The great humanist and famous reformer Philipp Melanchthon, born in Bretten in 1497, was an intimate friend and collaborator of Luther. The Melanchthon House was built on the site of his birth place.


The Melanchthon House was built between the years of 1897 to 1903 on the site of the former birthplace of the reformer, which had burned down in 1689.

The construction plan by Johann Vollmer, professor for architecture at the Technical University in Berlin-Charlottenburg, was executed by the architect, Prof. H. Billing, Karlsruhe, and later by Dr. W. Jung, Durlach.


​The foundation stone of the museum was layed at the occasion of Melanchthon’s 400th anniversary, on Feb. 16, 1897. Its festive inauguration was celebrated in 1903. Most of the credit for its realisation is due to the church historian and archeologist Dr. Nikolaus Müller, University of Berlin.

The building is a museum, a place of research, and one of the most extensive libraries specialised in Melanchthon as well as a place of documentation of the international Melanchthon research.

There is a memory hall with frescoes and additional rooms with approx. 11 000 books, 450 autographs, statues, coats of arms, paintings, commemorative coins and prints.

The interior decoration consisting of coats of arms on the ceilings and the walls, sculptures, paintings and other works of art, bookcases, glass cupboards and other furniture as well as precious windows of bull’s eye glass has remained unchanged since 1903.

See also: Library (Bibliothek), Museum Shop