Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [184]
From Dessau, take bus 331 (in the direction of Gräfenhainichen) to the stop Jüdenberg B107/Ferropolis (€3, 42 minutes); note that this is the third stop with Jüdenberg in its name. From here, it’s a dusty 2km walk into the grounds. By car, take the B185 east to the B107 and turn south towards Gräfenhainichen (20 minutes in all); the entrance to Ferropolis is on your left, just past Jüdenberg. Driving from Lutherstadt Wittenberg, take the B100 to its junction with the B107 and turn north; the entrance is on the right.
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LUTHERSTADT WITTENBERG
03491 / pop 47,500
As its full name suggests, Wittenberg is first and foremost associated with Martin Luther (1483–1546), the monk who triggered the German Reformation by publishing his 95 theses against church corruption (see boxed text, Click here) in 1517. A university town since 1502, Wittenberg back then was a hotbed of progressive thinking that also saw priests get married and educators like Luther buddy Philipp Melanchthon argue for schools to accept female pupils. Today, Wittenberg retains its significance for the world’s 340 million Protestants, including 66 million Lutherans, as well as for those who simply admire Luther for his principled stand against authority. Sometimes called the ‘Rome of the Protestants’, its many Reformation-related sites garnered it the World Heritage site nod from Unesco in 1996.
As a result, Wittenberg’s popularity has steadily grown since reunification and – like it or not – even a nascent Luther industry has developed. ‘Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders’ (Here I stand. I can do no other), Luther had declared after being asked to renounce his Reformist views at the Diet of Worms. Today, you can buy souvenir socks bearing the same credo.
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Orientation
All major sights conveniently line up along Collegienstrasse, which runs east–west and becomes Schlossstrasse west of the Markt. From the Hauptbahnhof it’s about a 10-minute signposted walk to Collegienstrasse. Some trains also stop at Wittenberg-Altstadt, putting you within five minutes of Schlossplatz.
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Information
Internetcafé Dot.Komm ( 505 052; Fleischerstrasse 6; per hr €3; 2-11pm Sun-Thu, 2pm-midnight Fri & Sat)
Hospital (Paul-Gerhard-Stiftung; 500; Paul-Gerhardt-Strasse 42)
Post office (Wilhelm-Weber-Strasse 1)
Tourist office ( 498 610; www.wittenberg.de; Schlossplatz 2; 9am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat, 11am-3pm Sun Nov-Mar, closed Sat & Sun Jan & Feb)
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Sights
LUTHERHAUS
Even those with no previous interest in the Reformation will likely be fascinated by the state-of-the-art exhibits in the Lutherhaus ( 420 30; www.martinluther.de; Collegienstrasse 54; adult/concession €5/3; 9am-6pm daily Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar), the former monastery turned Luther family home. Through an engaging mix of accessible narrative (in German and English), spotlit artefacts (eg, his lectern from the Stadtkirche, indulgences chests, Bibles, cloaks), famous oil paintings, and interactive multimedia stations, you’ll learn about the man, his times and his impact on world history. Highlights include Cranach’s Ten Commandments in the refectory and an original room furnished by Luther in 1535. Kids love the new exhibit in the cellar, which uses wooden models and sensor-activated sound effects to depict everyday scenes from the life of the Luther family.
In warm weather, the museum’s courtyard cafe is an inviting spot for a