Article Wittenberg – Castle Church
The church where the Reformation began
In the westernmost part of the old town of Wittenberg (German: Lutherstadt Wittenberg) is the late Gothic Castle Church (German: Schlosskirche). Due to its role in the German Reformation and in the life of Martin Luther, who preached here, the church is also called the “Church of the Reformation.” It was here that Martin Luther worked, whose ideas shook the foundations of Christianity at the time and forever changed the religious map of Europe.
The church, together with other buildings, has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996 under the joint title „Luther Monuments in Eisleben and Wittenberg“.
Castle Church
The Castle Church (Schlosskirche) is one of the most important symbols of the Reformation. It is in the Castle Church that Luther publicly expressed his views, symbolically initiating a new direction in Christianity.
According to tradition, it was to the door of this church that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses criticizing indulgences on October 31, 1517, thus starting the Reformation.
Church interior
The church was rebuilt into a preaching church in the late Gothic style between 1490 and 1511.
Martin Luther
Wittenberg became Luther's home and the main stage of his reformation. As a professor of theology at the local university, Luther became increasingly critical of the practices of the Catholic Church at the time, especially the sale of indulgences.
Martin Luther's grave
The church contains Luther's grave as well as the grave of his close collaborator Philipp Melanchthon.
The famous church doors
On October 31, 1517, he posted his 95 theses, written in Latin, on these doors. These wooden doors were destroyed in a fire in 1760. In 1858, the Prussian King Frederick William IV had these bronze doors made, on which Luther's theses are depicted. They are a sought-after monument today.
Luther's Theses
Luther's 95 Theses, which centered on a critique of the sale of indulgences, were not originally intended as a revolutionary manifesto. Luther wanted to open a theological debate on repentance, forgiveness, and the authority of the Pope. However, thanks to the invention of the printing press, the Theses quickly spread throughout Germany and sparked a wide public debate. They became the catalyst for the Reformation and laid the foundations for a new understanding of Christianity.
