The name Martin Luther (1483-1546) is inseparably linked to the Reformation of the church, initiated by him. Nailing his theses to the door of the castle church of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 marked the beginning of changes which could not have been more far-reaching. Luther’s goal was to rebuild a church truly being committed to the Gospel. Thus, he wanted to reform every single area of this institution.
Especially in the beginning Luther used to maintain close contact to the already enlightened town council of Zwickau which was thrilled by his ideas and implemented them soon. Luther dedicated his work “On the Freedom of a Christian” to Hermann Mühlpfort, the mayor of Zwickau, due to the commitment of its citizenship.
Besides Luther himself suggested Thomas Müntzer as a preacher of St. Mary’s Cathedral instead of evangelist Egranus. In total Martin Luther preached four times at Zwickau, between April 30 and May 2, 1522; and once from a window of the town hall. It has been reported that 14 000 people from Zwickau and its surroundings listened to his sermon.
