Weimer Calls for Compromise on Cranach-Triegel Altar Location

German Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer has called for a compromise regarding the permanent placement of the Cranach-Triegel Altar in Naumburg Cathedral. The artwork, created by Lucas Cranach the Elder between 1517 and 1519 and later partially destroyed, was completed by Leipzig painter Michael Triegel. Due to years of disagreement over its location, the altar was moved from Naumburg to Rome in late October 2025. Weimer emphasized that the work is 'something great and belongs back here.' The altar was first displayed from July to December 2022 in the west choir of Naumburg Cathedral, among famous donor figures such as Uta von Naumburg. It was then shown for about a year at the Diocesan Museum in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, before returning to the cathedral's west choir. The United Cathedral Donors consider the altar to be at its original location in the UNESCO World Heritage site in southern Saxony-Anhalt. However, the World Heritage Council ICOMOS disagrees, arguing that the artwork obstructs the view of the famous high medieval donor figures and had demanded its removal from the west choir. In Rome, the altar is now installed in the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà at the Campo Santo Teutonico near St. Peter's Basilica, where it will remain on view until 2027. By that time, a mutually agreed solution is expected to be found for its final placement in Naumburg Cathedral.