Travel to Martin Luther Sights
See the Top Places in Germany Associated with the Church Reformer
Top sights in Germany associated with Protestant church reformer Martin Luther are Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Eisenach, the Wartburg, Erfurt, Eisleben, Worms, and Coburg.
The German church reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) traveled extensively to defend and explain his views. Tourist information offices, castles, and churches in Germany are quick to point out any place where he stayed or preached but the most important sites associated with the Lutheran Reformation are in Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Lutherstadt-Eisleben, Mansfeld, Erfurt, Eisenach, Worms, and Coburg.
- Lutherstadt – literally Luther City – was added to the town name Wittenberg during the 1930s (to Eisleben a decade later and to Mansfeld only in the 1990s) as an attempt to attract more pilgrims and tourists.
Martin Luther Sights in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
The federal state of Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) in Central Germany has the most important Luther sights with those in Lutherstadt-Wittenberg and Lutherstadt-Eisleben inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.
- Lutherstadt-Wittenberg – The Cradle of the Lutheran Reformation
Martin Luther spent the majority of his life in Wittenberg, then the capital of Saxony-Wittenberg. Lutherstadt-Wittenberg is the cradle of the German church reformation and trades heavily on its Luther connection. All important sights are related to Martin Luther’s presence here half a millennium ago.
The Lutherhaus has an excellent museum on the Lutheran Reformation and a vast collection of Luther works. Other sights include the church door onto which Martin Luther supposedly nailed his 95 Theses, the oak tree where he burnt a papal bull, churches where he preached, and his tomb.
- Lutherstadt-Eisleben – Place of Birth and Death
Martin Luther was born in Eisleben and coincidentally died in the same village. Luther sights here include St Andreas, where he delivered his last sermon and the museums in his place of birth (Martin Luther Geburtshaus) as well as the building where he died (Luthers Sterbehaus).
- Mansfeld-Lutherstadt – Childhood & First School Years
Martin Luther’s parents moved to the nearby village Mansfeld only months after his birth. The Luther sights here are decisively lower key. The house where he spent his childhood was largely destroyed in 1805 but rebuilt 75 years later and now houses the Museum Luthers Elternhaus (House of Luther’s Parents). The first school he attended (and hated with a passion) was destroyed but a copy was built in 2000 to house a multimedia display on Luther’s life.
- Luther statues grace hundredes of churchyards and squares in Germany but Mansfeld, rather uniquely and appropriately, is the only town with a statue showing Martin Luther as a teenage boy.
Martin Luther Sights in Thuringia, Germany
Eisenach and Erfurt in modern-day Thuringia (Thüringen) also have important Luther sights in addition to the many other cultural and natural attractions of this region.
- Eisenach and the Wartburg
Martin Luther attended a Latin school in Eisenach. His former lodgings now house the Lutherhaus museum.
More important is the Wartburg, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, on a hill just outside Eisenach. After his banning at the Diet of Worms, Luther spent almost a year in hiding inside this castle. The Lutherstube (Luther’s Room), where Luther translated the New Testament of the Bible into German, is considered one of the most important Luther pilgrimage sites.
- Erfurt – Student Years, Monk, Priest & Doctor
Martin Luther studied in Erfurt from 1501 to 1511, first as a student of law but after 1505 as a monk. He was ordained as priest in Erfurt’s interesting High Gothic Dom (Cathedral) in 1507 and later received his Doctorate in Theology. The Augustinerkloster (Augustine Monastery) where he lived was mostly destroyed in 1945 but was recently rebuilt. Copies of the library and Luther’s cell are open to the public.
Other Important Luther Sights in Germany
Martin Luther traveled extensively and preached widely but the following are the most important Luther sights elsewhere in Germany.
- Luther at the Diet of Worms
Martin Luther was called to explain (or rather recant) his ideas before the Imperial Diet at Worms in 1521. Worms was mostly destroyed by French troops in 1689 and consequently, very little survived in Worms from this Diet or indeed the Middle Ages. Although Luther did not preach here, the Romanesque cathedral is worth seeing. Worms also has the largest monument dedicated to the Reformation – it was erected during the nineteenth century.
- Coburg & the Diet of Augsburg
The wood paneled Lutherstube is a popular sight in the very impressive Veste Coburg fortress in modern-day northern Bavaria. In 1530, Martin Luther spent half a year here while the Imperial Diet met in Augsburg. Luther, still under Imperial Ban, could not dare to attend in person but wrote frequently and furiously from Coburg, the closest Protestant territory to Augsburg.
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