Mapping the Memory of Luther: Place and Confessional Identity in the Later Reformation*

A 1571 map of Mansfeld, Luther’s birthplace, created by Johannes Mellinger and Tilemann Stella, serves as more than a geographical representation—it functions as a tool for memory-making and the memorialization of Lutheran identity during a critical period in Reformation history. The map integrates historical details, quotations, and references to Luther’s life, reimagining space to validate Lutheranism while addressing tensions between tradition and novelty. This composite approach historicized and reconceptualized landscapes, offering an alternative narrative for second-generation Lutherans to grapple with the loss of the Wittenberg reformer and secure their confessional future. The study highlights how spatial representation in early modern Europe was instrumental in shaping collective memory and validating religious identity.

Hill, K. (2020). Mapping the Memory of Luther: Place and Confessional Identity in the Later Reformation*. German History, 38(2), 187–210. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerhis/ghz098