Lutherstadt Wittenberg

Martin Luther taught at Wittenberg's university and lived in the town from 1508; the Castle Church door on which he is said to have posted ninety-five theses in 1517 burned in 1760 and was replaced in 1858 by bronze doors carrying the Latin text. Whether he posted them at all is debated by historians, though he certainly sent them to the archbishop that day. Luther is buried in the church. His house, a former monastery he was given, holds the largest Reformation museum in the world. Lucas Cranach the Elder lived and worked in the town and his workshop buildings survive. UNESCO listed the Luther sites in 1996.

Background

Wittenberg stands on the Elbe, with Leipzig 60 kilometres to the south and Berlin 90 kilometres to the north-east, and with 46,008 people in 2018 it is the fourth-largest town in Saxony-Anhalt. It is first recorded in 1180, a small village set up by Flemish colonists ruled by the House of Ascania. In 1260 the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg made it their seat, and in 1293 it received its town charter. Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony from 1486 to 1525, lived here and founded the university in 1502, a second bridge over the Elbe went up in 1487-1490, and the Castle Church was built between 1496 and 1506. Philipp Melanchthon began teaching Greek at the university in 1518.

Source: Wikipedia, "Wittenberg"

What's there

• The bronze doors - an 1858 replacement carrying the ninety-five theses.
• The Luther House - his home and the largest Reformation museum.
• The Cranach houses - the painter's workshop and courtyards.
• The town church - where he preached, with a Cranach altarpiece.

When to go

April to October; the Reformation anniversary on 31 October fills the town. Museums close Mondays in winter. Anniversary years are much busier.

Good to know

Whether the theses were posted on the door is genuinely disputed. The doors are nineteenth century. Museums have separate tickets.

Nearby

Dessau lies west; Berlin is northeast.

Key facts