Lutherstadt

The cities in which the German reformer Martin Luther lived or played a major role are considered to be Luther cities . The cities of Eisleben and Wittenberg officially have the term Lutherstadt in their names ( Lutherstadt Eisleben , Lutherstadt Wittenberg ); in Mansfeld there is the district Mansfeld-Lutherstadt . These three places in Luther's life were awarded the European Heritage Label in 2012.

Federation of Luther Cities

The "Bund der Lutherstädte" was founded in 1993 in Worms on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Worms Luther Memorial . Sixteen cities in which Luther lived or worked are united in it:

• Augsburg : Luther met the papal envoy Cajetan here ; In 1530 the Confessio Augustana and 1555 (after the death of Luther) the Augsburg Religious Peace were concluded on imperial diets .
• Coburg : Luther stayed here during the negotiations for the Augsburg Confession.
• Eisenach : Luther lived in Eisenach from 1498 to 1501 and visited the Franciscan monastery . Between 1521 and 1522 Luther spent ten months as "Junker Jörg" at the Wartburg , where he translated the New Testament into German.
• Lutherstadt Eisleben : place of birth and death of Martin Luther.
• Erfurt : Luther studied from 1501 to 1505 at the University of Erfurt and then worked in the Augustinian monastery there .
• Halle (Saale) : Luther visited Halle several times and went to Mansfeld with Justus Jonas the Elder , his body was laid out in Halle, among other places.
• Heidelberg : Luther explained his theology to the Augustinian Congregation here in 1518.
• Magdeburg : In 1497/98 Luther attended the Magdeburg Cathedral School.
• Marburg : Luther and Zwingli met in 1529 for the Marburg Religious Discussion .
• Nordhausen : The first city to officially join the Reformation by a council resolution in 1524, after a follower of Luther had already given one of the first Protestant sermons in Germany in the local St. Petri Church in 1522.
• Schmalkalden : Luther took part in the negotiations on the Schmalkalden League .
• Speyer : Protestation at Speyer from 1529.
• Torgau : Luther was often in Torgau, as this was the seat of government of his Electors Johann and Johann Friedrich I of Saxony . 1544 consecrated Luther the chapel of Hartenfels Castle as the first Protestant church building one. His wife Katharina von Bora died in Torgau in 1552.
• Lutherstadt Wittenberg : Main place of activity, here Luther published his 95 theses , burned the canonical rights and the bull threatening the ban of the Pope, here the Luther Bible , the small and large catechisms as well as other writings were written.
• Worms : Luther stood in front of the Worms Reichstag in 1521 .
• Zeitz : Zeitz is still today the city of the Luther descendants. Luther was occasionally in Zeitz, especially to introduce his confidante Nikolaus von Amsdorf as the first evangelical bishop in 1542. The Michaeliskirche in Zeitz is in possession of one of the six thesis prints that have been preserved worldwide. Today the seat of the Lutherid Association is in Zeitz .

Prize "The Intrepid Word"

In memory of Martin Luther's work, the sixteen cities that have joined together in the “Bund der Lutherstädte” have awarded the “The Intrepid Word” prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, every two years since 1996. The award is aimed at people “who have made meaningful statements in word and deed for society, the community or the state in a special situation or on a specific occasion, but also exemplarily over a longer period of time, and have represented them in the face of resistance. “Prize winners can come from Germany or abroad.

The prize was first awarded in Worms in 1996; since 1999 it has been awarded every two years in one of the member cities. Prize winners were:

• 1996: Richard Schröder ; Theologian and philosopher; Awarded in Worms for his steadfast stance in the GDR .
• 1999: Hans Küng ; Theologian; Awarded in Eisenach for steadfastness in advocating his theses on Catholic doctrine.
• 2001: Uta Leichsenring ; Police chief of Eberswalde ; Awarded in Erfurt for courageous behavior against right-wing extremist and xenophobic attacks.
• 2003: Gertraud Knoll ; Austrian pastor and politician; Awarded in Magdeburg for their commitment against racism.
• 2005: Stephan Krawczyk ; Singer and author; Awarded in Halle for appearances in churches despite professional ban by the SED government.
• 2007: Emel Zeynelabidin ; Awarded in Speyer for her decision not to wear a headscarf as a Muslim despite resistance.
• 2009: Andrea Röpke ; Journalist and political scientist; Awarded in Zeitz for research on right-wing extremist groups and the call for a consistent fight against right-wing extremist violence.
• 2011: Dmitri Muratow and the Novaya Gazeta ; Awarded in Heidelberg for her work against corruption and the violation of human rights, as well as for her advocacy for freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Russia.
• 2013: No service for Nazis ; Initiative from innkeepers from Regensburg who do not want to entertain racists in their restaurants. The nomination of the band Pussy Riot for this award was controversial . The prize was awarded in Eisleben in April 2013.
• 2015: Mazen Darwish ; Syrian lawyer and journalist; and the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, award ceremony in Wittenberg.
• 2017: Married couples Markus Nierth and Susanne Nierth as well as Horst and Birgit Lohmeyer
• 2019: Seyran Ateş

literature

• City administration Speyer (ed.): "The intrepid word". Luther cities award to Emel Abidin-Algan . Special volume of the series of publications of the city of Speyer. Speyer 2008. ISSN  0175-7954 . (Contains a brief description of all award winners and cities.)

Web links

• Luther Cities Prize - "The Intrepid Word"

Individual evidence

1. ↑ cf. z. B .: The following cities are united in the “Bund der Lutherstädte”. Page of the Nibelungenstadt Worms, accessed on October 4, 2014 . 
2. ↑ Price statute. in the page Nibelungenstadt Worms , accessed on October 4, 2014 . 
3. ↑ The winners of the Luther Cities Prize - “The Intrepid Word”. City of Worms , accessed October 4, 2014 . 
4. ↑ Luther Prize. The award does not go to "Pussy Riot". faz.net, November 10, 2012, accessed November 13, 2012 . 
5. ^ Winner of the Intrepid Word 2015
6. ↑ Luther Prize for Mayor of Tröglitz. domradio.de, November 14, 2016, accessed on November 14, 2016 .