Leipzig ‒ on the path to the Reformation celebrations 2017

Leipzig, the largest city in the Luther heartland of Central Germany, is celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 with a wide-ranging program of events.

The Saxon center of book printing and publishing played a key role in the distribution of Martin Luther’s writings, and the Leipzig Disputation in 1519 proved to be the final break with the Roman Catholic Church. The special website does not only provide information about the most important Leipzig sites related to Luther and Bach, but also a preview of events and a dozen special exhibitions in Leipzig’s museums throughout 2017.

From 24 to 28 May 2017, Leipzig will be hosting a so-called “Kirchentag on the Way” under the banner “Sound of Leipzig: Music. Debate. Life”. Kicking off with an open-air ecumenical Ascension Day service, each day will feature a range of cultural, musical and diaconal events. These will include unique formats such as the “Pub Discussions”, a spiritual exploration of Leipzig’s waterways and a recreation of the Leipzig Disputation. Protestant music will be heard all across the city with performances from university orchestras, the St. Thomas Boys Choir and thousands of wind instrument players.

Leipzig’s largest music festival, Leipzig Bachfest from 9 to 18 June 2017, will also focus on Bach’s religious works in the spirit of the Reformation with the slogan “A beautiful new song – Reformation and music”, while the Leipzig Bach Museum will host two themed gallery exhibitions in 2017. Visitors to the German Museum of Books and Writing will be able to explore Luther’s linguistic genius and the history of the pamphlet. Key milestones of the Reformation are highlighted at the exhibition “Luther in Dispute. Leipzig and the Consequences” at the Leipzig Museum of City History (12/04/2017 to 28/01/2018). The wealth of special exhibitions in Leipzig alone shows the far-reaching influences of Luther’s theses, right up to the present day.

The Luther Trail in Saxony is a spiritual walking trail covering 550 kilometres of beautiful scenery and 27 sites in cities such as Torgau, Grimma, Borna and Leipzig, which all have a connection to Martin Luther and his companions.