The article deals with the influence of the European Reformation on the cultural development of Slavic peoples; the conclusion is drawn that the Reformation was the source of powerful impulses to a radical renewal of the spiritual culture of the Slavic world on the threshold of a New time. It is shown that the Reformation played a key role in preserving the Sorb national identity, had a strong beneficial influence on the cultural development of the Bohemian kingdom in 16th - early 17th centuries and significantly affected the development of Polish culture (particularly, literature in the national language) in the sixteenth century. The article describes peculiarities of the Reformation cultural impact in the Slavic lands of the Hungarian Kingdom, reveals the reasons of its controversial impact in Slovakia and Croatia, and emphasizes the Reformation’s particularly significant impact on the development of Croatian culture. The author provides facts about the impact of the Reformation on the cultural life of the Slovene lands, the literary language formation in particular. The article concludes that the era of the Reformation was essential in the development of the identity and culture of Slavic peoples connected with the world of Western Christianity. It was the time when the preconditions for the Slavic National Revival were created.