Stolberg (dpa/sa) – In Saxony-Anhalt, the preparations for two historic anniversaries are taking shape. The state is providing a total of 1.8 million euros for this, as the State Chancellery announced on Friday. In 2025, 500 years of the Peasants’ War and the 500th anniversary of Thomas Müntzer’s death will be remembered. Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister of State and Minister of Culture Rainer Robra (CDU) handed over two funding notifications to the district administrator of the Mansfeld-Südharz district, André Schröder (CDU).
Saxony-Anhalt is considered the heartland of the Reformation. The trigger was the posting of Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) theses in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. This is considered the beginning of the renewal of church and society in the 16th century. To this day, critics speak of a split. According to historians, the theologian and later peasant leader Thomas Müntzer (around 1489-1525) was initially Luther’s companion and later one of his harshest critics. Müntzer was publicly beheaded in Mühlhausen (Thuringia) in 1525.
With Stolberg in the southern Harz as the place of birth, Allstedt Castle and Mansfeld Castle, today’s district is considered a center of the work of the reformer and the German Peasants’ War. The state supports the establishment of a project office with funds of around 984,000 euros. It aims to coordinate activities and events on the way to 2025. In addition, around 853,000 euros will be used to support activities and campaigns by associations, municipalities and civic engagement for the double anniversary in the district over the next three years.
