In a cold and drab Berlin winter, we find that we need to get out for a weekend. We decide on a visit to Wittenberg – the Lutherstadt, as they promote themselves. This is were Martin Luther worked, preached, and published his 95 theses. On a previous visit to Wittenberg by bike in summer, the town had been full of American tourists. Not so in winter.
“Keep your coats on. There’s no heating in the rooms upstairs.”
The receptionist of Luther’s House Museum in Wittenberg murmurs something about “technicians in the boiler room”. But as we walk through the freezing exhibition rooms we suspect they are just saving money as there are basically no tourists. And after all the heating in the reception area DOES work. But maybe we are wrong: When we finish our visit, two guys in blue work overalls carrying a ladder are walking through the hallway. Could be they came straight out of the boiler room? We also consider the possibility that they are cheap actors hired to back up the maintenance story.
Martin Luthers’ table talks
Except for one room, the so-called Luther room, the house has been restructured and refurbished extensively since Luther’s times. The Luther room is where the famous table talks took place. It has been preserved as a kind of museum since the 17th century!
The exhibition leads us through Luther’s biography spread over several floors. Taking the elevator after reading about the Pope’s Bull of Excommunication, we step out on the next floor not quite to see Luther’s coffin nail, but a handle from his coffin. From there the story goes back again. First to the Imperial Diet in Worms, where Luther had to defend himself. And after that, to the birth of Protestantism. It was the elevator, we realize at one point (too late)! Going up by elevator easily results in backward biographies, so we recommend taking the stairs …
At the end of the tour staff show us to a steep staircase leading into the basement. There’s another exhibition about household economics, beer brewing and paying lodgers in professors’ households at the time. Luther’s wife Katharina, whom Luther addressed as “my boss Käthe”, was famous as an efficient business woman. This again rather vexed Mrs. Melanchthon, the wife of the other brilliant reformer in Wittenberg. Melanchthon apparently described her as “not a good cook”. Not exactly flattering – but then he was probably demanding (not only concerning food).
Melanchton – the vegetarian reformer
Melanchton’s house is also open to visitors. It is there that we learn that Melanchthon preferred good vegetables to meat, and that he also liked a few glasses of good wine or even stronger drinks, which would help him sleep. No wonder, then, that Melanchthon’s bronze statue on the market place looks rather gaunt compared to feisty Luther a few meters away.
How would Luther and Melanchthon fare these days, with all the restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlours catering to the summer tourists?? We check out the “Wittenburger”, which seems to be a popular and nice enough fast food haunt. Might have been ok for Luther, who would have chosen beef or chicken for his burger patty. But going for the vegetarian version (as would have Melanchthon), we were not impressed. We also checked out several home-brewed beers at the local brewery. We suspect they are in a way sticking with the tradition of “thin beer”. That was a drink everyone drank several litres of each day because in the 16th century the water wasn’t safe to drink. The beer is not bad, but, well, thin.
Ninety-five Theses
This time, we stayed one night at the Hotel “Schwarzer Bär”, but one day would actually be enough to visit the Luther sites. As the city was busily preparing for the Luther year 2017, both churches connected with the reformer were under restoration. Nevertheless it was possible to have a look at the famous castle church where Luther pinned his 95 theses. Today they are conveniently engraved into the door…..
What else to see on a visit to Wittenberg
Luther is clearly the main focus for visitors to Wittenberg. Most museums and activities are somehow related to Luther. You can buy glow-in-the-dark Luther statues. Or hand-printed Luther images and mostly religious texts and mottos from a traditional printing press. But we also went to see a GDR museum with memorabilia from 40 years of East German culture. Mind you, it wasn’t all so different from the West, and we looked back with a certain cringing fascination.
Is a visit to Wittenberg worthwhile, even in winter?
Altogether we enjoyed our visit to Wittenberg, despite the culinary flaws. Winter is more quiet and relaxed without the tourist crowds – we passed the city in summer on our Elbe bicycle tour.
NB: We had no sponsoring for our visit to Wittenberg and paid all expenses ourselves.
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