Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [192]
Return to beginning of chapter
Sights
LUTHER SITES
The house where the reformer was born, Luthers Geburtshaus ( 602 124; Lutherstrasse 15; adult/concession €4/2.50; 10am-6pm daily Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) has been a memorial site since 1693. It was recently fully restored and docked to a 19th-century school for the poor via a modern complex. The house itself is furnished period-style, while exhibits in the annex focus on the family of Luther and aspects of the society in which he grew up.
Luther returned to Eisleben in January 1546 to help settle a legal dispute for the Count of Mansfeld, but he was already ill and died on 18 February, a day after finalising an agreement. Today, Luthers Sterbehaus (Luther’s Death House; 602 124; Andreaskirchplatz 7; adult/concession €2/1; 9am-6pm daily Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar) contains the reconstructed death chamber with a death mask and the original pall that covered Luther’s coffin. Although it was long believed that this was where Luther departed this world, new research has revealed that he actually died in a building on the site now occupied by the Hotel Graf von Mansfeld (below). With such a long tradition of people paying respects to him here, however, there are no plans to move the exhibition.
MARKT & CHURCHES
Luther delivered his last sermons in the St Andreaskirche (Andreaskirchplatz; admission €1; 10am-noon & 2-4pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm & 2-4pm Sun May-Oct), a late-Gothic hall church on the hill behind the central Markt. While district vicar, he stayed in the apartments of the St Annenkirche ( 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 2-4pm Sat May-Oct), 10 minutes west of the Markt. This church also features a stunning Steinbilder-Bibel (stone-picture Bible; 1585), the only one of its kind in Europe, and a wittily decorated pulpit. Finally, see the church where Luther was baptised, the St Petri Pauli Kirche (Church of Sts Peter & Paul; admission €1; 10am-noon & 2-4pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun May-Oct) near the tourist office.
Return to beginning of chapter
Sleeping & Eating
Mansfelder Hof ( 612 620; www.mansfelderhof.de, in German; Hallesche Strasse 33; s/d €40/51, breakfast €9; ) Behind its vine-covered, faded green stucco facade, the Mansfelder Hof turns out to have modern if rather generic rooms. The restaurant serves Greek food.
Hotel Graf von Mansfeld ( 663 00; www.hotel-eisleben.de; Markt 56; s/d from €65/95; ) Eisleben’s premier in-town hotel is a classic outpost of charm and tradition. Although over 500 years old, it has seriously slicked-up rooms with four-poster beds, and bright and airy flair. The restaurant serves modern international cuisine (mains €8.50 to €17).
Hotel an der Klosterpforte ( 714 40; www.klosterpforte.com; Lindenstrasse 34; s €65-85, d €80-120; ) Part of the medieval Helfta monastery, this friendly hotel delivers comforts by the bucket. Plan your next day’s adventure in the onsite brewery, the restaurant, the beer garden or your spacious and uncluttered room. It’s away from the centre, so it helps if you’re motorised.
Return to beginning of chapter
Getting There & Away
There are frequent trains to Halle (€6.90, 45 minutes) where you can change for Lutherstadt Wittenberg (€22, 1¾ hours), Leipzig (€13.30, 70 minutes), Magdeburg (€24, 1¾ hours) and Weimar (€21.20, 2¼ hours).
Eisleben is a half-hour drive west of Halle on the B80.
Return to beginning of chapter
SAALE-UNSTRUT REGION
* * *
It will never rival the likes of Bordeaux as a connoisseur’s paradise, but the wine-growing region along the rivers Saale and Unstrut nevertheless provides a wonderfully rural summer retreat. Europe’s most northerly wine district produces crisp whites and fairly sharp reds, which you can enjoy at wine tastings, sometimes right at the estates. The 60km bicycle-friendly Weinstrasse (Vineyard Rd) meanders through the region, past steeply terraced vineyards, castle-topped hills and small family-owned farms. Local tourist offices sell copies of Weinstrasse-Land der Burgen, a regional map showing the main route and associated bicycle paths.
Return