Reformation City: Martin Luther's Wittenberg

The life of Martin Luther (1483-1546) marks the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Era in the West. Not only did his translation of the Bible become the first standard for the German language and significantly influence the English-speaking world's King James Version, the recently developed printing press spread The Word like wildfire, and with it, the ever-spreading Reformation.

And the city Wittenberg, just a short rain ride (100 km) to the south of Berlin, is where Luther lived and taught for 36 years. And more importantly, Wittenberg is where he nailed his famous 95 theses to the door of the All Saints' Church, the Schlosskirche ("castle church"), in 1517, beginning the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation forever divided the face of the West, establishing among other things Lutheranism, the Reformed and Anababtist church movements and the Counter-Reformation within the Roman Catholic Church.

Wittenberg, officially called Lutherstadt Wittenberg, prides itself in being so closely connected with Luther and the dawn of the Reformation. Several historic buildings are directly associated with the fateful events that took place at that time. A section of the Augustinian monastery in which Luther lived, at first as a monk and in later life as owner with his wife and family, has been preserved and is seen to be the principal museum dedicated to Martin Luther. The City Church, St. Mary's, with its distinctive steeples, was the very first reformed church and the church where Martin Luther usually preached. But many other famous home-grown celebrities have also left their mark here. The Melanchthon House (the famous professor and active defender of Luther's work) and the writer Lessing's House (the most outstanding German representative of the Enlightenment era) are of great interest to see. And near the market place at the pharmacy which carries the same name, you will also find the large building where the celebrated painter Lucas Cranach the Elder lived and worked here from 1472 and 1553 - Cranach was a pharmacist, publisher, city council member, and mayor, as well. Wittenberg was spared heavy destruction during World War II, a fate suffered by so many other historic German cities. Allied forces agreed not to bomb the city, but there was nevertheless combat here and many a bullet pock-mark is visible on the statues of Luther and Melanchthon in the town square.

Wittenberg is also located in the heart of beautifully scenic countryside. Nested on the banks of the river Elbe in the eastern section of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Lutherstadt Wittenberg is also the seat of the local administration for the colourful region that goes by the same name. To the north of town is the beautiful, grassy and rolling upland area of Fläming, formed during the last ice age, and to the south is the broad middle Elbe region with its many small tributaries and the beautiful Dübener Heide.

Just an hour away from Berlin by train, and even quicker to get to should you be travelling from nearby Leipzig (70 km), Wittenberg is a convenient daytrip for visitors to either of these two immensely popular German cities. Well worth a visit, put Wittenberg on your things-to-see list on your next trip to Germany.