Europe 2012: Wittenberg

This day was given to going to Wittenberg ("Vittenberg"), seeing the Martin Luther sites there, and then driving the 4.5 hours back to the Heinz home in Haiger.

Both Botho and Gisela like McDonald's McCafes, which are easy to locate all across Germany. They are very upscale, and it's easy to see why they are popular in Germany. We had coffee (ceramic mugs!) and pastries before we began our day's itinerary.

We crossed the Gliencke Brucke (Bridge), where exchanges of captured major spies have taken place on several occasions. Just like in the movies! A spy is escorted by his or her captors from each end to the middle, where custody is transferred. High drama!

There was time along the way for Betty and me to get an up close look at a field of canola. Spectacular! Betty likes to say that yellow is a happy color, and we saw happy fields like this almost every mile of the way today.

Our first and only point on the itinerary today was the city of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther famously nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of the church.

This is the church.

This is the door.

Inscribed around the bell tower: "A mighty fortress is our God."

Luther's subsequent statement as he was being pressured to recant.

Luther

The pulpit

Luther's grave marker, inscribed in Latin

The church from a short distance into the city

Luther in the city plaza

"Luther House", the former monastery where Martin Luther taught and lived with his family after his marriage.

Lecture hall in the Luther House

The Luther family living room.

Another of the family's living room. The door to this room contains a chalk autograph of Peter the Great.

Gutenberg printing press

The first complete edition of Luther's Bible translation in the High German language.

The earliest existing print of Luther's 1527 hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"

Luther's prayer book. The accompanying information stated, "Beside his Bible translation and the Small Catechism, it is the most frequently read book of the Reformer."