Wittenberg

In travelling this summer with my sister and brother-in-law, we made a stop in the city of Wittenberg, Germany. Not only is this a city with a beautiful old town area, it is also steeped in Reformation history thanks to its most well-known resident, Martin Luther. In fact, the city's official name is Lutherstadt Wittenberg. A statue of him stands right in the center square of the city.

Martin Luther first came to the town of Wittenberg in 1508 as a theology professor at the University of Wittenberg. The Stadtkirche, or Town Church, was the church where he and his wife were married, where all of their children were baptized, and where Luther preached countless sermons.

I'm sure it would have been quite an experience to have attended this service, but we unfortunately did not have time. If we're ever back in this area, it's something I definitely want to do.

The inside of the church, while still beautiful, was definitely much plainer than the numerous Catholic churches we've visited over the past two years.

After visiting Luther's church, we headed to the opposite end of town to the All Saints' Castle Church. It was on the doors of the church that originally sat on this site that Luther nailed his 95 Theses, thus beginning the Protestant Reformation. The church was badly damaged twice during war, but was rebuilt each time. It has been considered a monument to the Reformation since the 19th century and is where Luther is buried.

Martin Luther's grave is located just under the pulpit of the church and marked by a simple bronze plaque.

While the doors of the original church building where Luther nailed his theses were lost in a fire in 1760, they were replaced in 1858 with beautiful bronze doors inscribed with the original Latin text of the 95 Theses. The painting above the doors depicts Luther on the left holding a German Bible. The figure on the right is his close friend, Philipp Melanchthon who conducted Luther's funeral and is also buried inside the church.

It was a wonderful experience to visit this lovely town with family. It was definitely one of those experiences I wish I could have told my Daddy about, but I'm thankful for the opportunity for my kids to have seen such an important site in the history of the Protestant Church.