Reformation in the Harz

Ever since the year of the publication of the Theses in 1517, it has been recorded how deeply the Wittenberg reformer personally dedicated himself to introducing the Reformation in the Harz region. In addition to the well-known Luther cities on the edge of the Harz (Eisleben and Mansfeld), Stolberg in the Harz, Nordhausen and Wernigerode count among the historically documented places where the reformer stayed in the Harz. As early as 6 August 1517, Luther visited the Augustinian Monastery Himmelpforte in Wernigerode. With this visit to his fellow friars, the young church reformer wanted to confer with his long-time friend and patron Johann von Staupitz (1465–1524) about the work of confessional reform. This exchange must have been a decisive step for Luther in boldly advancing the project of church reform.

Today, the visit of the Augustinian monk Martin Luther to Wernigerode is commemorated by the remains of the former monastery wall, parts of the monks’ economic facilities, and also the so-called Luther Stone, which was erected in 1917 to commemorate Luther’s stay. Also worth seeing is a wall painting in the banqueting hall of Wernigerode Castle, dedicated to the theme of the Reformation in the County of Wernigerode and illustrating Count Botho zu Stolberg’s assessment of the Reformation efforts.

In the spirit of the Gospel and against the Peasants’ War – Luther’s travels to the Harz towns of Stolberg and Nordhausen

Stolberg and Nordhausen are further Harz towns associated with Luther’s direct involvement in the cause of the Reformation. While his former companion and later opponent Thomas Müntzer had incited the peasants to revolutionary uprising in Allstedt, Luther came to these two Harz towns with peaceful intentions. In St. Blasii Church in Nordhausen, he stepped into the pulpit on 22 April to call for renouncing violence and obeying authority. In Stolberg, too, Luther took on the task of calming the heated tempers of the rebellious peasants with admonishing words. On 20 April 1525, about three weeks before the Battle of Frankenhausen, he preached in the Martinikirche in Stolberg. Testimonies of these visits can be found in both Luther sites in the Harz.

Thus, Nordhausen’s St. Blasii Church, with its furnishings — a baptismal font from the 16th century and a copy of the epitaph painting by Lucas Cranach, depicting Luther alongside his friend Melanchthon in the group of reformers — presents historical evidence of the early Reformation. Likewise, Stolberg, with its town church St. Martini (where both Luther and Müntzer preached in the immediate lead-up to the Peasants’ War), with the Luther Beech and Stolberg Castle, invites visitors to explore this period.

Work and influence – the Harz as a resonance space of the Reformation

Not only Luther’s direct engagement in the cause of the Reformation can still be traced in the Harz today. Diverse archival and architectural testimonies throughout the Harz reflect the influential power of the Lutheran Reformation, which early on sought demonstrative vividness beyond the written word. A prime example of Luther’s “long-distance impact” in the Harz is the preserved Luther letter of 1529 to the market community in Goslar. Goslar possesses, with St. Jakobi Church, a parish church of great significance for the Reformation era. The Luther letter itself is kept in the Market Church Library and can be viewed as part of a planned exhibition.

Luther’s direct and indirect influence in the Harz is also reflected in its architecture. Alongside the new Protestant church buildings, such as the Evangelical Church of St. Mary in Hornburg, architecture inspired by Protestantism can be found in Osterwieck, the “half-timbered town from the Reformation century.” While St. Stephani Church offers a rich and impressive testimony to how the spirit of the Reformation transformed the architectural language of church building, the Protestant house inscriptions of Osterwieck embody unique confessions of faith in the shaping power of Reformation thought in the Harz.

“That we may advise and help the young people...” The Protestant reform school of Gernrode

The Protestant school reform inspired by Luther’s work can also be impressively traced in the Harz. Luther’s demand of 1524 to “establish the best schools for boys and girls everywhere” found wide resonance in the Harz. Gernrode, which had been early influenced by the Protestant-humanist reform spirit, became a pilot project for learning in the new Protestant spirit during Luther’s lifetime. Under Anna von Plauen, in 1533, what is thought to be Germany’s oldest Protestant elementary school was established here. The elementary school of Gernrode, which is among the oldest Protestant school foundations in the Harz region, can today be visited as a reform school from the Reformation period. Permanent and current events in the local and school museum “Old Elementary School” offer a lively insight into the teaching situation since the Reformation era.