In 1543, Franz von Waldeck, Bishop of Münster and thus sovereign of the Lower Abbey, introduced the Reformation in Emsland and Meppen. The Protestant confession was to hold sway in the region for almost 70 years before Catholicism reasserted itself in the course of the Counter-Reformation. In the 1530s, however, von Waldeck initially had to deal with the extreme excesses of the Protestant “movement” in the city of Münster: the crushing of the Anabaptist kingdom of Münster. The topic still electrifies scholars and literary figures today – but also city tourism, which markets the spectacular execution of the Anabaptist leaders, complete with torture instruments, as a tourist highlight. The lecture will trace the rise and fall of the Anabaptist kingdom of Münster, outline the emergence of the Anabaptist movement in the northwest and its effectiveness in the region as an exciting part – also of the history of the Reformation in Emsland. Matthias Christian Pausch studied Modern History, Ancient History and Religious Studies at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and was responsible for several exhibition projects on the history of the Reformation in the Northwest as a research assistant during the “Luther Decade”. Since 2017, he has been head of the Norderney City Archive and the Museum Nordseeheilbad Norderney.

A binding registration by phone at 05931-153 410 or by e-mail at info@stadtmuseum-meppen.de is required.