German-American Heritage Museum of the USA™
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Luther’s Parental Home
Typical Latin School
Luther in Mansfeld
This traveling exhibit, developed by Dr. Matthias Paul of the Protestant Parish of Eisleben-Sömmerda and sponsored by Alexandra Kortum of Cologne, Germany and the Muhlenberg Chapter of the National Steuben Society of New Jersey, explored how Martin Luther’s profound influence, music, and Reformation widely influenced the Western World.
2017 was the 500th anniversary of Luther’s publication of his 95 theses, nailed to the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, which was the official proclamation of the Reformation. This exhibit focused on the lesser known aspects of Martin Luther’s early life in Mansfeld, a small town in Saxony Anhalt, where he grew up and included early views of the city, the Latin school that young Martin attended, commentaries on aspects of Luther’s life, and a painting of his aged parents.
Luther’s prolific writings have been translated and studied in many more languages and reached more people than he ever intended. His Bible unified the German language, which had existed as a collection of dialects in a country consisting of many little principalities. The “Luther Bible” was printed and reprinted across America in its original German, and used faithfully in the German Language Churches in America.
Ms. Alexandra Kortum was the driving force behind the exhibition and the major financial supporter. Her ancestor, Nikolaus Oemler, came from Mansfeld and was a close friend of Luther’s.
The exhibit also included a special guest lecture by historian and author Dr. Peter Lubrecht Martin Luther: His Life and Foundation of Lutheranism in America and film screenings.
Please click on the link to view the Luther Presentation
