Education, individualisation, and social welfare: Halle Pietism, the most influential Protestant reform movement at the dawn of modernity, left a profound cultural mark.
On the ground floor of the Historic Orphanage, you can explore how central the Word was to August Hermann Francke’s reform movement – and how it travelled across the globe.
Building on the Reformation ideals of Martin Luther, Francke pursued a clear yet revolutionary vision: every person should find their way to God through personal reading of the Bible. This meant that everyone – boys and girls alike – had to learn to read. Everyone should be able to afford a Bible, and it should be printed in their own mother tongue.
He established schools for all social classes, printed millions of German-language popular Bibles, and created an international network through which the Bible was translated into many other languages. This educational initiative empowered broad sections of the population to engage with the Word.
Pietism also fostered a culture of self-reflection, expressed in diaries and personal testimonies, offering us today remarkable insights into 18th-century inner life. A powerful symbol of the Word’s impact is the richly restored pulpit from St. Ulrich’s Church in Halle, from which Francke preached from 1715 onwards – now a highlight of our exhibition.
