Red Spires
Berggasse 15
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The Red Spires, one of the city's landmarks, can be seen from afar. You have probably already recognized them in the logo. The impressive towers give an idea of how magnificent the collegiate church of St. Mary once looked. It was built in the 12th century and housed an Augustinian monastery.
Emperor Frederick I, called "Barbarossa" (Red Beard), sponsored the monastery, which was consecrated in 1172, and endowed it with extensive privileges. The church is one of the earliest large brick buildings north of the Alps.
The majority of the monastery buildings have unfortunately been lost over the centuries. After the dissolution of the monastery during the Reformation, the Red Spires were used in very different ways: They served as a school building, widows house and orphanage, prison, and even as a museum.
Today you can visit them. The two towers and the connecting porch are very impressive. The wall paintings in the chapel of the south tower from the first half of the 13th century are spectacular. The Coronation of Mary shown there is unique in this form north of the Alps: Christ crowns his mother in heaven. He is lovingly turned to her and hands her a scepter.
An archaeological excavation uncovered the remains of the former complex. You can be part of an open-heart operation, so to speak: archaeological excavations and intensive building research frequently produce exciting insights into medieval life.
The Klosterpuzzle in the north tower – an interactive projection – is living history. It lets you explore virtually what the Augustinian monastery might have looked like. One floor higher a presentation tells you of the Hohenstaufen, Emperor Frederick I "Barbarossa", the monastery and his clergy.
The year 2014 was under the theme „Reformation and politics“ and the City of Altenburg dedicated an exhibition to the life and work of Georg Spalatin. That was the first time an exhibition ever solely focused on the close friend of Martin Luther, who says of himself that without him the Reformation would not have happened the way it did. In this video the provost Bendeikt Bischoff of the augustine chancellor's pen complains about Spalatin.
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