"City Church" is the most historically important one in Weimar, as it reveals the
interactions of famous artists, musicians, theologians, and royalty throughout the
centuries and particularly during the Reformation and Enlightenment. The church is in
the oldest part of town just one block from the pedestrian zone north of the Markt
at Herderplatz. The square is named for Johann Gottfried Herder, philosopher,
theologian, and superintendant of the church until 1803--just before Schiller’s death. A
statue of the theologian is near the entrance in the parking lot. Like Anna Amalia, he was
an important German we know mostly through his association with the poets, painters,
and composers of his time, and like the Duchess, he is buried in this church. Bach’s sons
were christened here and his music played. Parts of the structure date from 1250, and the square, predating the
Markt, was the center of Weimar activity during the Middle Ages. Now there is
vehicle traffic all around, but inside is a beautiful church of German baroque,
redecorated in the 1700s in golds, pinks, and blues.
Lutheran doctrine has been preached here since 1525, and we were thrilled to find the
famous Lucas Cranach masterpieces of Luther. Over the altar is the Redemption
triptych begun by Cranach, the elder, and finished by his son in 1555. It is the one in which the
artist ignores the bounds of time and places himself in the picture with Christ, Luther,
and the ducal family. The painter is spattered by Christ’s blood, signifying mercy, and
Luther is pointing to the Bible to emphasize the source of his teachings,
superceding papal authority. The Redemption theme and images of Luther are repeated
throughout the church. The Luther triptych by Cranach is also here to the left of the altar,
as well as two royal tombs.
Entrance is free, and when we asked, we found an English-speaking attendant who was
very informative. She described in detail the history of Reformation in Weimar and
pointed us in the direction of three more churches, all close together and representing
Catholic, German Reformation, and Russian Orthodox. She made us appreciate the
close relationship of royalty to the church, and since Weimar had more than its share of
diverse royalty, it also has a plethora of churches. Our informant was an older lady, not
schooled in English like younger Germans, and she was difficult to understand, but
tenacious. I really enjoyed her--and I understood! All in all, I recommend
Stadkirche as a good tour and an important, informative landmark.