Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany

Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the former residence and university town of Saxony, was due to the work of Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon and others, the cradle of the Reformation, which began there with Luther's 95 theses in 1517. The largely undestroyed city in Saxony-Anhalt can still come up with the city church, the castle church with theses door, the Lutherhaus, the Melanchthonhaus, Cranachhöfe and other buildings with original scenes of the life and work of the reformers. The sites of the Reformation are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

 

Wittenberg, strategically located on a crossing of the Elbe, has been the residential city of the dukes and electors of Saxony-Wittenberg since the 13th century. This title passed to the House of Wettin in 1422 when the Saxon Ascanians died out. As the residence of one of seven electors in the Holy Roman Empire, Wittenberg, supported by a university, was in a prominent position, comparable in status to Heidelberg and Prague. Even after the partition of Saxony, Wittenberg remained the residence of the Ernestine princes who held the electoral dignity.

Against this background, the theses of the Wittenberg theology professor Martin Luther against the sale of indulgences and the splendor of the Roman Church had weight. Under the protective hand of Elector Friedrich the Wise, the Reformation, which began as an academic dispute, was able to spread across Germany. The golden years of Wittenberg followed: the university where Luther and Melanchthon taught, registered enormous popularity - almost every second student in Germany at the time also studied in Wittenberg. The city was buzzing because the students brought a lot of money into the city. Book printing and publishing flourished, the patrician and painter family Cranach supplied the young Protestant church with paintings.

The loss of the electoral dignity to the cousins ​​of the Albertine line of the Wettins in Dresden in 1547 ushered in the gradual decline of the city and university, at the beginning of the 17th century the Thirty Years' War did the rest. Wittenberg also lost its leading position scientifically. In the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), Wittenberg was initially conquered by Prussian troops. After several days of siege in October 1760, Wittenberg was captured by the Imperial Army, the army of the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire. The damage caused by this siege, which was associated with massive fire, was to remain the worst war damage in Wittenberg to this day. For example, the castle with the castle church and the original thesis door were lost.

On Napoleon's I order, the city was restored as a fortress in 1813 under Marshal Victor. Blocked by Lieutenant General von Kleist's corps from March 26th to April 20th, it was surrounded by Bülow's corps after the battle of Dennewitz (September 6th) and stormed in the night of January 12th to 13th, 1814. It later developed into an industrial location. Lutherstadt Wittenberg is today the district town of the district of the same name. The Luther memorials have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

 

Sights

Lutherstadt Wittenberg is one of the most visited cities in the federal state and is also internationally known. The largely preserved historic old town within the former belt of fortifications has retained its historical charm with its numerous Renaissance buildings and the original workplaces of the reformers and scenes of the Reformation. Luther House, Melanchthon House, City Church and Castle Church are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg.

 

Churches

1 Castle Church, Castle Square (access via the castle courtyard and a visitor center). Tel.: +49(0)3491-402585, e-mail: schlosskirche@kirche-wittenberg.de Built by the Saxon Elector Frederick the Wise in 1489-1509 on the foundations of an older church as a palace and university church; To the north is the door on which Luther is said to have nailed his famous 95 theses on October 31, 1517. Inside the graves u.a. of Luther, Melanchthon and the Electors Frederick the Wise and John the Steadfast. The church and the theses door were destroyed in 1760 and restored in the 19th century or rebuilt as the Hall of Fame of the Reformation. Interior from the 19th century. With statues and portrait medallions of reformers, coats of arms of Protestant territories and cities. Open: Easter-Oct: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11:30am-6pm, Nov-Easter until 4pm. Price: 2€ (3.50€ combined with Castle Church), guided tours 4€, limited possibility to climb the tower.

2 City Church of St. Marien, church square The oldest surviving building in Wittenberg, today's appearance from around 1450. In this church, at Christmas 1521, the Protestant communion was served for the first time in both forms. After an iconoclasm in 1522, the interior decoration dates from the years after the Reformation. Reformation altar by both Lukas Cranach 1547, with triptych depicting the sacraments of communion, baptism and confession. There are other Cranach paintings in the church, e.g. the boar epitaph (vineyard). Abusive inscription and relief ("Judensau") on the outside of the south-east corner. The two striking towers house a tower dwelling that was inhabited until 1945. Open: visitors Easter-October daily 10:00-18:00, Sun 11:30-18:00, Nov-Easter Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00, Sun 11:30-18:00. Price: €2 for single travelers (€3.50 combined with Castle Church), daily 3:00 p.m. tours €4.

3 Corpus Christi Chapel Small Gothic chapel right next to the town church.

4 Christ Church The third church, which characterizes the larger cityscape of Wittenberg, is in Kleinwittenberg, outside the old town. Neo-Renaissance and historicism, 19th century

5 Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Mayor Street. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 628 58 10 Yes, they exist. Also in Wittenberg. It's hardly bigger than a town house and almost run over by the mall's nearby parking garage, but it's there. The Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. Simple neo-Gothic brick building from the first half of the 19th century.

 

Castles and palaces

1 Residenzschloss, Schlossplatz 1 With the associated castle church of All Saints. Built from 1490 to 1525 as a residence for Elector Frederick the Wise on the foundations of the old Ascanian castle in Renaissance style. No longer needed as a residence since 1547, it had various uses, widows' residence, seat of state administrations or the military. After being destroyed in the Seven Years' War in 1760, it was only partially or simplified rebuilt. Another renovation was completed in 2017. The castle houses the preachers' seminary. On the mezzanine floor next to the visitor center are some rooms with exhibition boards on the history of the Reformation.

 

Buildings

2 Lutherhaus (see museums for location), Collegienstraße 54 Established in 1504 as an Augustinian monastery for monks who helped set up the newly founded university, including Martin Luther from 1508 at times and since 1511 permanently. After the monastery was dissolved in 1521, it was the residence and from 1524 it was the private residence of the Luther family, who sold it to the university after Luther's death. The university changed the interior of the building with the exception of the living room. After the university was closed in the 19th century, it was converted into a Reformation museum. Open: see museums.
3 Augusteum, Collegienstraße 54 Extension building of the university built in 1582 towards the street. Today used for changing exhibitions. Open: dep. from the respective exhibition.
4 Melanchthon House (see museums for location), Collegienstraße 60 Considered one of the most beautiful town houses in Wittenberg and was the residence of Philipp Melanchthon and his family. Open: see museums.
5 Leucorea, Collegienstraße 62 University founded in 1502. After the university was closed in 1815, the aging building was converted into infantry barracks. Today used by the Leucorea - foundation under public law at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg for conferences, seminars and research. Open: Courtyard freely accessible; Building not public.
6 Town Hall, Markt 26 Town hall built between 1523 and 1543 in the Renaissance style, which emulates the castle in size and shape and manifests the civic pride of the citizens who have become wealthy through residence, university and the Reformation. Today i.a. Exhibition rooms of the Christian Art Foundation (see exhibitions).
7 Cranach farms
8 former Franciscan monastery.
9 Armory InfoEdit (see Museums).
10 Luther-Melanchthon-Gymnasium (Hundertwasser School) The only school in Germany that was rebuilt according to the plans of the late architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

 

Monuments

11 Martin Luther memorial, market place Bronze statue by Gottfried Schadow erected in 1821 with canopy by Schinkel; Luther larger than life with an open Bible in his hand. At that time the first statue of a non-nobleman in Germany.
12 Melanchthon Monument, Market. With scroll of the Augsburg Confession in hand.
13 Bugenhagen monument (on the church square).
14 Katharina von Bora monument (in front of the Luther House).

 

Museums

15 Lutherhaus, Collegienstrasse 54, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: (0)3491 4203118, e-mail: lutherhaus@martinluther.de Built as an Augustinian monastery in 1504, Luther lived here as a monk from 1508 with interruptions, since 1511 permanently. After the monastery was dissolved and Luther founded a family in 1525, Elector Johann donated the house to Luther for private ownership. Luther lived here until his death, followed by his heirs for about 20 years. Then use and conversion by the university, since 1815 gradual conversion to a memorial. The living room is largely original, otherwise a museum on the history of the Reformation and the life and work of Luther. Outstanding objects are the wooden pulpit from the town church, painting of the 10 commandments panel by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Ä., Luther's imperial letter to Charles V. (Unesco World Document Heritage) Open: Apr-Oct: daily 10:00-18:00; Nov-Mar: Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00. Price: Admission €8, reduced €6, students €5, family ticket €14, combined ticket for Melanchthonhaus and Lutherhaus €10.
16 Melanchthonhaus, Collegienstrasse 60, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 4203110, fax: +49 (0)3491 4203270, e-mail: melanchthonhaus@martinluther.de With an exhibition about the reformer Philipp Melanchthon, who lived and died in this house. The university constructed the building for Melanchthon in 1536 to tie him to Wittenberg. Open: Apr-Oct: daily 10:00-18:00; Nov-Mar: Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00. Price: Admission €6, reduced €4, family ticket €14, combination ticket for Melanchthonhaus and Lutherhaus for €10.

The Cranach farms are the domains of Lucas Cranach the Elder. and his descendants.
17 Cranach's World, Markt 4, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491-420 1911, email: cranach-hoefe@t-online.de. Multimedia and descriptive exhibition on Cranach's diverse work as a painter, printer, pharmacist, businessman, entrepreneur, on his paintings and their creation, painting techniques, color mixtures. Open: daily 10am-5pm, Sun 1pm-5pm, Nov-Apr: closed Mondays. Price: Admission €5, reduced €4.

In the Cranach-Hof Schloßstraße 1 you can visit a historic printing room Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm.
18 House of History, Schloßstraße 6, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg The museum gives an insight into life in the GDR. Open: Tue-Fri 11:00-17:00, Sat, Sun, public holidays 10:00-17:00. Price: adults €8.00, reduced €6.00, families (2+2) €20.00.
19 Museum of City History, Arsenalplatz, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 43 24 455 New museum, which is located in the armory. You can see archival and town history collections as well as natural history and ethnological collections by Julius Riemer. Price: €7 (entire Museum of the Municipal Collections and the monastery church).
20 Asisi Panometer (Luther 1517), Lutherstraße 42, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 6434-700, email: info@wittenberg360.de. In the absence of a gasometer, the 360-degree Wittenberg panorama by the panorama painter Yadegar Asisi, which shows Wittenberg during Luther's time, is housed in a functional building until 2024. Open: daily 10:00-18:00, last admission 17:30. Price: adults €13.00, reduced €11.00, children (6-16 years) €6.00, families (2+3) €29.00.
21 Futurea, Markt 25, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 432700. Interactive science center with vivid chemical experiments to present the Czech Agrofert group, which also owns the nitrogen works in Piesteritz. Housed in an exemplary renovated Renaissance house. Open: Apr-Oct: daily 10:00-18:00, Nov-Mar: Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00. Price: adults €6.00, pupils, trainees, students €3.00, families (2+2) €15.00.

 

Parks

Wittenberg's surroundings are extremely green. The Fläming mountain range borders the city to the north, and the Elbe-Elster region to the east. The Dübener Heide is now a nature park and is located south of Lutherstadt.

The former belt of fortifications around the old town has been preserved as a green corridor that completely encloses the old town and offers a quiet oasis with its ponds and tall trees.
Luther Garden In the former belt of fortifications, between the castle and the Elbtor, laid out since 2009, in which 500 trees from churches from all over the world were planted by 2017 to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and were to form the Luther rose from the air. The 500 trees came together, but are also in front of the New Town Hall and the Luther House. Open: freely accessible.
Alaris Butterfly Park Wittenberg (west of Wittenberg). 700 to 750 butterflies live in the butterfly house. Open: Apr-Sep: daily 10:00-17:00, Oct-01-05. Nov: 10:00-16:00. Price: adults €9.90, pupils, students €6.50, children (3 years - 1.45 m) €5.50.
The city forest is about 5km away from the city center.

 

Various

Luther Oak In the east of the old town, east of the former Elster Gate, i.e. outside the medieval city, you will find the Luther Oak at the site where Martin Luther burned the Pope's bull of excommunication in 1520. The original tree was felled by the French in 1813. The current one was planted in 1830. Open: freely accessible.
tube water. The mediaeval city was supplied with water via open channels, which were uncovered again as a design element in the course of the streets of Coswiger Strasse and Schlossstrasse and on the market square when the pedestrian zone was laid out. In these flowed collected streams, which at the same time received waste water. Even at that time, this was not reasonable for everyone, so that some patrician families put together money for their own water supply from a spring north of the city. The water was (and is) brought into the city in wooden tubes (hence the name) and had outlets in a dozen or so private properties (you can still see them at Beyerhof Markt 5, Cranachhof Schlosstr. 1, or Weberhof (Schlossstr. 10). ). There are also Röhrwasser fountains in the courtyard of the Luther and Melanchthon Houses; both received their connection as a gift. Public fountains are located at the Holzmarkt, among other places. The water is of the same good quality and can be enjoyed without hesitation good quality of the water for almost 500 years, but in the lack of monitoring of this oldest water supply still in operation in Central Europe.

 

What to do

Theater and cinema

Central cinema Wittenberg, Sternstrasse 12/13, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg.
summer cinema events. On the Cranach farms in the open air.
Clack Theater, Markt 1, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Small travesty variety show in the heart of the city

 

Bathing lakes and swimming pools

The Elbe meadows outside the city also invite you to sunbathe in summer.

 

Events

The city regularly celebrates the Luther wedding on the second weekend in June to commemorate the marriage between Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora in 1525. The festival, one of the largest street festivals in Central Germany with a medieval market, concerts and a parade, runs from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening. Parts of the city center are cordoned off and, as an event area, can only be entered with an admission ticket (an embossed porcelain medallion). Admission €10 (2018).

Guides
There is a wide range of guided tours in Wittenberg, some elaborately staged and with colorful historical costumes. Guided tours are aimed at both groups and individual tourists. The tourist information provides an overview.

 

Getting here

By plane
Lutherstadt Wittenberg is located roughly in the middle between Berlin Brandenburg Airport (IATA: BER) and Leipzig/Halle Airport (IATA: LEJ). Wittenberg can be reached by rail from both airports every hour.

By train
Lutherstadt Wittenberg Hauptbahnhof is a long-distance stop on the route Berlin - Leipzig or Halle. ICE and IC trains to Berlin, Hamburg, Stralsund/Binz, Leipzig, Munich and Frankfurt/Main stop there. The names drifted for a long time. Officially, it has been the "main" station since December 2016. On land and colloquially it has long been referred to as such. The access road is called Am Hauptbahnhof, which is also what many signs call it.

There is a RE connection from Berlin Hauptbahnhof every two hours. Trains run every two hours from Leipzig (S 2) and Halle (S 8) via Bitterfeld. In addition, a regional train runs every hour in the direction of Annaburg or Falkenberg (Elster) and to Dessau. Rail traffic towards Bad Schmiedeberg is limited to a few weekends in summer.

Wittenberg Hauptbahnhof is about one to one and a half kilometers east of the city centre. The new reception building was opened on December 9, 2016, the second climate-neutral one in Germany. Travelers will find a bakery, a newsagent, a Deutsche Bahn information desk, toilets and charging facilities for mobile phones (USB). The surroundings of the train station were redesigned for the Reformation anniversary, creating Park+Ride areas and charging stations for e-bikes and electric cars.

Lutherstadt Wittenberg main station, Am Hauptbahnhof 1, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Other stops are:
Lutherstadt Wittenberg-Altstadt stop. Located on the route to Dessau, with hourly regional trains. The train station is just a few hundred meters south of the old town and offers parking for cars and bicycle boxes.
Lutherstadt Wittenberg-Piesteritz stop. Also located on the route to Dessau. It is located on the north-east edge of the Piesteritz factory settlement and can therefore be of interest to visitors. Attention: The Piesteritz station, which was newly set up in August 2015, is on Pestalozzistraße and replaces the Wittenberg-West and Piesteritz stations still shown on the city maps, where trains no longer stop.

Other stops for local trains are Wittenberg-Labetz on the route to Falkenberg and Pratau on the route to Bitterfeld.

By bus
Long-distance buses do not go to Wittenberg (as of August 2018).

Regional buses to the surrounding area have their hub on the west side of the main station.

On the street
The A 9 (Berlin-Munich) passes the city about 15 km away. Relevant descents are symbol: AS 6 Klein Marlehns, symbol: AS 7 Köselitz and symbol: AS 8 Coswig. The latter exit takes you to the B 187, which leads through Wittenberg and crosses the B 2 Berlin-Leipzig there.

Wittenberg is located on the Fürstenstraße of the Wettins.

By boat
Due to its direct location on the Elbe, Lutherstadt Wittenberg has two landing stages for passenger shipping. Trips with the MS Lutherstadt Wittenberg are offered from the UNESCO biosphere reserve Middle Elbe. The Elbhafen pier is located behind the Elbe industrial park (near the OBI hardware store). River cruises also land here. The Kleinwittenberg pier on An der Elbe Street serves river cruises.

By bicycle
Wittenberg is a hub for several national and international long-distance cycle routes:
Coming from the source, the Elbe cycle path (also D10) leads to Wittenberg on the north-eastern side of the river bank. Further west, however, there are two variants of the cycle path, one on each side of the river.
the Europaradweg R1 (also known as D3 in Germany), coming from North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony across Germany, leads from the Harz Mountains to Wittenberg and then on to Berlin.
the EuroVelo route 7 runs on the same route as the R1 coming from Berlin, parallel to the Elbe cycle path further south, via Prague to Austria and right through Italy
the Berlin-Leipzig cycle path

On foot
The Saxony-Anhalt Luther Trail begins and ends in Wittenberg at the Lutherhaus on Collegienstraße and leads westwards out of the city center via the Collegien-/Schlossstraße street, then uses the underpass under the railway and leads together with the Elberadweg via Piesteritz in the direction of Coswig. From the other direction, the Luther Trail reaches the city via the Elbe Bridge.

 

Get around

The old town, which is important for tourism, is compact and easy to explore on foot. Medieval cat cobblestones lie in parts of Old Town, a high-heel killer.

There are three bus routes in the city of Wittenberg. Other bus lines with stops in the city area run to the surrounding area. The central transfer point for bus and train passengers is the bus station at the station forecourt with direct barrier-free access to the main station. For visitors, urban transport is of limited importance as walking is not a problem due to the relatively small size of the Old Town, where most of the sights and hotels are concentrated, and the flat terrain. In addition, the buses only run during off-peak hours and on weekends if requested in advance (so-called Rufbus) by phone: (0)800 0366910 or fax +49 (0)3494 3842160, or email: wb@anrufbus.net. There is no transport association with the train.

 

Shopping

The main shopping streets in the old town are the streets Schlossstrasse and Coswiger Strasse between the palace and the market, with restrictions also their eastern continuation Collegienstrasse and Jüdenstrasse up to Neustrasse. There are mostly small shops with a mixed range of clothing (at least in the sixth generation at the Schneider department store), shoes, handicrafts, souvenirs, bookselling, antiques and everyday goods, some retail chains, some owner-managed shops.

The focus of products and souvenirs typical of the region is everything that starts with Luther..., regardless of its physical state: Lutherbrodt, Luthernudeln, Luther socks (here I stand..., even in Arabic), Luther liqueur, Luther roses, the selection expanded even further up to the Luther Year 2017.

The usual mix of chain stores is concentrated in the Arsenal, a two-storey shopping mall in the north of the old town. The mall hides behind facades that try not to overwhelm the historical surroundings. However, the mall itself, which stretches over three blocks between Jüdenstrasse, Burgerstrasse and Mauerstrasse, overwhelms the surrounding shopping streets, which is why the construction was highly controversial in the city until it opened in 2012, and in some cases still is.

Large-scale retailers with food, hardware and furniture stores can be found on the arterial roads to the north (B 2 towards Potsdam) and west (B 187 towards Piesteritz).

 

Eat

Wittenberg specialties are the Wittenberg Kuckucksbier (a dark beer), the Wittenberg Quarkkrempel, bacon cake and the Luther bread.

Cheap
1 Culinela, Mittelstrasse 16, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49(03491) 4591142, E-Mail: delicious@culinela.de. Soups, simple snacks, cakes. Good value for money. Open: Mon-Fri 11-18, Sat, Sun 12-18.
2 Café Klatschmohn, Kirchplatz 9, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491) 506650, fax: +49(0)3491 506650, e-mail: info@klatschmohn.de. small freshly prepared snacks and cakes. Open: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on Tuesdays.
3 Witten Burger, Markt 15, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel: +49(0)3491) 8763113. All kinds of burgers, freshly made.

Medium
4 Athos, Am Alten Bahnhof 1, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel: +49(0)3491 414080. Greek restaurant.
5 Brauhaus, Markt 6, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg (customer car park at Wallstraße 7 at the back of the building). Tel.: +49(0)3491 433134. Restaurant in the historic patrician courtyard ("Beyerhof") with accommodation in a rustic ambience. Own brewery in the guest room, with guided tours on request. Hearty German cuisine, beer garden in the courtyard in summer, popular with locals and tourists alike. Open: daily from 9 a.m. until evening.
6 Castello, Schlossstrasse 3, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel: +49(0)3491 414547. Standard Italian.
7 Hofwirtschaft, Schloßstraße 1, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg (in the Cranach-Hof). Phone: +49(0)3491 459682, email: info@hofwirtschaft.de. In addition to the food offer very delicious cakes and tarts. Open: during the week only from 2 p.m., Sat./Sun. from 12, closed on Mondays.
8 cabin 7, Dessauer Strasse 93, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49(0)3491 6953500.
9 Mediterraneo, Schloßstrasse 33, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel: +49(0)3491 480960. Greek and Italian cuisine.
10 Taj Mahal, Coswiger Strasse 24, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel: +49(0)3491 505110. Indian cuisine; praised. Open: 11-23.
11 Wittenberg Potato House, Schlossstrasse 2, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49(0)3491) 411290. solid good and inexpensive home cooking in a rustic atmosphere. Usually very full, so book in advance. Open: daily 11 a.m. to midnight.
12 Markt 9, Markt 9, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 671 9336. Upscale cuisine in a bistro ambience. Open: from 10 a.m. (Sun. from 1130).
Restaurant von Bora, Collegienstrasse 54a, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 3491 628 6565. Modern German cuisine with Mediterranean influences. Open: Mon: Closed, Tue+Sun: 11:00-18:00, Wed-Sat: 11:00-23:00.

Upscale
13 Alte Canzley, Schlossplatz 3-5, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: (0)3491 429190, Fax: (0)3491 429310, Email: info@alte-canzley.de. The flagship of Wittenberg's gastronomy (and hotel industry) with ambitious cuisine is located directly opposite the Castle Church in historic walls, which presidents and queens occasionally visit. Open: daily 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

 

Nightlife

Club Velvet (in the Piesteritz industrial area). One of the city's trendy clubs at the weekend.
Flower Power, Mayor Street 21. Price: free entry.
Bittersweet (near the castle). Stylish cafe and bar.

 

Hotels

Camping
1 Marina-Camp-Elbe, Brückenkopf 1, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg (on the left side of the Elbe opposite the old town). Phone: +49 (0)3491 4540, fax: +49 (0)3491 454199, email: info@marina-camp-elbe.de.
2 Youth Hostel, Schlossstrasse 14-15, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 505205, Tel. toll-free: +49 (0)3491 505206, email: wittenberg@jugendherberge.de . Cheap accommodation right in the courtyard of the castle.
3 Hostel Wittenberg, Hallesche Strasse 32, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Mobile: +49 (0)151 58160290, email: info@hostel-wittenberg.de.

Medium
4 Hotel Acron, Am Hauptbahnhof 3, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 43320, fax: +49 (0)3491 433219, email: info@wittenberg-acron.de. 62 rooms with a desk, flat screen TV, bathroom with shower. Free WiFi and bar in the foyer. Check-in: 3:00 p.m. Check-out: 11:00 a.m. Price: single room from €55, double room from €75.
5 Luther Hotel, Neustrasse 7-10, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 4580, fax: +49 (0)3491 458100, e-mail: info@luther-hotel-wittenberg.de . 159 rooms, free WiFi, sauna for a fee, parking for a fee, restaurant. Check-in: 3:00 p.m. Check-out: 10:00 a.m.
6 Ringhotel Schwarzer Baer, Schlossstrasse 2, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 4204344, fax: +49 (0)3491 4204345, e-mail: info@schwarzer-baer-wittenberg.de . Check-in: 3:00 p.m. Check-out: 11:00 a.m.
7 Wittenberg Brewery, Markt 6, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 433130, fax: +49 (0)3491 433131, e-mail: info@brauhaus-wittenberg.de . When arriving by car with navigation devices, use “Wallstraße 7” as the destination. Price: single room from €75, double room from €95.
8 Cranach Hostel, Schlossstrasse 1, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 698195, email: info@cranach-herberge.de. The Cranach hostel is located in the former home of the Cranach family of painters, see for example Lucas Cranach the Younger, and has 26 individually furnished rooms on 3 floors. Attention: no elevator! Feature: pension. Price: single room from €65, double room from €90.
9 Hotel-Pension Am Schwanenteich, Töpferstrasse 1, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 402807, fax: +49 (0)3491 459440, e-mail: kontakt@wittenberg-schwanenteich.de . Feature: pension. Price: single room from €45, double room from €88.

Upscale
10 Alte Canzley, Schlossplatz 3-5, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 429190, fax: +49 (0)3491 429310, e-mail: info@alte-canzley.de. Traditional house directly at the castle church with 9 rooms. Bathroom partly with bathtub. Price: Single room from €80, double room from €95.
11 Best Western Stadtpalais, Collegienstrasse 56/57, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 4250, fax: +49 (0)3491 425100, e-mail: info@stadtpalais.bestwestern.de. Hotel with 80 rooms. Check-in: 3:00 p.m. Check out: 12:00 p.m.

 

Learn

Seminary. Opened in 1817 to replace the recently closed university. Here prospective pastors are prepared for their work in the form of a postgraduate college. After its completion in 2017, it will use the Wittenberg Castle
The building of the Luther-Melanchthon-Gymnasium as a Hundertwasser school is interesting (see Sights). The school itself is up to standard.

 

Work

The nitrogen works Piesteritz GmbH is a chemical company in the Piesteritz district of Wittenberg. It is one of the 50 largest companies in Central Germany. At the location in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the only agro-chemical park in Germany, around 1,500 employees work on 220ha in over 30 companies. As in large parts of Saxony-Anhalt, there is still persistently high unemployment in Wittenberg; accordingly, employment opportunities are poor. Temporary jobs are most likely to be found in gastronomy. Due to a certain imbalance between an international audience and insufficient knowledge of foreign languages, which is particularly noticeable in the service area, multilingualism is a decisive advantage.

 

Security

1 Wittenberg Police Station, Juristenstrasse 13a, 06886 Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 4690.
2 Water Protection Police Station, Dessauer Str. 6A, 06886 Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 611765.

 

Health

Hospitals
1 Evangelical Hospital Paul Gerhardt Stift, Paul-Gerhardt-Strasse 42-45, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 50-3000, +49 (0)3491 50-2770, +49 (0)3491 50-2772 (emergency phone), fax: +49 (0)3491 50-3100.
2 Alexian Clinic Bosse Wittenberg, Hans-​Lufft-Strasse 5, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 4760, Fax: +49 (0)3491 476372.

Pharmacies
3 Lucas Cranach Pharmacy, Schloßstrasse 1, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 402002. Open: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
4 Carat Pharmacy, Teucheler Weg 2, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491-409282, fax: +49 (0)3491-409283, e-mail: carat-apotheke@web.de. Open: Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sat 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
5 Pharmacy at Collegienhof, Collegienstr. 74, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Tel.: +49 (0)3491 49690, Fax: +49 (0)3491 496925. Open: Mon – Fri 7.30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sat 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
6 Stern Pharmacy, Sternstrasse 89, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 401556, fax: +49 (0)3491 432576, email: info@stern-apotheke-wittenberg.de. Open: Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

 

Practical hints

Tourist Information, Schlossplatz 2, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Phone: +49 (0)3491 498610, fax: +49 (0)3491 498611, email: info@lutherstadt-wittenberg.de. Open: January to March from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; April to October daily from 09:00 to 18:00; November and December from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

A post office is located at Wilhelm-Weber-Str. 1, on the eastern edge of the old town.

 

Geography

Geographical location
Wittenberg is located in the north German lowlands in eastern Saxony-Anhalt. The city center and most of the urban area are located on the north bank of the Elbe. Today's surface appearance is the result of the older glacial period and the glaciation of the Saale, and therefore the Wittenberg urban area bears the characteristics of an old moraine landscape. Wittenberg belongs to the area of the Breslau-Magdeburg glacial valley, which is bordered here in the north by the Fläming and in the south by the sandy areas of the Dübener Heide. The average altitude is 75 m above sea level. NHN.

In terms of landscape, the city is counted as part of the southern Fläming and with the incorporations south of the Elbe (Pratau, Seegrehna) as part of the Elbe floodplain. North of the city there are extensive pine forests, while south of the city the Elbe meadows are flat and unwooded. To the west of the city, the Middle Elbe biosphere reserve stretches down the Elbe to Schönebeck. The Black Elster flows 16 river kilometers east of the Wittenberg level and the Mulde flows 46 river kilometers west into the Elbe.

 

Climate

The city is located in the temperate climate zone. The average air temperature in Wittenberg is 9.1 °C, the annual precipitation is 533 millimeters (weather data 1982-2012).

The rain shadow of the Harz as an area of influence and the sandy surroundings of the city in the Fläming and the Dübener Heide have a significant influence on the climate of the city. The Elbe also forms a weather corridor as a climatic factor.

The storage of heat in the sandy sediment layers can lead to climatic phenomena. These were shown, among other things, by the effects of hurricane Kyrill, when in 2007 a tornado damaged a residential area in Wittenberg-West so severely within a few minutes that many apartments became uninhabitable. The origin of the hurricane was a sudden, heavy rainfall accompanied by a thunderstorm, which encountered warm air in the sandy sediment of the city in the area of the Piesteritz district. Tortoiseshells can also often be seen in the Wittenberg area. In 2002, a tornado (almost identical) damaged a shopping center and devastated an industrial area in the Teuchel district. So far, the personal injuries have always been within narrow limits.

 

History

The development of the city is closely linked to the politics of the Ascanians. After Bernhard von Sachsen received the dukedom of Saxony in 1180, his son Albrecht I inherited the area around Wittenberg and the dukedom of Saxony. According to a document dated September 11, 1227, his wife Helena of Saxony built a Franciscan monastery, which indicates a privileged position of the district with the Ascanians; the monastery belonged to the Saxon Franciscan Province (Saxonia). Her son Albrecht II, who ruled together with his brother Johann I von Sachsen-Lauenburg, had received the electoral dignity from his father-in-law Rudolf von Habsburg through his abdication. After about 20 years of unhappy reign, Johann I gave the government office to his sons in 1282 and appointed Albrecht II as guardian during the time they were minors; he himself entered the Franciscan monastery in Wittenberg and became its head (Guardian). He died there on July 30, 1285.

Since Albrecht II was constantly in Wittenberg, the place became his residence from Saxe-Wittenberg, and a dispute with the Saxe-Lauenburg line flared up. Wittenberg itself had developed from a district with farmers, craftsmen and merchants, favored by its convenient location, to a place with an existing community. To ensure the loyalty of his subjects, Albrecht II bestowed town rights on June 27, 1293 on Wittenberg. This created the conditions for a bourgeoisie to develop in Wittenberg.

The influence of the citizens of Wittenberg increased as a result of the further acquisition of rights, resulting in self-government, which was first documented in 1317 as a council. In 1332 the city gained lower jurisdiction and was thus able to give the developing trades of bakers, butchers, shoemakers and cloth makers a regulated and developed framework. This also includes the market right granted in 1354, the ferry regulations preserved in 1380, but also the permission to build city walls granted with the city law. The Hussites were able to besiege the city in 1429, but not take it.

Although the influence of the Ascanians in the city declined with the acquisition of convicts, they played an increasingly important role in imperial politics. Above all, Rudolf I led Saxe-Wittenberg from a duchy to a confirmed electorate in 1356 with a clever territorial policy. Thus Wittenberg attained the status of a capital of Electoral Saxony. However, this phase was not to last for long. With the death of Albrecht III. in 1422 the Ascanians lost the Saxon Electorate to the Wettins. With this, the status of an electoral residence also disappeared. Friedrich the Quarrelsome confirmed all of the rights acquired up to that point in Wittenberg and added higher jurisdiction in 1444, but Wittenberg initially continued to develop as a town of no particular importance. From 1451, his successor Frederick the Meek authorized the town to produce its own Heller in its Wittenberg mint.

Due to the division of Leipzig in 1485, the Wettins split into an Ernestine and an Albertine line. Although Ernst von Sachsen inherited the electoral dignity as an older brother, the university city of Leipzig and the main seat of government Meissen fell to Albrecht the Bold. Thus Elector Ernst was forced to choose new residence cities. Above all, Torgau, Weimar and Wittenberg, at that time the most populous of the three cities mentioned, developed into centers of his rule. When the Elector died, Wittenberg's expansion of the residence had hardly progressed: the old castle of the Ascanians had fallen into disrepair, butcher's shops were housed in the building that preceded today's town hall, and the existing sacred buildings were not very representative.

Residence expansion under Elector Frederick the Wise (1486–1525)
Wittenberg's heyday began in 1486 when the Ernestine Elector Frederick III, known as the Wise, took office. Thanks to the rich income from silver mining in the Ore Mountains, Friedrich III. about the financial resources for the architectural transformation of Wittenberg. Thanks to the founding of his residence and university, Wittenberg was ultimately able to rise to become an intellectual center of humanism and, as Martin Luther's place of activity, the focal point of the Reformation. Wittenberg's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site dates mainly from this period. According to the elector's requirements, the city should be able to compete with Meissen's Albrechtsburg, the seat of the Albertine line.

Frederick moved the electoral residence to Wittenberg for three reasons: First, a historical reference to the old capital of the Ascanian Electorate of Saxony-Wittenberg (1365–1423) was intended to legitimize his rule. Secondly, the geographic location of Wittenberg between Halle an der Saale and Magdeburg, the two main residences of the Magdeburg archbishops, made it possible to exert political and strategic control over the archbishopric of Magdeburg. So it was possible in 1489 to appoint Frederick's brother Ernst II of Saxony as archbishop in Magdeburg. The family closeness to Friedrich guaranteed the security of the individual sovereign territories in Central Germany, some of which were not connected to one another. Thirdly, Wittenberg was located on an important waterway with the Elbe.

From 1490, the elector had the wooden Elbe bridge built in 1487 strategically secured with the construction of a new, three-winged Renaissance palace. This brought Frederick III. the southern entrance of the city under his control. The bridge replaced a previous building that had been destroyed by heavy ice in 1428. Until the new construction, ferries had maintained the traffic, because grain, wine, wood and herring were shipped from northern Germany to Bohemia via the Elbe. Although Wittenberg was not a major trading town, traders had to unload their goods at the bridge, put them up for sale in the town and pay duty to the elector before they were allowed to continue their journey.

Since the conversion of the old Askanierburg would have been too expensive, Friedrich III. remove them in 1489, which is why nothing is known about their appearance today. The construction of the new Renaissance palace proved to be a logistical challenge: sandstone had to be laboriously brought in from Pirna, limestone from Magdeburg and other stone material from the old castle in Torgau, which was also in the process of being demolished. The timber came from the Dübener Heide and from Tetschen in what is now the Czech Republic, where the construction workers had to tow against the current of the Elbe in order to even get to the mining area. Low water or ice on the Elbe often threatened the progress of their work. The south-western wing of the palace with the residential tower of Frederick the Wise was the first to be built. The first interior work began there as early as 1492/1493, but little is known about it. The wood paneling and canvases of the castle there were probably designed by the court painter Lucas Cranach the Elder. Unfortunately, the southwest wing with its strong walls also formed part of the city fortifications, so that later in the Seven Years' War it had to withstand heavy artillery fire. The central west wing with the north-west tower, where Frederick's brother and successor John the Steady lived, was built next. The east wing and the castle church were built as the last part of the castle complex. By 1509 the construction of the palace and palace church was essentially complete.

The palace church served both as a repository for Frederick's collection of relics, the so-called Wittenberg sanctuary, and as a burial place for the Ernestine electors. On every second Sunday after Easter, the elector had his relics displayed to the pilgrims in public. According to the understanding of the late Middle Ages, believers received a remission of punishment for sins if they looked at the relics and made a donation. In the so-called Wittenberg Heiltumsbücher of 1509, which were distributed throughout the Holy Roman Empire by printing, Lucas Cranach recorded a total of 5005 relics from the Castle Church in 119 wood engravings. The pilgrims should be able to buy 501,300 days of forgiveness of sins. Even after Martin Luther's theses were posted, Frederick continued to increase his collection to prevent his Saxon subjects from spending their money on pilgrimage sites outside the country. At the same time, the castle church was an expression of the deep piety of Frederick III. Through his donations, 8,994 masses were celebrated in the castle church and 81 clerics were employed. He had the church equipped with Venetian panes and 20 altars. In the tower of the Castle Church there was a chamber belonging to Frederick, which led up to the church gallery via a staircase. In 1525 he was to be buried in the castle church, as was Elector Johann in 1532.

Since 1509, the fortifications of Wittenberg have also been renewed and expanded. However, the essentials in this area only happened after Frederick's reign, when a military conflict with Emperor Charles V became increasingly apparent.

Since the Ernestine Electorate of Saxony had no longer had its own state university since the division of Leipzig in 1485, Friedrich III. a university in Wittenberg in 1502. The corresponding deed of foundation dated July 6, 1502, with which the Roman-German king and later Emperor Maximilian I confirmed the foundation, is a novelty, because previously either only the Pope or Emperor and Pope together had given permission to found a university. The imperial seal of the University of Wittenberg referred to the sovereign. It shows the portrait of Frederick III. with the Latin signature: "ME AVSPICE CEPIT WITENBERG DOCERE" (Under my protection Wittenberg began to teach). Papal recognition did not come until June 20, 1507. Nevertheless, the sovereign protection of the elector prevented the church from having direct access to the university. These unusual freedoms made it possible for the institution to break away from medieval educational traditions in the spirit of humanistic intellectual currents. This new approach is due to the interest of Frederick III. understandable to train theologians, lawyers and doctors who were able to shape early modern statehood in administration and society. From then on, the electoral court became a center of attraction for creative forces. Other buildings such as the Fridericianum (old college) in 1503 as the university's first building and in 1504 the "Black Monastery" of the Augustinian hermits supported this trend; they shared three professorships with the Franciscans, who were also resident in Wittenberg. University operations required additional living space for teachers and students. Many residential buildings are being increased to accommodate the latter.

However, Wittenberg still lacked one attribute of the university town: Since the city, unlike the large commercial metropolises of Strasbourg, Augsburg and Nuremberg, did not have a financially strong bourgeoisie, book printing was initially of no importance. Only the in-house printing works founded by two university professors heralded the beginning of Wittenberg book printing. In 1508, the printer Johann Rhau-Gronenberg, who probably came from Grünberg in present-day Hesse, moved to Wittenberg. His workshop, housed in the Augustinian monastery, reproduced lecture texts for students. In the years 1513, 1515, 1516 and 1517 the theology professor and later reformer Martin Luther had texts printed here. However, the single-sheet printing of the 95 theses, Luther's polemic against the sale of indulgences, was not produced in Wittenberg, but by the printer Melchior Lotter the Elder in Leipzig. In the 1520s, Luther's literary activity prompted other printers to move to Wittenberg.

Martin Luther was called to the Saxon royal seat in 1508 by a founding professor at the University of Wittenberg, Johann von Staupitz. Luther was to continue his theological studies here. In contrast to Erfurt, where Luther had begun his studies and where 24,000 people already lived, Wittenberg still lacked a urban appearance. For this reason, Luther spoke very disparagingly about the city:

“The Wittenbergers live on the fringes of civilization; if they had settled a little further, they would have come into the midst of barbarism."
- Martin Luther

At the time of Luther only about 2000 people lived in Wittenberg. Apart from a few stone buildings such as churches and town houses, the roofs of most mud huts were often covered with straw. Between 1500 and 1550 only 54 new houses were built within the fortress ring. The gaps in the streets were only just beginning to close, for example between the market and the town church. Between Collegienstrasse and Mittelstrasse, smaller handicraft houses without backyards were built. Luther lived in the Augustinian monastery in Wittenberg for almost 40 years – from 1508, with a short break, until 1546. In the tower room there, for the first time in his life, he was able to work alone and unsupervised in his own room, which could even be heated. After the monastery was dissolved and Luther married in 1525, Elector Friedrich III. the building to the reformer and his family.

But also renowned artists such as Lucas Cranach the Elder were supported by the elector, one of the most important patrons of his time. In 1505 the painter entered the service of the Elector. Cranach had previously lived in Vienna, which was much larger. In order to keep the artist in provincial Wittenberg, Friedrich gave his court painter numerous perks: he paid him an annual salary of 100 guilders, which was ten times the income of a student. He was taken care of by the castle kitchen and received courtly clothing. The elector's support made Cranach so wealthy that in 1512 he was able to purchase a house at Markt 3 and 4, the nucleus of the later Cranach farms. However, the property quickly became too small for the growing family and the workshop, so Cranach moved to Schlossstraße 1. In 1522, however, the artist bought back his property at Markt 4 in order to use it for print production.

From 1517 onwards, the dissemination of Martin Luther's 95 theses in particular contributed to the fact that Wittenberg was able to exert a great deal of attraction on scholars and students. In 1518 the chair of the Greek language was established for the first time. Frederick III personally wanted to fill the professorship and wrote to the philosopher and diplomat Johannes Reuchlin for a recommendation. In the reply, Reuchlin praised the theologian, philosopher and poet Philipp Melanchthon. It is not known where Melanchthon first found accommodation. However, he probably moved to Collegienstraße 62 in 1520 or shortly after his marriage. The relatively small residential building there was described in the city register as "Bude" and had become so dilapidated by 1536 that Melanchthon had to tear it down. Under Frederick the Wise's second successor, Elector Johann Friedrich I, a representative new building with a garden was to be built at Collegienstraße 60. Since Melanchthon, as a mentor, had to take in and look after students in his house, he was not able to raise the necessary financing for the new building on his own. The elector contributed 500 guilders and the university 200 guilders. The building now known as the Melanchthon House was completed in October 1536. The financial support of the new elector was mainly to prevent the scholar from leaving Wittenberg. This would have meant an enormous loss of prestige for the electoral university.

 

Reformation

The beginning of the Reformation movement is generally considered to be the posting of Martin Luther's 95 theses on the entrance portal of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517. However, it is disputed whether the so-called posting of the theses actually took place. As early as 1961, the Catholic church historian Erwin Iserloh argued that Philipp Melanchthon was the first to mention a posting of theses. Melanchthon cannot have been an eyewitness to the event. At the time of Melanchthon's publication in 1546, Martin Luther was already dead. The supporters of the theses, on the other hand, point to the fact that the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg stipulated that calls for academic disputations be placed on church doors. The historian Daniel Jütte also came to the conclusion during his research that church doors played an important role as information boards in public spaces in Luther's time. Possibly putting up posters was so commonplace that Luther didn't mention them in his writings. However, posters, according to the historian, were more likely to be glued on with glue or sealing wax than hammered on, as Melanchthon claimed.

As the birthplace of the Reformation, Wittenberg gained further importance after Luther’s departure from the Roman Catholic Church with the burning of the papal canonical rights and the bull threatening excommunication Exsurge Domine by Pope Leo X in front of the Elstertor through the events of the Wittenberg movement. Wittenberg, which was jokingly referred to as the "Rome of the Protestants", provided decisive impetus for the entire world at the time.

Even though Wittenberg had to give up its function as the capital of Saxony to Torgau after the death of Frederick the Wise, its position as the center of the Reformation movement, with the Wittenberg Concord and the creation of the first Luther Bible, was retained. In order to meet the increasing demands of the growing population in the then territorially limited city, extensive construction work took place during this time. In 1526 work began again on expanding the fortifications. A new town hall and, in the late 16th century, a drinking water supply system, the Röhrwasser, were built. The Franciscans, who opposed the Reformation primarily at the instigation of the convent in Jüterbog, lost their convent in Wittenberg in 1535 after only one brother had lived there since 1530.

As a result of the Reformation movement, disputes arose that culminated in the Schmalkaldic War. This led to the Wittenberg capitulation, whereby Wittenberg, as the center of the Kurkreis, passed to the Albertine line of the Wettins. Since a consistory and before that a court court had developed during the Reformation, Wittenberg retained its importance for the Albertines. In the Electorate of Saxony and in the other Protestant countries, denominational disputes increasingly developed, with the Gnesio-Lutherans in particular asserting themselves and establishing Jena as the center of Lutheran orthodoxy, while the theologians around Philipp Melanchthon who remained in Wittenberg were referred to as "Philippists".

 

Witch Trials (1540–1674)

The reformer Martin Luther was convinced of the existence of the devil. Luther himself even believed that he was being persecuted personally by the devil. Thus the step to believe in witches was quickly taken for Luther. Although he did not organize witch hunts in Wittenberg, he actively called for the killing of alleged witches from the pulpit. In 1526 Luther proclaimed in the town church of Wittenberg:

"It is a most just law that sorceresses should be killed, for they do much harm, which is sometimes ignored... When you see such women, they have devilish forms, I have seen quite a few. That is why they are to be killed.”
- Martin Luther

With his sermons, Luther contributed to the fact that the persecution of witches began in Wittenberg as early as 1540: Prista Frühbottin was arrested by the electoral bailiff because she was accused of having poisoned the cattle on the pasture with the help of her son and two farmhands . In truth, a drought had killed the cattle. However, after the trial and torture, the accused were tied to oak stakes in the market square on June 29, 1540 and burned alive by the fire lit underneath. The artist and eyewitness, Lucas Cranach the Younger, made a woodcut of the pyre. The Wittenberg executioner Magnus Fischer was also suspected of having been in close contact with Prista Frühbottin. He was seized and sentenced to death by fire, executed in Eisleben on July 7, 1540. In Wittenberg, at least 21 people were affected by the persecution of witches between 1540 and 1674: Eight executions are attested, and 13 other procedures are documented, e.g. T. the outcome is not known. In connection with the trial of Prista Frühbottin, the surviving documents state that many others were arrested and convicted.

On October 30, 2013, the council of Lutherstadt Wittenberg declared a socio-ethical rehabilitation of the victims of the witch hunt.

 

17th and 18th centuries

At the beginning of the 17th century, names such as Daniel Sennert, Friedrich Taubmann and August Buchner attracted important students to the city, but this changed with the beginning of the Thirty Years' War. In order to be prepared for the demands of a military conflict, in 1626 the fortress walls and the fortress personnel were reinforced by able-bodied citizens. Although Wittenberg got off lightly during this time, the smaller towns in the area in particular suffered from arson. Its population sought refuge in the protective walls of the city. The lack of food, which was associated with the plague that was often rampant in the city, decimated the population, so that additional death books had to be created. Nevertheless, in 1637 the city was able to defend itself against the attacks of the Swedish general Johan Banér. When he did not reach his goal, he burned down Frederick the Wise's wooden bridge over the Elbe on January 17th.

The military actions and their consequences had an impact on the environment of the university. The brutalization of the people often led to clashes between the students and the mercenaries based in Wittenberg, which usually ended in blood. Therefore, at that time the Wittenberg executioners had their hands full. Added to this were the witch trials that began, resulting in a number of people dying in agony at the stake or scaffold on the Wittenberg market square. When academic life recovered a little, thanks in part to such important professors as Abraham Calov and Konrad Samuel Schurzfleisch, a certain economic recovery in the city was recognizable in the years that followed.

The city, which was again afflicted by the Northern War, quickly overcame the consequences of the Swedish occupation. Well-known students such as Anton Wilhelm Amo and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing testify to the attraction of Wittenberg. With the beginning of the Seven Years' War, Wittenberg was exposed to changing occupations, with the result that the Prussians regained possession of the fortified town on August 27, 1759. After the Prussian army had burned down the suburbs in order to have a clear field of fire, the city commander refused the city's capitulation to the imperial army in 1760. As a result, Wittenberg was shelled by the Imperial Army on October 13, 1760 in such a way that the castle and its church burned down completely. The Prussians capitulated. A large part of the houses were destroyed. The original thesis door had also fallen victim to the flames.

In 1764, the Saxon government revoked the fortress right for the severely damaged city. The construction work progressed slowly. It was not until August 6, 1770 that the Wittenberg Palace was reopened in late Baroque style. The Elbe bridge, which was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, was opened to traffic in 1787 after three years of construction. Students were no longer so drawn to the destroyed city. In 1795 the university had only 366 students.

 

19th century

After the combined Prussian-Saxon army was defeated by Napoleon at the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt on October 14, 1806, the Saxon Elector Friedrich August rendered homage and submission to the Emperor of the French. He made peace with him on December 11, 1806 and joined the Confederation of the Rhine. Thereupon Napoleon made Friedrich August King of Saxony. Since then, the Saxon king was an ally of Napoleon and supported the French emperor militarily. After Napoleon had visited Wittenberg on October 23, 1806, the city was rebuilt into a fortress on his orders. Wittenberg University was relocated to Bad Schmiedeberg, and the citizens of Wittenberg had to provide quarters for the French troops. As a result, Wittenberg became a French transit district, with the citizens having to pay for the supplies as usual. A total of 160,000 French moved through the city. 60,000 soldiers were constantly manning the site.

During the wars of liberation, Wittenberg again came into the public eye. General Lapoype, who was in command of Wittenberg on March 20, 1813, had the houses in the suburbs, the trees and fences surrounding the fortified town pulled down to 900 paces on April 6 to create a clear field of fire. After the Battle of Wartenburg, the attacks of the opposing allies on the fortress intensified, so that on September 25th the Prussians shelled the city most heavily. While the French commander in Torgau had capitulated, Lapoype refused for Wittenberg. In the city itself there was increasing poverty, the water supply was destroyed and food was rationed. Destruction, misery, misery, disease and hunger were the order of the day in the city due to the siege.

After the commander was once again offered to surrender on January 12, 1814, which he again declined, there was another intensive shelling from 12 noon to 1 am. During this period, 2477 cannon shots were fired at the city. Under the eyes of General von Tauentzien and Prince August of Prussia, as well as under the Prussian General von Dobschütz, the city was stormed after the cannonade at 1 a.m. After losing 100 men and 8 officers, the Prussians captured the city and imprisoned Lapoype in the castle basement. He also had great losses: while his troops were still 3,000 strong in October 1813, after the conquest only 2,000 men were still able to fight. 800 men were in the hospitals. On the same day the governor was taken to Tauentzien's headquarters in Coswig and interrogated there. As a result of these clashes, all 259 houses in the suburbs of Wittenberg and 37 houses in the city center were destroyed. 100,000 trees fell victim to Lapoype's firing range measures, including the Luther oak. Mortality was four times higher than usual since October 1813, reducing the city's population by a third.

By decision of the Congress of Vienna, three-fifths of the state of Saxony, including Wittenberg, fell to Prussia. In 1817 the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. the momentous decision to dissolve the Wittenberg University and to merge it with the Halle University. As a replacement, Wittenberg got a Protestant preacher seminary. In 1820, when the 26th Infantry Regiment moved in, Wittenberg became a garrison town. Wittenberg Castle was converted into barracks, and the old university building also had to make way for barracks.

Wittenberg experienced the process of change typical of that time as a fortress town. Schools and high schools continued to develop. With the opening of the first line of the Berlin-Anhalt Railway on August 28, 1841, Wittenberg received a connection to the German rail network. In 1847 a new Elbe bridge was handed over. The events of the March Revolution of 1848 also left their mark. Numerous political associations were founded, with conservative influence prevailing. After the first Evangelical Church Congress had taken place in the Castle Church, the Inner Mission was founded by Wichern at the second Church Congress in 1848, which is a forerunner of today's diaconal work.

On the cabinet order of Kaiser Wilhelm I of May 30, 1873, under the direction of Fritz Eunike, work began on June 11, 1873 to demolish the fortress walls around the city. Green areas were laid out on the site of the fortifications. In 1876 Wittenberg was connected to the telegraph line between Berlin and Halle, and in 1893 the city received a new post office building. The city's favorable traffic situation led to the quick settlement of companies, so that in 1894 the Westfälisch-Anhaltische Sprengstoff-Aktiengesellschaft had already settled with an explosives factory in what is now the district of Reinsdorf. Mechanical engineering, an iron foundry and a rubber plant also found a home in Wittenberg during this time.

A culture of remembrance of the Reformation period increasingly developed in Wittenberg. In 1821 the Luther monument in Wittenberg was inaugurated on the market square, in 1830 the Luther oak tree, which still stands today, was replanted, in 1858 a bronze theses door was donated to the castle church, in 1865 the Melanchthon monument was unveiled on the market square, from 1877 to 1883 a Reformation history museum was set up in the Luther house, on 31 August October 1892, in the presence of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the restored castle church was inaugurated and in 1894 the Bugenhagen monument was unveiled on the church square.

 

20th century

The industrial settlement trend that emerged in the 19th century continued in the 20th century. In 1906, today's Wikana factory began operations as the Kant chocolate factory. With the construction of the municipal power station, the continuous electrification of the city began. In 1915, a nitrogen plant was built in what is now Piesteritz, according to plans by Karl Janisch. The urban planners Paul Schmitthenner and Otto Rudolf Salvisberg were won over as part of this construction work, and they designed the Piesteritz factory settlement, which is now a listed building.

The more Wittenberg developed into an industrial city, the more the domestic political events in Germany, such as the shortage of World War I, the consequences of the November Revolution, the Kapp Putsch or the beginning of hyperinflation, affected the city. Every event was reflected in Wittenberg and shaped life in the city. In 1919 Wittenberg temporarily lost its status as a garrison town. In the course of industrialization, the population grew steadily, so that on April 1, 1922, Wittenberg received the status of an independent city. Subsequently, in May 1922, the magistrate and the city council of the city decided to use the name "Lutherstadt Wittenberg". Due to difficulties with the approval, official recognition did not take place until 1938.

During the Nazi era, on June 13, 1935, the worst explosion accident in the history of WASAG's explosives plant in Reinsdorf occurred. More than 100 people died and large parts of the plant were destroyed. In the same year, a branch of the Arado aircraft factory was set up in Wittenberg, where women from the Ravensbrück concentration camp were forced to work under inhumane conditions. Wittenberg became a Wehrmacht garrison town again in 1936. During the pogrom night of 1938, there were riots in front of Jewish shops and apartments. As a result, Jewish residents were arrested and deported. The memorial book of the Federal Archives for the victims of the Nazi persecution of the Jews in Germany (1933-1945) lists the names of 26 Jewish residents of Wittenberg who were deported and mostly murdered.

After the start of the Second World War, the units trained in Wittenberg were transferred to the front and supplementary units took their place. The obituaries of the fallen piled up. Numerous air raids meant that the workers in the armaments factories hardly got any rest and yet kept the machinery running at full speed alive. Although the bomber formations mainly flew to Berlin, in 1944 Anglo-American bombings in the eastern part of the city damaged several houses, the train station and destroyed the Filmburg cinema on Mittelstrasse. In the summer of 1944, a satellite camp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp was set up in Wittenberg to keep the armaments industry going. Before the Red Army marched in on April 26, 1945, the Elbe bridge and the flood bridge in what is now the district of Pratau were blown up.

After the Soviet soldiers had moved in, there were attacks on the civilian population in Wittenberg, as in other German cities. Only gradually was the command of the Soviet troops able to end the chaotic situation. Life in the city gradually returned to normal after the severe war damage had been repaired. The Soviet army occupied several city districts (including the area around today's New Town Hall, Arsenalplatz and the residential area around the eastern Thomas-Müntzer-Strasse) until they left in 1991.

A theater developed from a cabaret in 1946 (later the Elbe-Elster-Theater), and the Luther Hall was reopened in the same year. The armaments factories were destroyed and civilian production resumed. In 1948, construction of the Julius Riemer Museum began in the palace. In 1949, a HO shop was opened at Collegienstrasse 91, where you could shop without food ration cards, but at very high prices. With the founding of the GDR, the city council regained the duties of exercising its office. On July 1, 1950, Wittenberg lost its status as an independent city. Even if there were protests in smaller companies during the uprising of June 17, 1953, these were suppressed in the large companies by the drive-up of tanks.

The influx of many displaced persons from the areas east of the Oder and Neisse and from the Sudetenland at the end of the Second World War led to a housing shortage in Wittenberg. In the district of Kleinwittenberg, apartments were built in large block construction for the first time between 1957 and 1963. Life in Wittenberg developed along the lines typical of a town in the GDR. On December 5, 1979, as part of the "unilateral Soviet troop withdrawal" (20,000 soldiers and 1000 tanks), the 6th Guards Tank Division, which had been stationed in the city since 1945, was publicly bid farewell.

After the 450th anniversary of the founding of Wittenberg University had been celebrated in 1952, the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of Lucas Cranach the Elder followed in 1953. Ä. and in 1967 a large historical procession to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the Reformation. An international symposium and an academic ceremony at the Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg were the highlights of these celebrations in 1967. In honor of Philipp Melanchthon, a memorial museum was opened in his former home.

A large number of events marked the Luther Jubilee in 1983. The Deutsche Post of the GDR (9 November 1982 and 18 October 1983) and the Deutsche Bundespost (13 October 1983) issued special postage stamps on this occasion. At Pentecost a new organ was consecrated in the town church. After structural remodeling and a new museum design, the Luther Hall opened its exhibition on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's birth. The restoration work on the tower of the castle church and on the theses door has been completed. Guests from 15 countries took part in the Evangelical Church Congress. Pastor Friedrich Schorlemmer had a sword forged into a ploughshare: It was on September 24, 1983, when the blacksmith Stefan Nau forged a sword into a ploughshare at the Wittenberg Lutherhof in front of more than 2,000 enthusiastic spectators. The picture, which showed the then 38-year-old during the forging action, later went around the world.

The Piesteritz nitrogen plant was expanded between 1970 and 1976 with the construction of two ammonia and three urea plants. In connection with this, a large prefabricated residential area was built between 1971 and 1980 on the northern outskirts of the city.

In the 1980s, dissatisfaction with the economic and political situation among the population became ever more pressing. In 1989 there were demonstrations in Wittenberg with 10,000 protesting citizens. After the reunification of Germany, a reduction in jobs – especially in the manufacturing sector – led to an increase in the unemployment rate and to a wave of emigration, which primarily affected the younger generation – especially in the Friedrichstadt prefabricated building area.

 

Since the turn of the millennium

The dismantling of the prefabricated building areas from the GDR era is largely complete. Since then, Wittenberg has been characterized by renovation and new construction work, economic recovery and tourist development as a "place of pilgrimage of the Reformation".

Since 2008, the city has been preparing for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 with the Luther Decade. Numerous buildings have been restored, some of the infrastructure has been renewed and numerous new attractions have emerged in the city. In 2009, for example, the Luther Garden was planted for the first time. A total of 500 trees were planted. These form a new park south of the old town. The construction of the first shopping center on Arsenalplatz near the historic city center began in May 2011. The "Arsenal" opened in 2012. This investment totaled around 42 million euros and 250 new jobs were created. In 2014, Lutherstadt Wittenberg was the fourth city to be awarded the honorary title of "European City of Reformation" by the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. At the end of 2016, the second climate-friendly train station in Germany went into operation in Lutherstadt Wittenberg after Horrem. In October 2016, the artist Yadegar Asisi opened his 360° panorama entitled Luther 1517, which will be on display until 2024.

The city's landmark, the Castle Church, was renovated and partially rebuilt by 2017 for a total of 33 million euros. In the same year, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation was celebrated and in 2018 the Reformation History Research Library in Wittenberg was founded.

Between 2006 and 2019, the unemployment rate in Lutherstadt and in the district of Wittenberg fell continuously - year after year - and reached a low of 5.7% in the district in September and October 2019, when there was almost full employment. Since 2012, more people have been moving to Wittenberg every year than away from there, although the positive migration balance has not yet been able to fully compensate for the birth deficit. Especially after 2019, the comparatively low rents and land prices in Wittenberg and the fast ICE connection to Berlin and Leipzig (30 minutes) have led to an increase in demand from those willing to commute and to the designation of new residential areas - including near the train station - by the city. For the next few years and decades, the Wittenberg City Council and Town Hall are assuming that they will be able to more than compensate for the still too low number of births and bring the city back up to the 50,000-inhabitant mark - depending on the infrastructural development of the (airport) Locations Berlin and Leipzig or the greater area between these Central European metropolises.

 

Former garrison

Wittenberg was a garrison of the Prussian army from 1820 to 1919. The soldiers were accommodated in the castle and in the Fridericianum, which had been converted into barracks. In 1883 the Kavalierkaserne (later Tauentzienkaserne) was opened on Lutherstrasse (since 2000 the New Town Hall). The original Tauentzienkaserne in today's Am alten Bahnhof street existed from 1913 to 1918. The bridgehead barracks in the suburb of Pratau on the other bank of the Elbe were built in 1893 In the 1930s, new barracks were built, such as the Beseler barracks on Teucheler Weg, the Nordend barracks on Nordendstraße and a barracks in the suburb of Apollensdorf. Wittenberg became a garrison town again in 1936. The barracks were used by the Soviet troops after 1945. After 1979/80, when the 6th Guards Tank Division was transferred from the Wittenberg area to Belarus, the Soviet/Russian Wittenberg garrison existed on a significantly reduced scale until it was withdrawn in 1992/93. In the years that followed, a campsite with a boat harbor (marina) was set up on the site of the bridgehead barracks.