Europäische Melanchthon-Akademie BrettenMelanchthon House in Bretten, built as a memorial on the site of Philipp Melanchthon's birthplace. Philipp Melanchthon, born on February 16th, 1497, grew up in Brettheim, as Bretten in Baden-Württemberg was called during his time. In 1897, the Melanchthon House was erected on the site of the Reformer's birthplace, which had burned down in 1689. The foundation was laid on his 400th birthday, February 16th, 1897. In 1903, the completed building was solemnly inaugurated. The magnificent neo-Gothic Melanchthon House on the market square was built in late Gothic style and is a total work of art, unique in its historicist fashion.

A museum with a research centre

Apart from a museum and a research centre, the house is home to one of the most comprehensive specialised Melanchthon library and a documentation centre for international research on Melanchthon.

The site features a memorial hall with frescoes and additional rooms with around 11.000 books, 450 original manuscripts written by the Reformer, statues, coats of arms, paintings, memorial coins and graphic artworks. The interior has not been altered since the opening of the house in 1903. It features wooden panels on the walls and ceilings, sculptures, wall paintings and other pieces of art, bookcases, cabinets and other furniture, including the valuable bullseye panes.

The church room reminds of many friends of the Reformer

Upon entering the impressive memorial hall, the visitor already learns to understand the biography of the great scholar Philipp Melanchthon and his extraordinarily extensive oevre.

The ceiling in the "Room of the Cities" is adorned with the coats of arms of 121 cities which had proven contacts with Melanchthon. The "Theologians' Room" is a memorial to the men of the church who were friends of the Reformer. The "Room of the Princes" houses oil painting of the princes who played an important role in the history of the Reformation, In the "Humanists' Room", one can encounter representatives of science and art from Melanchthon's period of time.