| Melanchthon House |
The Melanchthon House in Wittenberg is an architectural jewel. The Renaissance building, with its characteristic gable, is considered one of the city’s most beautiful houses.
John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, commissioned the construction of the three-storeyed building in 1536. His purpose was to reinforce the ties of Philipp Melanchthon, known as the ‘Teacher of Germany’, to the university. The house provided space for both Melanchthon’s family and for students. The Prussian government bought the building in 1845 and later commissioned a reconstruction of Melanchthon's study – which was also the room where the scholar died – in the first storey in 1898-99. The Melanchthon House is currently closed because of an extensive construction project involving its modernisation and a new annex. The museum’s reopening is planned for the beginning of 2012. |