"More of Melanchthonhaus in Wittenberg"
The Lutheran Journal, Vol. 68, #2, 1998
(Part 4 in a series of 5)
In the previous issue of The Lutheran Journal, the history of Melanchthon's house, as well as its physical appearance
in the 16th century, was described. This issue will conclude the history of the house from the 16th century and
describe the Melanchthonhaus Museum as it appears today.
After the death of Melanchthon in 1560, his younger daughter, Magdalena, who was married to Casper
Peucer, Professor of Medicine, and personal friend of the Elector of Saxony, John Frederick, inherited the entire property.
When Capar Peucer was captured as a Crypto-Calvanist, spent 12 years in prison, and returned to his home, he no
longer felt at home in Wittenberg. He moved to nearby Dessau and rented out the property. After Peucer's death, the
children sold the property. After 1700, ownership of the Melanchthon property changed hands frequently until it was
sold to the Prussian government in 1844.
In the beginning, the Prussian government did not exactly know what to do with the property. The building was to be
used as housing for teachers of the Lutheran School, and the brew house was to be converted to a kindergarten.
However, the cost of construction was too high. For this reason, part of the property was to be sold. Instead of a
school, the Melanchthonhaus housed teachers from the nearby Luther School. In celebration of the 400th anniversary
of Melanchthon's birth, Melanchthon's study was renovated in 1897 and the Scholar's Room in 1901.
After 1945, i.e., during the Communist-Socialist regime of East Germany, the house served as living quarters for
teachers. In 1950, the city council decided to renovate the structure and turn it into a museum of local history.
Twelve years later, it was decided to dedicate the building to the life and work of Philip Melanchthon. There were
changes in the displays for the 500th anniversary of Luther's Birth in 1983 in that Melanchthon was not only honored
as a Humanist and Teacher of Germany, but also as theologian. After the fall of the wall in 1989, and the end of the
Communist regime in East Germany, funds were made available to renovate the Melanchthonhaus as it appeared
during the days of Melanchthon. The renovations were completed in 1997, which marked the 500th anniversary of
Melanchthon's birth.
Today, the Museum Melanchthonhaus has three floors. In the basement is a conference room and cloakroom. This
first floor has a long hallway with a museum store. A winding staircase leads to the second floor. At the left is
Melanchthon's living room which served as his study, and it is the chamber where he died in 1560. There is also a
room concentrating on the early history of the Reformation. The room next to it deals with Melanchthon as a
humanist. The third floor is dedicated to Melanchthon as a teacher. Next to the Scholar's Room is a room dealing
with Melanchthon'd death, and his reputation in the 17th century until today. Other rooms on the third floor
concentrate on Melanchthon during the time of Luther and following the death of Luther.
The Museum Melanchthonhaus is a fitting memorial to Luther's friend and colleague. Philip Melanchthon was a kind
and gentle man; as servant of God and his church; a man of evolution - not revolution, who at an early age felt the
horrors of war and sought to avoid them. He was a man of compassion for his fellow man whom he sought to
educate by means "Ad fontes! - Go back to the Source! For without knowledge of history, human life is in a way
nothing but perpetual childhood, indeed a permanent darkness and blindness."
Erwin WeberFebruary, 2000
