11 Dec 2013
UNESCO World Heritage Day June 1, 2014
In 2014, Germany is celebrating its rich collection of 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Several are in LutherCountry. As the countdown to 2017 and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation continues, LutherCountry is highlighting many of the places associated with Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer.
Wartburg Castle, Eisenach
On a rocky crag with massive fortifications, Wartburg Castle is the ultimate stronghold. This is where Martin Luther hid during his exile and first translated the New Testament into German. See the tiny room where he wrote; visit the Great Hall, where the legend of the annual Singers' Contest inspired Wagner to compose the opera, Tannhäuser.
2014 Highlight
Hear Wagner’s Tannhäuser performed in the Great Hall itself: April 18; May 1; June 1; June 8; September 12; September 19; September 26.
Lutherstadt Eisleben
As early as 1693, visitors paid money to see the bed in the house where Martin Luther was born, the Geburtshaus. In nearby churches, you can still see the font where he was baptized (1483), and the pulpit from which he gave his last sermon. In February 2013, the house where he died reopened with a fine, new museum that reflects Luther’s thoughts on death, as well as the history of the building itself.
2014 Highlight
In June 2014, in Mansfeld close by the Harz Mountains, the house where Martin Luther grew up re-opens, along with a new museum across the street. The historically-accurate furniture, toys, food, and clothing take you back to the life and times of the Luther family.
Lutherstadt Wittenberg
Luther would still recognize medieval buildings, such as the Schlosskirche, where he nailed his 95 Theses in 1517, and the Pfarrkirche St. Marien, the church where he preached. Visit the Lutherhaus (his home, now a museum) and the homes of his friends, such as painter Lucas Cranach the Elder and fellow Reformer Philipp Melanchthon.
2014 Highlight
Luther's Wedding Festival (June 13 to June 15) celebrates the 1525 wedding of former monk Martin Luther and former nun Katharina von Bora. The happy couple and 2,000 wedding guests, all in medieval finery, parade through the streets of the old town.
Weimar
Weimar has two cultural claims to fame. In the late 18th/early 19th century, this was home to the famous authors, Goethe and Schiller. In the early 20th century, the Bauhaus design movement began here, inspiring the ultra-modern Haus am Horn that you can tour.
2014 Highlight
Bachfest 2014 (April 30 to May 4): in 1714, Johann Sebastian Bach was appointed concert master to the court chapel; in 2014, the city is the main hub for Thuringia’s high-class Bach music festival.
Dessau
The Bauhaus school of design moved from Weimar to Dessau, where the line-up of professors included Walter Gropius, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Wassily Kandinsky. Their influence on art, architecture and design is still with us today.
www.dessau-rosslau-tourismus.de
2014 Highlight
The Bauhausfest (September 6) celebrates the movement’s contribution to 20th century culture, architecture, design, and art.
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz
It’s not just buildings that are recognized by UNESCO. An exceptional example of 18th-century landscape design and planning, this garden is typical of the Age of the Enlightenment, with its English-style landscaping, as well as agricultural land that provided aesthetic, educational, and economic benefits.
2014 Highlight
On Garden Kingdom Day (September 8), enjoy the park on foot, on a bicycle, on horseback, and in a gondola.
Hidden gem: Quedlinburg
Once a prosperous medieval center for trade, the UNESCO-listed castle and Old Town have changed little, with an extraordinary collection of timber-framed buildings and St. Servatius, a Romanesque church masterpiece.
