10 Good Reasons to Visit LutherCountry

TO VISIT
LUTHER
COUNTRY
Publisher TourComm Germany GmbH & Co KG
on behalf of Thuringia Tourist Board and
Investment and Marketing Corporation
Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Photos Title: Theses door Lutherstadt
Wittenberg (Archive Investment and Marketing
Corporation Saxony-Anhalt); Luther Festival
Eisenach (A. Hultsch; Archive Thuringia Tourist
Board)
Text and Translation TourComm Germany
GmbH & Co KG
Print flyeralarm GmbH
Editorial Deadline April 30, 2012
Production of the brochure was subsidized by
the Thuringian Ministry of Business,
Employment and Technology.
Please Note All the information has been
researched with the greatest possible care and is
based on data supplied by service providers in
Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. However, the
publisher assumes no liability for the information
provided.
See you soon!
Event highlights in LutherCountry:
Thuringia Bach Weeks
every March/April
Handel Festival, Halle (Saale)
every May/June
Town festival Luther's wedding, Wittenberg
every June
Reformation Festival, Wittenberg
every October 31
Ecumenical St. Martin's Day Celebration, Erfurt
every November 10
Christmas Markets in Erfurt
and at Wartburg Castle in Eisenach
every November/December
Booking and Information
www.visit-luther.com
TEN
GOOD
REASONS

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Reason 1: The Word
In the beginning there was the Word,
but it wasn’t until Martin Luther translated
the Bible into German that the Word
became accessible to the common man. Inside
Wartburg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you
can visit the room where Luther completed this
great work. Run your hands across the same table he
used and immerse yourself in history for a moment
or two. Continue your journey through history with
a visit to the (Johann Sebastian) Bach House, or hop
over to the Luther House Museum in Eisenach.
Reason 2: Off the beaten path
What better way to commemorate a
great visionary than by striking off into
unknown lands Take off down the
Luther Trail, which connects many of the fascinating
locations within LutherCountry. You can also pay a
visit to the picturesque, half-timbered town of
Schmalkalden, where Luther gave sermons at the St.
George’s Church and presented his doctrines to the
Federal Assemblies in the winter of 1537.
Reason 3: Revolution
The German Peasants' Revolt was led
by Thomas Muentzer, a radical inspired
by a literal interpretation of Martin
Luther’s New Testament. This revolutionary lost his
head in Mühlhausen in 1525, and the city played a
pivotal role during the Reformation that changed
Europe forever.
Reason 4: Feel the thunder
In Martin Luther's experience, God's
voice indeed "thundereth marvelously",
as it did for Job; after being caught in
a thunderstorm, Luther faced his own mortality and
devoted his life to God. In Erfurt, you can visit the
Augustinian monastery where Luther served as a
monk. After seeing the room in which he slept and
walking through the halls in which he served God,
you can visit the cathedral where he was ordained
as a priest. Afterward, enjoy a coffee or visit the
unique shops of Merchants‘ Bridge.
Reason 5: Art
Bach, Goethe, Listzt, Gropius, Cranach,
Luther: these great men all share one
great passion – the arts. Through their
mediums, each of them left their mark on one
outstanding city – Weimar. Come see their legacy
where it was born, commemorated by 3 UNESCO
World Heritage sites comprising a total of 16
must-see artifacts in this small but bustling town.
Welcome to LutherCountry... and to the LutherDecade!
Martin Luther, the Father of the
Reformation, spent most of his life
(1483-1546) in the neighboring German
states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, or
“LutherCountry”. Located about halfway
between Berlin and Frankfurt, this region is
celebrating the LutherDecade, a 10-year
build-up to 2017 and the 500th anniversary
of the Reformation.
FRANKFURT/MAIN
Luther
Country
www.visit-luther.com
A38
A4
Thuringian Rhoen
Mühlhausen
A71
Eisenach
Harz Mountains
Unstrut
Schmalkalden
Werra
Erfurt
Thuringian
Forest
A73
Magdeburg
A14
Lutherstadt
Eisleben
A71
Weimar
Why not take part in the LutherDecade
celebrations and come visit us in LutherCountry
Every year until 2017, we will focus on a special
theme, such as music or art, and celebrate the
decade in authentic cities that played
important roles in Reformation history.
Regardless when you visit, there will always be
exciting events and special moments waiting
for you in LutherCountry!
Saale
A 143
MUNICH
Saale
A9
A2
Dessau
Halle (Saale)
Elbe
Lutherstadt
Wittenberg
A14
A9
A9
A38
Mulde
A4
BERLIN
Dresden
Germany
Reason 6: The circle of life
Martin Luther’s life began and ended in
the city of Eisleben. Touch the over
525-year-old font where he was
baptized, a font that is still in use to this day. You can
also visit his birth house or St. Andrew's Church, the
last church in which he preached before he died.
Conclude your stay with a visit to the Death House
Museum, bringing your journey through Lutheran
history full circle.
Reason 7: The 95 Theses
Come to Lutherstadt Wittenberg and
visit the castle church upon whose
doors Luther nailed his 95 theses almost
500 years ago! Explore the Luther House Museum
and see the actual room where his wife Katharina
von Bora would sit to sew. Be sure to stop by his
grave and pay your respects to the Great Reformer!
B Reason 8: Artistic inspiration
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Martin Luther’s work had a strong
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influence on the Arts and one artist in
particular – Lucas Cranach the Elder.
Cranach was a strong supporter of Luther
and several of his most important works are on
display in the Anhalt Art Gallery. Cranach changed
the way religious paintings were composed, conveying
Lutheran ideas through his art. If modern art is
more your style, you can also visit the world-famous
Bauhaus in Dessau (UNESCO World Heritage).
Reason 9: The Death Mask
Luther often went to Halle (Saale) to
preach and the city is nowadays home
to a very special artifact – Luther’s death
mask, kept safe in the city’s Market Church. In the
16th Century, two smaller churches were joined to
create the Market Church and its four spires. Step
inside and you can see the original cast of Luther's
face and hands. Halle (Saale) is also home to the
Franke Foundations, a social and educational charity
set up in 1695. They sent Henry Melchior Muhlenberg
to Pennsylvania, who was later seen as the
Father of Lutheranism in the USA.
Reason 10: Gothicism
Luther attended boarding school in
Magdeburg and preached in St. John's
Church in 1524. The people responded
to his message; the parishes converted to the
Protestant faith and the city became a leader in the
Reformation. Magdeburg’s history spans even
further back, with a cathedral dating back over 1,000
years. The enormous cathedral was the first to be
built in the Gothic style in Germany; begun in 1209,
it was finally finished in 1520.