2015 a major exhibition on Luther and the Princes will be mounted. The idea behind the exhibition is to tell the story of the political side of the reformation.

The Reformation may have started when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the church-door in Wittenberg in 1517. However, without the backing of the German princes the Reformation would never have taken place. Center of this movement was the small renaissance town, Torgau, where the castle of Hartenfels was home t

o the Duke of Saxony. Here the first protestant church was built (in the chapel of the castle) and here the wife of Luther was buried.

The exhibition is mounted in the castle, which has undergone a series of restorations in the last decade.

The Reformation permanently altered not only the religious landscape of Europe but also its political map. The publication in 1517 of the 95 Theses affected every aspect of life and every section of society. Its impact was due in no small part to the Protestant princes who championed Luther’s teachings. The picturesque Renaissance town of Torgau on the Elbe, with its castle, Schloss Hartenfels, was the political centre of the Reformation. Martin Luther preached here and consecrated the castle chapel as one of the very first new Protestant church buildings. Once the residence of the electors of Saxony, Torgau is the authentic setting for the first national special exhibition to commemorate the Reformation.

On the occasion of the Luther Decade the exhibition connects this historical location with unique objects that illustrate the Reformation period. In an exhibition space measuring more than 1,500 m², it explores various aspects of the political history of the princes and their self-image during the Reformation, extending from 1515, when the plenary indulgence was proclaimed, up to 1591, when the Union of Torgau was formed. Paintings, treasury objects and ornate suits of armour, along with numerous other historical exhibits, provide a vivid impression of the interplay between politics and the Reformation and open a window on the age of confessional division.

The exhibition is organised by the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden in cooperation with the “City of Torgau. Federal President of Germany, Joachim Gauck is protector of the exhibition.

VISIT:

Luther and the Princes. The Public Portrayal and Self-Image of Rulers in the Age of Reformation
Torgau 15.05.2015 – 31.05.2015

Christoph of Württenberg – a Renaissance Prince in the Age of the Reformation
Stuttgart, 24.10.2015 – 04.03.2016