The Radical Reformation from Vienna to Amsterdam
Untold Stories of Gender and Class
The historic city of Salzburg along the Salzach River in Austria
Overview
A custom tour created for Eastern Mennonite University Alumni and Friends
What if the familiar story of Anabaptist origins has left out important voices and places? What if there is more to Radical Reformation story?
This immersive journey across Europe invites you to step beyond familiar narratives and encounter the movement through the lives of those often left at the margins. Traveling from the imperial streets of Vienna to the canals of Amsterdam, you will trace a story shaped not only by well-known leaders, but by women who preached and sheltered, by peasants who risked everything, and by noblewomen whose influence and protection quietly sustained the movement.
Stand in the places where an Anabaptist woman was chained to her kitchen for preaching in the streets. Walk through towns where imprisoned women held fast to their convictions. Sit in castles, markets, and hidden gathering places where social status shaped both opportunity and risk within the movement.
Along the way, move through grand cities, Alpine landscapes, and quiet rural valleys, each offering a different window into the Radical Reformation. Encounters with local guides, historic sites, and living communities create space not only to learn, but to reflect on how these stories continue to shape faith, identity, and community today.
This is more than a historical journey. It is an invitation to rediscover a familiar story through new eyes and to ask whose voices have yet to be fully heard.
Tour Experts: Kimberly D. Schmidt & Mary S. Sprunger
Countries Visited: Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany, Netherlands
Dates: September 2027
Duration: 15 days, TBC
Activity Level: Moderately Active
Trip Highlights
Trace the Radical Reformation from Vienna to Amsterdam - Follow the movement across cities, valleys, and waterways as its story unfolds from imperial centers to hidden communities
Discover Untold Stories of Women Across Social Classes - Encounter the lives of peasant women who preached and suffered imprisonment alongside noblewomen who used influence and protection to sustain the movement, and, later, wealthy women from the business class who devoted time and energy to caring for poor members of their congregations.
Stand in Places of Courage and Conviction - Visit prisons, castles, and hidden gathering sites where faith was tested, lived, and preserved under pressure
Explore the Intersection of Faith, Power, and Society - Gain fresh insight into how class shaped opportunity, risk, and leadership within the early and “second-generation” Anabaptist movement.
Engage the Story through Meaningful Encounters and Reflection - Connect with local guides, historic sites, and present-day communities while reflecting together on how these stories continue to shape faith and identity today
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