500 years of the Reformation: Commemorative medals in the collection of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation

The exhibition is dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation.
Theology professor Martin Luther (1483-1546) life story and the subsequent events that led to the implementation of the Reformation ideals were celebrated and immortalized in special commemorative objects – paintings, graphics, songs, medals, badges, etc. Memorabilia served as a reminder that Martin Luther Reformation ideas do not belong exclusively to history; the Reformation in the original sense of the word meant renewal, which is not a completed historic event, but rather an ongoing process.

The collection of the Reformation commemorative medals and badges in the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation is a small part of the Reformation memorabilia heritage. The medal is like a monument dedicated to a historic event, socially important phenomenon or an individual person. The large quantity and availability of medals turns them into a propaganda tool of political, ideological and artistic ideas, but they also reflect the spirit of the times, as well as the client’s and the artist’s taste. Medals are arranged in chronological order, allowing to get acquainted with popular thematic subjects. Starting with the 17th century, it was the tradition to celebrate the most important Reformation centenary events – the beginning of the Reformation, the Augsburg Confession Adoption (1530) and Martin Luther life anniversaries.

On view at the exhibition is only one medal that was forged in Riga, and it is dedicated to the commemoration of Martin Luther 400th anniversary in 1883.

The unique list and pictures of coins, “Reformation History in Coins”, was compiled by the Riga natural scientist J. B. Fisher (1731-1793). The exhibition showcases one of the objects that J. B. Fisher refers to in his manuscript: the Uppsala Council centenary medal (1693).