Luther Erleben: The Luther way

In the midst

The Luther Trail

The Luther Trail connects Lutherstadt Wittenberg and Lutherstadt Eisleben. The trail leads pilgrims and hikers along 460 kilometres to the sites where Martin Luther lived and worked and to more than 20 places which are linked to the Reformation. Small village churches or parish churches along the Luther Trail offer visitors tranquillity and a place for reflection and contemplation. The Luther Trail runs through a region which is just as attractive scenically as it is culturally. It leads along the Romanesque Road, past Saxony-Anhalt’s romantic parks and gardens, rivers, and lakes.

The route incorporates not only the Lutherstädten Wittenberg, Eisleben and Mansfeld but also towns like Bernburg, Wetting and Wörlitz. Giant ‘L’ signs lead the way in honour of the man the path is named after. The Luther Trail also offers travellers convenient connections to other famous German and European hiking trails, the Way of St. James being a prime example.

VIRTUAL PILGRIMAGE OFFICE FOR THE REGION OF LUTHER

The website www.pilgern-im-lutherland.de provides an overview of current offers for spiritual travel in Saxony-Anhalt. The focus is on the pilgrimages and in particular on the Luther Trail in Saxony-Anhalt. Travelling to sites linked to Luther and the Reformation fascinates tourists from all over the world. The website offers the growing number of pilgrims and spiritual tourists in Central Germany detailed descriptions of important routes and paths, as well as current event tips but also prayers, songs and biblical and meditative texts.

For the first time, various pilgrimage routes - from the new Luther Trail to the ecumenical pilgrimage route in Central Germany - will be presented together and presented in a clear and informative manner together with proven routes such as the "Romanesque Road" or prominent spiritual sites. Maps, background information and practical travel tips complete the offer of the "virtual pilgrim's office". If there are any questions left, you can also contact the office of the tourist association which provides expert assistance.

There is much to discover along the Luther Trail. Here you will find an overview of all dates www.lutherweg.de/termine as well as all news about the Lutherweg www.lutherweg.de/nachrichten.

contact information

Deutsche Lutherweg-Gesellschaft e.V.
Geschäftsstelle: Collegienstraße 62
06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg

Phone: +49 (0)3491 466110
Mail: info@lutherweg-gesellschaft.de

To read on

www.lutherweg.de
www.pilgern-im-lutherland.de
www.jakobusweg-sachsen-anhalt.de
www.strasse-der-romanik.de
www.gartentraeume-sachsen-anhalt.de
www.duebener-heide.de

THE WAY OF ST. JAMES PILGRIMAGE ROUTE IN SAXONY-ANHALT

The world-famous Way of St. James leads to the city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain from the borders of Brandenburg and Thuringia and 370 kilometres through Saxony-Anhalt. Lined with churches, monasteries, cathedrals and chapels, the route gives visitors a strong impression of what early German history must have been like.

The route leads from the Altmark through the fertile Börde region then passes into the hill country around Mansfeld before entering into the wine-growing region of Saale-Unstrut. Pilgrims pass by Lutherstadt Eisleben as well as by the ancient imperial city of Quedlinburg. Both the treasury of Halberstadt’s cathedral with its textile treasures and the windows of the cathedral in Stendal are destinations well worth seeing. The Saxony-Anhalt segment of the Way of St. James passes through the places where many men and women who would later be sainted lived during the medieval period, among them Gertrud of Helfta, Mechthild of Magdeburg and Bruno of Querfurt. The pilgrimage route is signposted using a stylised scallop shell, the official European symbol marking the Way of St. James.

contact information

www.pilgern-im-lutherland.de

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Taking a break in the vines of the Ducal Vineyard

THE ROMANESQUE ROAD

Saxony-Anhalt is home to an incomparable variety of castles and palaces, churches and monasteries, and garden and park complexes. Stretching some 1,200 kilometres, the "Romanesque Road" connects 80 of these extraordinary historical monuments in 65 different locations making it one of the most popular routes for tourists interested in culture that Germany has to offer.

The route – shaped in the form of a figure eight – leads visitors through the heartland of German history and features impressive remnants from the tenth to the thirteenth-centuries. They include landmarks such as the castle and palace at Allstedt or the cathedral at Naumburg with its Cathedral treasure and western choir gallery containing the unique figures of its founders, the famous Uta of Naumburg among them. One of the most significant castle complexes in Saxony-Anhalt is Upper Giebichenstein Castle in Halle. Even German Romantics raved about castle which today serves as an open-air museum. The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in Zeitz, which currently forms part of the Moritzburg Castle complex, contains one of the oldest early Romanesque crypts in all of Central Germany. The cathedral’s most prominent artefact is, however, a thirteenth-century baptismal font.

contat information

www.strasse-der-romanik.de

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Jerichow Monastery in the Altmark

GARDEN DREAMS – HISTORICAL PARKS IN SAXONY-ANHALT

The impressive castle and its terraced gardens located high above Stolberg, a health resort nestled in the Harz range, are a dream. In fact, it is the twenty-first of Saxony-Anhalt’s forty-three "Garden Dreams". Whether it is the quaint Rotehorn municipal park, the Reichardt Garden in Halle (Saale) or the elaborate labyrinth at the famed Mosigkau Castle in Dessau-Roßlau, Saxony-Anhalt’s parks are in bloom.

And they have a long tradition. In order to ensure that this historic legacy is kept vibrant, the most beautiful and most significant garden complexes have been aggregated into a network called "Garden Dreams – The Historical Parks of Saxony-Anhalt". The network features the art of garden design in all of its variety and includes medieval monastery complexes, landscape parks, parks from the baroque era and contemporary parks as well. Visiting the Garden Dreams is like taking a stroll into history.

The network actively supports cultural heritage preservation and promotes the development of its member-sites for tourism. As a result, visitors are able to rediscover endless scenic paths and explore beautiful manor houses and castles. Festivals, concerts and guided tours – all set under a luscious canopy of green – offer delightful and even transcendental experiences. Benches placed at idyllic spots invite visitors to linger, reflect and relax. The “Garden Dreams” have the recipe for a perfect excursion, brief jaunt or weekend trip that’s simply a balm for your soul – a lovely mix of art, literature, music and, of course, nature. Simply dreamy!

contact information

www.gartentraeume-sachsen-anhalt.de

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Mosigkau Castle and Castle garden

DÜBEN HEATH NATURE PARK

The nature park – located just outside Lutherstadt Wittenberg and nestled between the floodplains of the rivers Elbe and Mulde – stretches over an area of some 185,000 acres. Visitors to the rolling heathland of the ‘Dübener Heide’ will find a landscape characterised by the glacial activity of an ice age long gone, as well as the largest mixed forest ecosystem in all of Germany. The heath – with its fluvial topography and its impressive lakescapes – is home to cranes, sea eagles, beavers and countless other animal species. Some 350 types of butterflies and over 160 distinct species of birds can also be spotted. Other attractions popular among visitors are the high ropes course and the Reinharz water castle.