HERITO, No. 28: Memory of the Reformation

On 31 October 1517, an Augustinian friar and professor of theology, Martin Luther, attached to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg his 95 theses that addressed the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. Was this event crucial for the development of our concepts of individual freedom and human rights? Would capitalism ever be conceived without the protestant ethos? What was the role of Reformation in the shaping of modern Central European nations? These questions are tackled by authors featured in the 28. issue of “Herito” quarterly.

Bishop Waldemar Pytel examines the paradox of Lutheran continuity on the example of the Church of Peace in Świdnica. Jarosław R. Kubacki and Michał Choptiany recall the Mennonites and the Polish Brethren, the “enfants terribles” of Reformation. János L. Győri, Miloš Kovačka, Magda Vášáryová and Pavel Kosatík explain how Protestantism shaped the history and culture of Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Arleta Nawrocka-Wysocka writes about chants, hymnals, and the rise of the Central European languages, while Łukasz Galusek draws a subjective atlas of the Central European heritage of Reformation.

Of particular interest is a text by Ewa Chojecka on the promotion of knowledge of Reformation in Central Europe in museum education, and Weronika Murek’s essay on Paweł Hulka-Laskowski, a Żyrardów-based descendant of the Czech Brethren and the first translator of “The Good Soldier Švejk”.

The new issue of “Herito” features reviews of interesting books and announcements of upcoming exhibitions.