, church nd society in Europe in early modern times. This has resulted in the emergence of Protestant national churches and sectarian-based territorial states. 

Criterion (iv): The Luther Memorials in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Bavaria and Thuringia are artistic monuments of high quality, with their furnishings conveying a vivid picture of a historic era of world and ecclesiastical importance.

Criterion (vi): The Luther Memorials in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Bavaria and Thuringia are of Outstanding Universal Value bearing unique testimony to the Protestant Reformation, one of the most significant events in the religious and political history of the world, and constitute exceptional examples of 19th/20thcentury historicism.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

The buildings are to varying degrees, but always to a large extent, authentic buildings from the late Middle Ages or early modern era in terms of both their fabric and their appearance.

As is the case with all historic buildings, later periods have also left their mark. In the 19th century in particular, when commemorating the locations, protagonists and events of the Reformation was high on the agenda, including the political agenda, and when it became commonplace to preserve historic
buildings and refurbish them stylistically, the appearance of all of the Reformation sites was regenerated. But since these makeovers were in keeping with the memorial culture of the time and are themselves valuable for our understanding of the history of art and culture, they actually enhance rather than reducing the authenticity of the sites.

Over the centuries and throughout the last few generations in particular, they have all been repaired and maintained with a view to preserving their fabric and appearance.

Comparison with other similar properties

Other Reformation sites have been excluded from this group. Either the events which took place there do not occupy the same position of central importance in the collective memory of Protestantism, or the Protestant religion was not practiced there subsequently, or there was no religio-political cult of memorial. This is true of the Cathedral and the Church of St. Ulrich and St. Afra in Augsburg, which remained Catholic churches.

In Worms, the building where the Diet was held has been completely lost; no authentic fabric remains. Wartburg castle in Eisenach is a special case: it would of course be worthy of nomination as a Reformation site, had it not already been inscribed on the World Heritage List on its own merits for another reason.