Allstedt Castle opens with a spectacular exhibition on Thomas Müntzer

Allstedt Castle opens with a spectacular exhibition on Thomas Müntzer

An important piece of history awaits visitors: inside on July 13, 2025 in Allstedt Castle, which finally opens its gates again after three years of renovation work. The new permanent exhibition "Being and appearance. Thomas Müntzer" will then enrich the core castle and addresses the moving life of the pastor, theologians and leaders in the peasant war. During this time, Müntzer held the first German service and his writings to part of the history of the Reformation, branded by his dispute with Martin Luther, who described him as "Satan of Allstedt", like [MDR] (https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/sachsen-anhalt/halle/msfeld/schloss-allstedt- exhibition-bauernkrieg-muentzer-kultur-news-100~amp.html) reported.

The exhibition not only offers life stations from Müntzer, but also a comprehensive insight into the city history of Allstedt at the time of the Reformation. Museum director Nico Schwerdt emphasizes that the one and a half years that Müntzer spent in Allstedt were his most productive phase of life. His life's work was often shaped by radical views, which distanced him from other reformers, including Luther. While Luther used his writings to spread faith, Müntzer turned to more radical trends and developed a theology of identification with the suffering Christ, as explained.

an interactive experience

The exhibition convinces with an immersive staging that offers image-tone collages and animated graphics of the 16th century. Visitors: Inside can visit the location of the preaching of the prince of July 13, 1524 in the St. Johanneskirche. Both Müntzer's biography as well as the Reformation and the social struggles are treated in Allstedt in thematically structured areas. In addition, original documents and gravestone fragments can be seen. The challenge of disguising Müntzer's pictures from the GDR receptions is viewed critically, which creates the exhibition both a historical and a current reference.

The conflict in the peasant war

But how did all the tensions between Müntzer and Luther? During the peasant war, Thomas Müntzer joined those insurgent farmers who fought and believed against the authorities to act as a tool of God. His call for the reform for the simple population led to the fact that he was lost to the Fürsten army with the farmers on May 15, 1525 and was ultimately caught and executed on May 27, 1525 in Mühlhausen. A fate that made him the martyr of the social movements of the 19th century, as History Knowledge.

He is often seen as a symbolic figure for the fight against social injustice and remains controversial in both science and in public. The exhibition in Allstedt Castle will certainly not only attract historians: but also those interested in history who want to learn more about the upheavals and the revolutionary thoughts of that time. Admission prices are 6.50 euros, reduced 4.50 euros and for families there is a family card for 17 euros.

The Allstedt Castle, located at Schlossstrasse 8, 06542 Allstedt, is not only a place that breathes history, but also a place of active examination of the past from July 13th. If you want to know how profound Thomas Müntzer's ideas influenced history, you should note this appointment in the calendar.