Religion and politics are two of the few topics that can transform an otherwise pleasant conversation into a heated argument. The majority of us have been well-advised to avoid bringing up either subject at social gatherings, in the workplace, or in any other informal setting.
Since 1950, the Peace Festival in Augsburg on August 8 has been the only municipal holiday in Germany. This annual festival, also known as the “Augsburg High Peace Festival,” is celebrated only in Augsburg, a city with Roman Catholic origins that once forbade its citizens to practise Christianity as Protestants. The bitter schism between Roman Catholics and Protestants has a long and disgraceful history, which makes the festival even more significant in a world where fervent religious convictions continue to spark conflicts not only between nations but also within families.
Religion and politics are two of the few topics that can transform an otherwise pleasant conversation into a heated argument. The majority of us have been well-advised to avoid bringing up either subject at social gatherings, in the workplace, or in any other informal setting. Yet, the citizens of “Augsburg, the City of Peace,” demonstrate every year that peace is attainable if we set aside our differences and instead focus on what we have in common.
Today, nearly half of Augsburg’s population consists of immigrants from all over the globe, representing a wide variety of religious beliefs and practises. Given the city’s early history of religious persecution, it is noteworthy that today the entire city of Augsburg closes its businesses for the day as part of its mandate to continue its historic peaceful coexistence based on the pursuit of religious freedom. In a contemporary world where discussions about religious freedom and tolerance are increasingly avoided and even excluded from public discourse, the citizens of Augsburg place the right of every individual to freely practise their faith at the forefront of their annual celebration of peace.
In the early sixteenth century, Augsburg, Germany was the epicentre of the increasing political conflict that followed the Christian Reformation movement in Europe. In 1521, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V outlawed the burgeoning Lutheran church, but the Lutheran movement continued to thrive until 1529, when Charles decreed that Catholicism would be restored throughout Germany. German princes and estate owners denounced the Emperor’s decree vehemently and publicly. This is the origin of the term Protestant, which refers to the princes and landowners who opposed the Emperor’s decree. In 1531, Charles ordered all Lutherans to rejoin the Catholic church, causing Protestants to become increasingly defiant.
In 1552, Charles conceded and acknowledged the existence of the swiftly expanding evangelical church, promising to end the dispute. Peace was not established between Lutherans and Catholics until The Augsburg Declaration of Religious Freedom was issued in the city of Augsburg in 1555. The declaration guaranteed Protestants the freedom to practise their religion in Augsburg. However, only Lutheran Protestants were included in the peace accord, although other Protestant citizens, such as Calvinists, were permitted to relocate their families to regions where their faith was more compatible with local doctrine.
In 1629, seventy-four years after gaining the legal right to practise their religion, Lutheran Protestants were again prohibited from practising their religion in Augsburg, until the Peace of Westphalia was signed in 1648, restoring the original 1555 Augsburg Declaration of Religious Freedom.
Protestants organised the first “Augsburg High Peace Festival” in 1650, two years after the Peace of Westphalia, as an expression of their commitment to continue the tranquil coexistence of “Augsburg, the City of Peace,” for future generations. The festival is now an interreligious and intercultural commemoration, with a week of cultural events preceding the August 8 holiday.
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“Let us forgive each other – only then will we live in peace”
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved through understanding.”
“Even a fool is considered wise when he remains silent.”
“Peace is not the absence of conflict; rather, it is the capacity to resolve conflict peacefully.”
“Five major enemies of peace reside among us: greed, ambition, envy, anger, and hubris. If these enemies were expelled, we would unquestionably enjoy permanent tranquilly.”
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | August 8 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | August 8 | Thursday |
| 2025 | August 8 | Friday |
| 2026 | August 8 | Saturday |
| 2027 | August 8 | Sunday |
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