Prayers for Peace at the Wittenberg Castle Church on October 12, 19, and 26, at 6:00 p.m.
October 12, approx. 6:30 p.m.: Reading with Dr. Reiner Haseloff: "Not with Our Country: An East German Perspective"
Throughout October, the Protestant Preachers' Seminary and the Castle Church congregation invite you to attend prayers for peace featuring musical accompaniment. Through hymns, biblical texts, and the Prayer of St. Francis, we bring our longing for peace before God.
A period of silence lies at the heart of this approximately 30-minute service, during which candles are lit at the peace candelabrum. In prayer, we can bring the suffering and hardship found in the world's crisis regions—as well as our own petitions for peace and reconciliation—before God.
Monday, October 12, 2026
6:00 p.m.: Prayer for Peace with Pastor Birgit Neumann-Becker and Cantor Philipp Spielmann
Approx. 6:30 p.m.: Reading by Dr. Reiner Haseloff: "Not with Our Country: An East German Perspective"
For the first time in Wittenberg, Dr. Reiner Haseloff—former Minister-President—will read from his new book, in which he reflects on his political career. At a time when trust in parliamentary democracy is waning and the country's capacity for reform is under strain, he discusses how Christian values shape his understanding of politics and identifies the resources, conflicts, and limits he perceives. In this book, the author looks to the future, finding hope in a positive identification with our country and the strengthening of universal human values.
The prayers for peace and the reading will take place in the chancel of the Castle Church.
Background
The peace prayers, as well as the days offering free admission and guided tours, take place at the Castle Church as part of World Heritage Month in October.
The Castle Church uniquely bridges the past and the present. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, it invites visitors to explore the origins of the Reformation. Together with the Protestant Preachers' Seminary and the Research Library for Reformation History, it remains a vibrant center for the study of the Reformation and Protestant cultural history to this day.
Founded in 1816/17, the Wittenberg Protestant Preachers' Seminary has been training theologians for ministry—serving both Word and Sacrament—at the very birthplace of the Reformation for 210 years. It operates as a dependent institution of the UEK (Union of Protestant Churches). In the seminary’s educational work, the Evangelical Church of Anhalt, the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia, the Evangelical Church in Central Germany, and the EKU Foundation collaborate to keep the theological legacy of Luther, Melanchthon, and Bugenhagen alive and to strengthen Wittenberg’s ecumenical influence.
