National Special Exhibitions coming along
with Reformation jubilee in 2017

12^th April to 5^th November 2017, Deutsches Historisches Museum in the Martin-Gropius-Bau exhibition hall in Berlin

For the first time an exhibition will illustrate the global diversity and effective history of Protestantism, but also its potential for engendering conflict between different cultures.

The exhibition raises questions: What traces of Protestantism can be found in other denominations, religions and concepts of life? How did it change itself through these encounters — and not least of all, in what ways have people adopted and appropriated the Protestant doctrine, how have they shaped it and lived it? The exhibition “The Luther Effect” tells a global story of effect and counter-effect that begins around 1500 and continues on into the present. It is depicted using the examples of Germany and Europe 1450–1600, Sweden 1500–1750, North America 1600–1900, Korea 1850–2000 and present-day Tanzania.

The Deutsches Historisches Museum is presenting the exhibition in the Martin-Gropius-Bau on a area of some 3,000 m2 and bringing together outstanding exponents from national and international lenders, many of which have never before been displayed in Germany. Supplementing the exhibition are numerous cultural and educational events and fringe programmes. A richly illustrated catalogue will also be published.

4^th May to 5^th November 2017, On the Wartburg in Eisenach

With 350,000 visitors annually, Wartburg Castle is the most visited Luther site worldwide. For almost a year its thick walls protected the reformer after he was declared an outlaw at the Diet at Worms (1521). During his exile he laid the foundation for a unified written German language, translating the New Testament into German.

However, Luther and Lutheranism influenced “the Germans” in many other ways as well. The emphasis on education and the emergence of a “bourgeoisified” clergy in the form of the pastor’s family contributed to the German self-image as a nation of culture. On the political level, the reformation’s ideas and the religious schism that followed, led to several military conflicts, such as the Peasants’ War of 1525 or the Thirty Years’ War. Notably, the reformer’s alleged deference to authority was later seen as the “original sin” of the Germans—the primordial cause for the Nazi Party’s rise to power.

This view was long prevalent in the GDR. The exhibition shows how every era of German history coined its very own image of Luther. Succinct reformatory themes will be presented in the context of cultural and political developments, creating a link from Luther’s lifetime to today. As an atmospheric highlight, Luther’s authentic living quarters await the visitor at the end of the tour.