The Union of Lutherstädte was founded in 1993 on the 125th anniversary of theLuther Monument inWorms, Germany. It is formed by 16 towns where Luther and his teaching played a major role.:[2]
Coburg: Luther remained there during the negotiations for the Augsburg Confession.
Eisenach: Luther's mother Margarethe, born Lindemann, came from Eisenach, where she met Luther's father Hans, who came from the village ofMöhra, 15 kilometres south of Eisenach. Luther therefore lived with relatives in Eisenach between 1498 and 1501 to attend the Latin school St Georgen and the Franciscan monastery of St Paul. From May 1521, Luther lived incognito as Junker Jörg at theWartburg for 10 months. During this time, he translated theNew Testament into German.
In memory of the work of Martin Luther, the 16 member cities of the Union of Lutherstädte have awarded theDas unerschrockene Wort ("The intrepid word") Prize (€10,000) every two years since 1996. The prize is awarded to persons "who, in words and in deed and against resistance, have made important statements in a situation or for a particular occasion towards the municipality or the state". Winners can be Germans or foreigners.[3]
The prize was awarded for the first time inWorms in 1996 and since 1999 it is awarded every two years. The winners were:[4]
1996:Richard Schröder, theologian and philosopher, for his unwavering position in theGDR. Prize awarded in Worms.
1999:Hans Küng, theologian: awarded in Eisenach for the firmness with which he represented his theses on the Catholic doctrine of the faith.
2001:Uta Leichsenring: Police President of Eberswalde; Awarded in Erfurt for her courageous behaviour against right-wing extremism and xenophobic attacks.
2003:Gertraud Knoll : Austrian pastor and politician; Awarded inMagdeburg for her commitment against racism.
2005:Stephan Krawczkyk : Singer and author; awarded in Halle for his performances in churches, despite censorship by theSED communist regime.
2007:Emel Zeynelabidin: awarded in Speyer for her decision of not wearing a headscarf as a Muslim.
2009:Andrea Röpke: journalist and political scientist; awarded in Zeitz for her research on right-wing groups and subsequent fight against right-wing violence.
2011:Dmitri Muratow andNovaya Gazeta : awarded in Heidelberg, for their efforts against corruption and violations against human rights and for their attachment to the freedom of speech and of the press in Russia.
2013 :Keine Bedienung für Nazis : Initiative of a few hotel owners inRegensburg of not providing service for racists at their institutions.Pussy Riot was controversially nominated for this price. Awarded in April 2013 in Eisleben.[5]
2015:Mazen Darwish, Syrian lawyer and journalist; and the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, awarded in Wittenberg.[6]
2017:Markus Nierth, former honorary mayor of Tröglitz, and his wife Susanne Nierth as well as anti-Nazi couple Horst andBirgit Lohmeyer, awarded in Torgau for their action against right-wing extremism.[7]
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