Castle Church Torgau – Hartenfels Castle

The castle church (also a castle chapel) is the first Protestant church building in which the doctrine of the Reformation was realized in architecture and art. Martin Luther consecrated the church on October 5, 1544. Its emphasized modesty is due to Luther’s own ideas which were turned into reality by architect Nickel Grohmann, who designed this functional sacral and earliest of all Protestant buildings. The castle chapel remained almost unchanged until today and served as a model for further Protestant churches in Germany. The entire color scheme of the castle and the chapel is owed to Lucas Cranach. He is also responsible for the sketches of the motives on the chapel’s pulpit. Johann Walter, cantor of the Reformation, composed the music for the church’s consecration. He is considered to be one the founders of Protestant vocal music and laid down the foundations for church music. The Torgau Organ Recitals and the annual Festwoche der Kirchenmusik (Festival of Church Music) in particular are well-known far beyond the borders of the town.