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catch a glimpse of daily life beyond the Iron Curtain, pop by the Haus der Geschichte (House of History; 409 004; www.pflug-ev.de, in German; Schlossstrasse 6; adult/senior & student €5/3.50; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun). The ground floor is devoted to temporary exhibitions, while the two upper levels take you through recreated GDR-era living rooms, children’s rooms and kitchens alongside such environs as a pub, a store, a kindergarten and other public spaces. There’s something oddly endearing about the toys, clunky early consumer items, and the tins and jars that would have been sheer gold for the son recreating the good ol’ East in the movie Good Bye, Lenin!

HUNDERTWASSERSCHULE

How would you like to study grammar and algebra in a building where trees sprout from the windows and gilded onion domes balance above a rooftop garden? This fantastical environment is everyday reality for the lucky 1300 pupils of Wittenberg’s Hundertwasserschule (Hundertwasser School; 881 131; Strasse der Völkerfreundschaft 130; tours adult/concession €2/1; 10am-5pm). It was the penultimate work of eccentric Viennese artist, architect and eco-visionary Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who was famous for quite literally thinking ‘outside the box’. In Wittenberg, he transformed a boxy GDR-era concrete monstrosity into a colourful and curvy dreamscape. You can view the exterior any time, but tours of the interior wait for at least four participants before they start. Ring ahead for tours in English.

The school is a 20-minute walk northeast of the centre. From the Markt, head east on Jüdenstrasse, turn left into Neustrasse and continue into Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse. Turn left into Sternstrasse, right into Schillerstrasse, and the school is at the next intersection on the left.

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Activities

Wittenberg is a key stop on the 860km Elberadweg (Elbe River Bike Trail) and a great departure point for shorter excursions along the idyllic river. The tourist office can make suggestions and help with logistics. One particularly fine route is the 43km roundtrip to the Garden Realm Dessau-Wörlitz Click here.

For bike rental, head to Fahrradhaus Kralisch ( 403 703; www.fahrradhaus-kralisch.de, in German; Jüdenstrasse 11; per 24hr €7; 9am-noon Mon-Sat, 1-6pm Mon-Fri).

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Tours

The tourist office runs various tours, including a standard two-hour spin around town (adult/child €8/4.50; several daily Easter-Oct, in German). DIY types might prefer renting a portable audio-guide (€6 and your passport as deposit) with commentary in English and other tongues. If you have your own mobile, you can also get the nitty-gritty on key sights by dialling up 08122-9999 5682 plus a dedicated extension. The tourist office has a flyer on this particular scheme.

The MS Lutherstadt Wittenberg ( 769 0433; Schlossstrasse 16; booking office 10am-5pm Tue-Fri) runs 1½-hour panoramic river cruises (€10) on the Elbe from March to October. Check with the booking office about sailings and how to find the pier in Dessauer Strasse.

Good Bye, Lenin! fans might get a kick out of negotiating Wittenberg’s streets squeezed behind the wheel of a tinny East German Trabant car. Event & Touring ( 03492-266 507; www.event-touring.com; per 3hr from €38) can make it happen. Contact them directly or go through the tourist office.

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LUTHER LORE

‘When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,’ a journalist famously tells Jimmy Stewart in the classic Western movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and that is exactly what has happened with Martin Luther and his 95 theses. It’s been so often repeated that Luther nailed a copy of his revolutionary theses to the door of Wittenberg’s Schlosskirche on 31 October 1517, that only serious scholars continue to argue to the contrary.

Certainly, Luther did write 95 theses challenging some of the Catholic practices of the time, especially the selling of ‘indulgences’ to forgive sins and reduce the buyer’s time in purgatory. However, it’s another question entirely as to whether he