Wolfsburg named "Reformation City of Europe"

Wolfsburg (epd). The City of Wolfsburg has been officially named a "Reformation City of Europe". The label honours the special history of the Reformation in the region which later saw the founding of the city of Wolfsburg, said Lutheran Bishop Ralf Meister from Hanover on 6 November at a reception at Wolfsburg Town Hall. During Reformation times Wolfsburg did not yet exist. The city was first founded in 1938 during the Nazi period as in order to provide housing for workers producing the “beetle” at the Volkswagen factory.

A special place in Reformation history

Bishop Meister and Wolfsburg’s Lord Mayor Klaus Mohrs were presented with a certificate from the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE). The occasion was a stopover of a Reformation show-truck (“storymobile”) in Wolfsburg. Since 3 November it has been working its way through the European Roadmap with its 67 way-stations in 19 countries, in order to collect stories about the Reformation and forge a link between people. At present 75 cities in 15 countries bear the title "Reformation City of Europe".

Wolfsburg Reformation history is "complex", explained a CPCE spokesperson. In the 16th century the present city area had belonged to different bishoprics and aristocratic estates. As happened in many places, the Reformation processes were not without conflict. However, Hans von Bartensleben, the nobleman residing in "Wolfsburg" castle, made a remarkable contribution to religious peace and religious tolerance. He made sure that the Lutheran and the Roman Catholic confessions could live peacefully side by side in his territory.