Photo: Stadt Naumburg Kultur und TourismusNaumburg Cathedral and the city church St. WenzelDuring its history of almost 1000 years, the cathedral city of Naumburg, situated in the centre of the Saale-Unstrut area in central Germany, which is famous for its vineyards and castles, has been linked in many ways to Luther and the history of the Reformation.

Stopover during the triumphal march towards Worms

In 1521, on his triumphal journey to the Imperial Diet in Worms, Luther made his first stop in Naumburg. More than 20 years later, in 1542, he ordained Nikolaus von Amsdorf in the cathedral as the first Evangelical bishop. Thus, Luther did not only set a milestone in Naumburg's church history, but also in the increasingly strengthened Protestantism. Ultimately, von Amsdorf's ordination led to the Schmalkaldic War.

Naumburg's reformer Nikolaus Medler

However, Naumburg's most eminent representative of the Reformation is Nikolaus Medler. In 1536, he became Superintendent of the City Church of Saint Wenzel and supervisor of more than 32 churches. One year later, he wrote a Church and School Constitution, based on the Wittenberg Constitution, which was explicitly approved by Luther. This Constitution became the basis of Medler's reformatory work in Naumburg.