Luther's Bishop Experiment - Guided Tour

Costume tour of the Reformation in Naumburg

Luther's Bishop Experiment in Naumburg
Under the motto "Bishop's Experiment", Nicolaus von Amsdorf actor personally takes the guests to the scenes of the Reformation. The main focus is on Luther's installation of a bishop in Naumburg Cathedral. The history of the almost 1000-year-old cathedral city of Naumburg is closely linked to Martin Luther and the Reformation. Luther first preached in Naumburg in 1521 on his way to the Diet of Worms. On 18 January 1542, Luther, Melanchthon, Spalatin and Nikolaus von Amsdorf took up residence at Markt 3 with the widow of the town clerk Ambrosius Dörffer. A commemorative plaque reminds us of this today. That very evening, one of the most difficult council meetings in the city's history took place, in which they agreed with the Elector on the installation of Nikolaus von Amsdorf as bishop. Luther consecrated von Amsdorf as the first Protestant bishop on 20 January 1542 in the east choir of Naumburg Cathedral. Luther thus not only set a milestone in Naumburg's church history, but also for the strengthening Protestantism. But Amsdorf had a hard time, the Catholics did not recognise him - the "Naumburg bishop experiment" had failed. Although Protestant preaching had been taking place in the town church of St. Wenceslas since 1526, the Reformation did not finally take hold in Naumburg until 1568. The most influential Reformation figure in Naumburg was Nikolaus Medler. He took up the post of superintendent in the town church of St. Wenceslas in 1536 and wrote a church and school order that was approved by Luther and based on the Wittenberg order. Since 1939, a figurative representation of Martin Luther on the medieval pulpit in Naumburg Cathedral has commemorated this significant act in the history of the Reformation.