Wittenberg Photos

The inevitable Martin Luther Memorial shows the Reformer as he might have looked while contemplating a Sunday sermon. The statue is in a gazebo on the Markt, or market square, where it was erected in 1821.

Market Square

There's more to the Markt than the Martin Luther Memorial: On market day, you can buy food and other items on the square, with the Rathaus or Town Hall as a 16th Century backdrop.

Markt and Stadtkirche

Across the market square from the Rathaus, the Stadtkirche or Town Church (Wittenberg's oldest building) looms over the Markt's houses and memorial statues.

Collegienstrasse

Wittenberg's main shopping district is made up of two connected streets: the Collegienstrasse (shown above) and the Schlossstrasse, which meet at the Markt.

During store hours, the streets are busier than you might expect in a town of 48,000. The shopping district has a C&A department store, several pharmacies, a number of bakeries, confectioners, clothing shops, and several "Handy" or mobile-phone stores.

Bäche

Downtown Wittenberg's Bäche, or streams, date back to the mid-1500s. Water was brought to the city in oak pipes, where it was fed into open channels next to the streets.

In modern times, plumbing and sewer systems made the Bäche redundant, and the streams were covered over in 1883. They remained hidden and largely forgotten until a few years ago, when the city reopened the Bäche as a water feature for citizens and tourists to enjoy.

Technical trivia: The 16th Century water mains are still in use, thanks to fossilizing of the oak. A German-language Wikipedia article claims that the wooden pipes and their 20 connected fountains are the only functioning medieval water system north of the Alps.

Historic Fountain

Antique oak pipes still bring fresh water to this fountain in Lutherstadt Wittenberg's Old Town. The water isn't certified as potable, but some locals claim that it makes great coffee.

Luther Bier

If you'd like to try something stronger than water, Luther Bier is a good way to reform your acquatic drinking habits.

Luther's 95 Theses

As you walk around Wittenberg's Old Town, you may encounter this sandwich sign that displays Martin Luther's 95 Theses.

The sign is sponsored by Papillon, a gift shop, whose proprietors are obviously assuming that most tourists would rather follow the arrow to the shop (shown at right) than read Luther's Disputatio pro declaratione virtutis indulgentiarum.

ABOVE: Wittenberg guide Bettina Brett pats a plastic preacher.

Little Luthers

Back in 2010, 800 plastic "Martin Luther messengers" made their debut on Wittenberg's market square. The statues, which were cast in four colors, were copied from the  Luther Monument sculpture by Johann Gottfried Schadow that normally stands on the Markt but had been removed for cleaning and restoration.

German artist Ottmar Hörl, who planned and staged the installation, explained that Schadow's statue "has come to symbolize the 19th Century veneration of the great reformer."

We think the concept was delightful, but--sadly--a few humorless spoilsports and naysayers objected to Hörl's playful homage to their church's founder.

ABOVE: The Fronleichnamskapelle during a weekday devotional service in English. (The sign invites passersby to "Help us sing A Mighty Fortress.")

English-language church services

The Wittenberg English Ministry has been bringing American, British, Australian, and other English-speaking Lutheran pastors to Wittenberg for two-week tours of duty since 1997.

The ministry offers a variety of English-language services in the chapel next to the Stadkirche (Stadtkirche) and in the Schlosskirche (Castle Church). See the Ministry's calendar for details.

During my visit, the pastor in residence was a native of Hopkins, Minnesota who now preaches in Arizona. He told me that he'd applied for a visiting pastor's slot five years ago, so the program is obviously a big draw for Lutheran clergy along with the several thousand worshippers from six continents who attend services each year.

Dogs in Wittemberg

The World Heritage Region Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg tourist office claims that the region is a great place to vacation with horses and dogs.

I didn't notice any horses on Wittenberg's Old Town, but I did see a trio of Bearded Collies like our dog Maggie (see top photo) and a pair of large hairy dogs that were guarding the entrance to a clothing store while their owner shopped inside.

Bicycling

Wittenberg is at the hub of two major bike trails in Germany:  the European Bicycle Route R1 from France's Atlantic coast to St. Petersburg, Russia and the Elbe Bicycle Path from the estuary above Hamburg to the river's source in the Czech Republic.

Several hotels in Wittenberg offer free bike storage for cyclists, and tourist businesses throughout the Wittenberg region cater to two-wheeled travelers.

Back to: Lutherstadt Wittemberg travel guide