Bopfingen celebrates 500 years of peasant uprising: freedom or oppression?

Bopfingen celebrates 500 years of peasant uprising: freedom or oppression?

Bopfingen, Deutschland - In Bopfingen, a series of events is launched on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the farmers' uprising from 1525. The first activities begin in May 2025 and will continue until November of the same year. This is reported by the Schwäbische Post . In the spring of 1525, nationwide uprisings took place in southern Germany when the tensions between the rural population and the authorities culminated. The farmers suffered from an oppressive tax load and grew dissatisfaction with their restricted rights and the arbitrary rule of the landlords.

The teachings of the Reformation, especially Martin Luther's writings, played a key role in mobilizing the farmers. They demanded co -determination and these collective resistance embodied the piles of farmers, including the Ipfische Haufen, which was to come from the Bopfingen region. These uprisings were finally bloody, which led to tens of thousands of fatalities.

events in Bopfingen

The series of events in Bopfingen comprises lectures and excursions that deal with various aspects of the peasant war. The first lecture will take place on May 22, 2025 and will be carried out by Dr. Johannes Moosdiele-Hitzler kept. Other events include a bus excursion to the state exhibition in Bad Schussenried on July 19, which requires a participation fee of 40 to 60 euros. This excursion deals with the topic "Uffrur! - Utopia and resistance in the peasant war 1524/25".

A festive event in the Bopfingen Stadtgarten is also planned on July 26, where Dr. Marco Veronesi will speak and the event will be framed by a music group. Lectures on the Peasant War in Ries and the Ipfische Haufen are also on the program. All events are free of charge and open to the general public.

memories of the inheritance of the Peasant War

But not only in Bopfingen is the peasant uprising. In Memmingen, with the opening of the exhibition "Project Freiheit-Memmingen 1525" with the participation of Prime Minister Markus Söder and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the events of 1525 are reminded. This exhibition, which will be seen by October 19, addresses the democratic debate of the time when farmers gathered in the Kramerzunftstube to write the "twelve articles". These called for the end of the oppression and referred to the Bible, are also considered one of the earliest demands for freedom rights in Europe.

The exhibition in Memmingen is supplemented by various events such as lectures, concerts and theater performances. The end of the festivities is planned for October 3, 2025, on which the Memmingen Freedom Award is awarded of 25,000 euros.

The historical context of the Peasant War shows that the social inequalities and the rigid conditions under which the farmers lived were responsible for the uprisings. Many farmers lived in serfdom, were forced to give up a large part of their harvest and had hardly any rights. However, the articles they demand were often rejected by the men.

This clarifies that the peasant war was not only an uprising against the authorities, but also a deeply rooted struggle for human rights and social justice.

For more information on the events and the detailed program, interested parties can be interested in the