Built in the Renaissance style, the Melanchthon House is an architectural gem and is considered one of the most beautiful town houses in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The house was built in 1536 by Elector Johann Friedrich for the humanist and reformer Philipp Melanchthon and his family.

The Melanchthonhaus has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996. After two years of construction, a modern new building was opened on the neighboring property at the beginning of 2013. On 600 m² of exhibition space, a new permanent exhibition entitled "Philipp Melanchthon: Life - Work - Impact" provides information about the living conditions and everyday life of Melanchthon and his family.

The exhibition section in the new building displays manuscripts, prints, paintings and busts that tell of Melanchthon's importance for the Reformation and the development of Protestantism. The exhibits include previously unpublished salary receipts and city histories as well as a larger-than-life, painstakingly restored portrait of Melanchthon. The Melanchthon House itself was almost never rebuilt over the centuries. Now it is presented as an architectural monument with illustrations and recreated everyday objects.

The exhibition includes elements that have been specially developed for children and young people. For example, children are given a cast-iron key that gives them access to chests, cupboards and hidden games. Melanchthon's ten-year-old daughter Magdalena guides the children visually and audibly through the history of the Reformation and the everyday life of the Melanchthon family.