UNESCO Melanchthon House

Philipp Melanchthon was, alongside Martin Luther, the most important ecclesiastical-political actor and theological author of the Wittenberg Reformation. The Melanchthon House is the building in which he lived with his family and many guests from 1539. It was here that he wrote many of his works and also held poetic competitions with his students. Nowhere can you get closer to Melanchthon than in his house, which has almost never been rebuilt over the centuries and is therefore the most important exhibit within the current permanent exhibition on the life and work of the humanist and reformer. Illustrations and recreated everyday objects give visitors an impression of the world and everyday life of the famous university professor and his family.

The exhibition section in the new extension is entirely dedicated to Melanchthon's work and influence. Manuscripts, prints, paintings and busts are exhibited here. Some of the exhibits have never been presented to the public before, including an original salary receipt from the professor and the first history of the town of Wittenberg, which Melanchthon wrote by hand. Works and letters by Melanchthon and his contemporaries, such as the momentous "Confessio Augustana", the Augsburg Confession (fundamental defense of the Reformation) of 1530, are placed in the context of Reformation theology and the development of Protestantism. One of the central exhibits is a larger-than-life portrait of Melanchthon by Lucas Cranach the Younger, which has been extensively restored for the exhibition.

Little guests have also been thought of. Elements have been integrated into the exhibition that have been specially developed for children and young people. Children are given a cast-iron key at the entrance, which gives them access to chests and cupboards with hidden games and also unlocks hidden media stations aimed specifically at children. The complex historical material of the Reformation is told from the perspective of Magdalena, Melanchthon's ten-year-old daughter. She guides visitors through the exhibition using graphic images and her voice and provides information about living and working conditions in the Melanchthon household.

The herb garden behind the house, which is based on a historical model and where medicinal plants also grow in the tradition of the herbalist scholar, invites young and old to linger after their visit to the museum.