Lutherstadt

A Lutherstadt (German for "Luther city", plural Lutherstädte) is a city where German protestant reformer Martin Luther visited or played an important role. Two cities, Lutherstadt Eisleben and Lutherstadt Wittenberg, have "Lutherstadt" in their official names, while Mansfeld-Lutherstadt is the unofficial name of a district in Mansfeld.[1] These three places which were important in Luther's life were awarded the "European Heritage Label".

Wittenberg was the centre of Luther's activities

Union of Lutherstädte

The Union of Lutherstädte was founded in 1993 on the 125th anniversary of the Luther Monument in Worms, Germany. It is formed by 16 towns where Luther and his teaching played a major role.:[2]

Das unerschrockene Wort Prize

In memory of the work of Martin Luther, the 16 member cities of the Union of Lutherstädte have awarded the Das unerschrockene Wort ("The intrepid word") Prize (€10,000) every two years since 1996. The prize is awarded to persons "who, in words and in deed and against resistance, have made important statements in a situation or for a particular occasion towards the municipality or the state". Winners can be Germans or foreigners.[3]

The prize was awarded for the first time in Worms in 1996 and since 1999 it is awarded every two years. The winners were:[4]

  • 1996: Richard Schröder, theologian and philosopher, for his unwavering position in the GDR. Prize awarded in Worms.
  • 1999: Hans Küng, theologian: awarded in Eisenach for the firmness with which he represented his theses on the Catholic doctrine of the faith.
  • 2001: Uta Leichsenring: Police President of Eberswalde; Awarded in Erfurt for her courageous behaviour against right-wing extremism and xenophobic attacks.
  • 2003: Gertraud Knoll : Austrian pastor and politician; Awarded in Magdeburg for her commitment against racism.
  • 2005: Stephan Krawczkyk : Singer and author; awarded in Halle for his performances in churches, despite censorship by the SED communist regime.
  • 2007: Emel Zeynelabidin: awarded in Speyer for her decision of not wearing a headscarf as a Muslim.
  • 2009: Andrea Röpke: journalist and political scientist; awarded in Zeitz for her research on right-wing groups and subsequent fight against right-wing violence.
  • 2011: Dmitri Muratow and Novaya Gazeta : awarded in Heidelberg, for their efforts against corruption and violations against human rights and for their attachment to the freedom of speech and of the press in Russia.
  • 2013 : Keine Bedienung für Nazis : Initiative of a few hotel owners in Regensburg of not providing service for racists at their institutions. Pussy Riot was controversially nominated for this price. Awarded in April 2013 in Eisleben.[5]
  • 2015: Mazen Darwish, Syrian lawyer and journalist; and the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, awarded in Wittenberg.[6]
  • 2017: Markus Nierth, former honorary mayor of Tröglitz, and his wife Susanne Nierth as well as anti-Nazi couple Horst and Birgit Lohmeyer, awarded in Torgau for their action against right-wing extremism.[7]

Notes and references
  1. Mansfeld-Lutherstadt
  2. "Bund der Lutherstädte" sind folgende Städte vereint:"
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2017-10-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Les lauréat du Prix des Lutherstädte – Das unerschrockene Wort". Archived from the original on 2017-10-21. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  5. Auszeichnung geht nicht an „Pussy Riot“, Frankfurter Allgemeine
  6. Preisträger das Unerschrockene Wort 2015
  7. "Luther-Preis für Tröglitzer Bürgermeister". 2016-11-14. p. domradio.de.
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