This is Corinna Waltz's article on the Veste Coburg from The Lutheran!
http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=10751
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Luther and the 'empire of the daws'
German Lutherans offer tours as part of educational ministry
Horses' hooves clang on the cobbled street, part of a procession of more than 300 equines and about 200 people on their way to Coburg, Germany. Just over the horizon, the towers of the castle come into view. As the travelers pass the Spital Gate, Martin Luther says to his friend Philipp Melanchthon, "I just wish I could come with you to Augsburg."
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| Martin Luther spent six months in 1530 at the Veste Coburg while under imperial ban — while others attended the Diet of Augsburg. |
But he can't. He was declared anathema (cursed by ecclesiastical authority) in January 1521 after burning the papal bull. Shortly after, he was placed under the imperial ban. His life in danger, he could be imprisoned or even burned as a heretic. Nevertheless, Luther wants to attend the Diet in Augsburg. His liege lord has prohibited this, demanding that he stay in Coburg.
Nearly 500 years later, retired pastor Rainer Axmann explains this scene to tourists.
"It was April of 1530 when Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, Justus Jonas and the Duke of Saxony with his entourage arrived at Coburg," Axmann tells his audience. "[Without Luther], the others traveled on to Augsburg to attend the Diet, which had been convened by Charles V. Martin Luther stayed behind and spent six months at the castle."
Axmann, 79, gives the "Luther and his Stay at the Veste Coburg" tour to commemorate the 1530 presentation of the Augsburg Confession at the Diet of Augsburg. His tours, a ministry of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, are run by the educational institute of the Lutheran churches in the Coburg deanery.
"We want to bring Luther back to mind, especially during the Luther Decade," said Dieter Stoesslein, theological adviser at the institute.
Besides tours, the institute offers educational material on Luther and the Reformation, projects for schools, and speakers if a congregation wants to organize an evening on the reformer.
In Bavaria, Lutherans will hold major festivities during the Reformation anniversary in 2017 in Augsburg, Nuremberg and Coburg.
Tours mix history, theology
Although Coburg belonged to the Saxon duchy, Luther, a banned outlaw, still had to take precautions. To conceal his location, Luther used fake place names, as he did when hiding in the Wartburg Castle. He signed his letters "Aus dem Reich der Dohlen" (from the empire of the daws), a reference to the birds flying around Coburg castle.
Almost every day, messengers with Luther's letters in their pockets left the castle to go to Wittenberg, Augsburg and other places. Some 120 of these letters have been preserved and published.
"Over a hundred letters in just six months. Who could pull that off?" Axmann says while tourists enter the rooms where Luther lived and worked. "It's unbelievable what Luther did accomplish. Today we probably would call him a workaholic."
While quartered at the castle, the reformer also continued to translate the Bible into German, focusing on the Psalms. As encouragement, he even painted some verses on the walls of his study. One example is Psalm 118:17: "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."
Today Luther's apartment has been turned into a museum. Some of his works and original copies of letters are on exhibit in the museum and art gallery. One of the most famous artworks on exhibit is Lucas Cranach's life-size painting of Luther from 1575.
Speaking about the tour, one young participant says, "[Rainer] Axmann has such a compassionate way to talk about Luther. I never thought that history could be so interesting."
Another admits: "I didn't know all this, even though I have been living in Coburg all my life."
This is why Axmann says he leads the tours. "There are a variety of ways to explore the Veste Coburg and learn about Luther," he says. "As a theologian I offer a theological approach."
Nearly 500 years later, retired pastor Rainer Axmann explains this scene to tourists.
"It was April of 1530 when Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, Justus Jonas and the Duke of Saxony with his entourage arrived at Coburg," Axmann tells his audience. "[Without Luther], the others traveled on to Augsburg to attend the Diet, which had been convened by Charles V. Martin Luther stayed behind and spent six months at the castle."
Axmann, 79, gives the "Luther and his Stay at the Veste Coburg" tour to commemorate the 1530 presentation of the Augsburg Confession at the Diet of Augsburg. His tours, a ministry of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, are run by the educational institute of the Lutheran churches in the Coburg deanery.
"We want to bring Luther back to mind, especially during the Luther Decade," said Dieter Stoesslein, theological adviser at the institute.
Besides tours, the institute offers educational material on Luther and the Reformation, projects for schools, and speakers if a congregation wants to organize an evening on the reformer.
In Bavaria, Lutherans will hold major festivities during the Reformation anniversary in 2017 in Augsburg, Nuremberg and Coburg.
Tours mix history, theology
Although Coburg belonged to the Saxon duchy, Luther, a banned outlaw, still had to take precautions. To conceal his location, Luther used fake place names, as he did when hiding in the Wartburg Castle. He signed his letters "Aus dem Reich der Dohlen" (from the empire of the daws), a reference to the birds flying around Coburg castle.
Almost every day, messengers with Luther's letters in their pockets left the castle to go to Wittenberg, Augsburg and other places. Some 120 of these letters have been preserved and published.
"Over a hundred letters in just six months. Who could pull that off?" Axmann says while tourists enter the rooms where Luther lived and worked. "It's unbelievable what Luther did accomplish. Today we probably would call him a workaholic."
While quartered at the castle, the reformer also continued to translate the Bible into German, focusing on the Psalms. As encouragement, he even painted some verses on the walls of his study. One example is Psalm 118:17: "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."
Today Luther's apartment has been turned into a museum. Some of his works and original copies of letters are on exhibit in the museum and art gallery. One of the most famous artworks on exhibit is Lucas Cranach's life-size painting of Luther from 1575.
Speaking about the tour, one young participant says, "[Rainer] Axmann has such a compassionate way to talk about Luther. I never thought that history could be so interesting."
Another admits: "I didn't know all this, even though I have been living in Coburg all my life."
This is why Axmann says he leads the tours. "There are a variety of ways to explore the Veste Coburg and learn about Luther," he says. "As a theologian I offer a theological approach."
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| Part of the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Rainer Axmann, a Lutheran pastor, leads tours focused on Luther's time in Coburg, Germany. |
Following in Luther's footsteps
But the Veste Coburg isn't the only place where Luther spent time while in the city. Axmann also offers a tour of Coburg following the reformer's footsteps.
"I don't want people to just visit the Church of St. Moritz, where Luther preached seven times during Easter season [in 1530]," Axmann says. "There are more places to see."
So he begins tours of Coburg at the Spital Gate. From there he takes people to the former house of Paul Bader and his wife, who took care of Luther's meals and physical welfare while he stayed at the castle.
Another stop is the Ehrenburg Palace, a former Franciscan monastery rebuilt in 1543. Today it houses a famous library, including the Luther collection begun by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria of Britain.
One of Axmann's favorite stops is the Lutherschule (Luther school) with its sculpture of the reformer. "Luther's impact wasn't just a theological one," Axmann tells the group. "His translation of the Bible influenced the development of the German language significantly."
It intrigues Axmann that the first teachers working at Coburg were Melanchthon's students.
At most stops along the way, Axmann reads a passage from one of Luther's letters or sermons. At the Lutherschule, he tells his audience that Luther preached about students and teachers, quoting from a 1530 sermon where the theologian asked for kids to be sent to school. "Luther's sermons [are] still relevant," Axmann says.
At the Church of St. Moritz, there is another Luther sculpture, as well as an opportunity to buy Luthertrunk, a locally brewed beer named after the theologian.
Axmann began giving tours and lectures on Luther and Coburg years ago, inspired by a seminary class on the reformer's letters. His interest in local history and the opportunity to explain systematic theology made him more than willing to help with the church's tour ministry.
"The longer I study Luther, the more fascinated I am," Axmann said. "He was a multifaceted personality and an impressive theological thinker with a great impact on my hometown and the whole region."
But the Veste Coburg isn't the only place where Luther spent time while in the city. Axmann also offers a tour of Coburg following the reformer's footsteps.
"I don't want people to just visit the Church of St. Moritz, where Luther preached seven times during Easter season [in 1530]," Axmann says. "There are more places to see."
So he begins tours of Coburg at the Spital Gate. From there he takes people to the former house of Paul Bader and his wife, who took care of Luther's meals and physical welfare while he stayed at the castle.
Another stop is the Ehrenburg Palace, a former Franciscan monastery rebuilt in 1543. Today it houses a famous library, including the Luther collection begun by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria of Britain.
One of Axmann's favorite stops is the Lutherschule (Luther school) with its sculpture of the reformer. "Luther's impact wasn't just a theological one," Axmann tells the group. "His translation of the Bible influenced the development of the German language significantly."
It intrigues Axmann that the first teachers working at Coburg were Melanchthon's students.
At most stops along the way, Axmann reads a passage from one of Luther's letters or sermons. At the Lutherschule, he tells his audience that Luther preached about students and teachers, quoting from a 1530 sermon where the theologian asked for kids to be sent to school. "Luther's sermons [are] still relevant," Axmann says.
At the Church of St. Moritz, there is another Luther sculpture, as well as an opportunity to buy Luthertrunk, a locally brewed beer named after the theologian.
Axmann began giving tours and lectures on Luther and Coburg years ago, inspired by a seminary class on the reformer's letters. His interest in local history and the opportunity to explain systematic theology made him more than willing to help with the church's tour ministry.
"The longer I study Luther, the more fascinated I am," Axmann said. "He was a multifaceted personality and an impressive theological thinker with a great impact on my hometown and the whole region."
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