#11 - Lutherstadt Wittenberg

April 2, 2025 - Lutherstadt Wittenberg

Anish writes:

Our 11th (!) day was probably the most historically fascinating part of the whole trip. Today we traveled to Wittenberg, a small town an hour or so north of Leipzig. It wouldn’t be particularly notable (I mean it’s pretty but it’s also tiny) except for the fact that the Protestant Reformation started there. Martin Luther, the seminal figure of the Reformation, lived in Wittenberg as a friar, and famously nailed his 95 Theses protesting what he saw as the failures of the Catholic Church to the door of the Schlosskirche in Wittenberg. 

After having taken the train to Wittenberg, we went inside another of Yadegar Asisi’s Panorama exhibits, our second of this trip (after the one about the Berlin Wall). There, we took some time walking around the exhibit and listening to the audio guide's commentary.

After a rather rushed yet quite tasty lunch, we went over to the Schlosskirche. The interior of the church isn’t much grander compared to most other Baroque churches, but what struck me immediately as I walked in was that it somehow felt much more comfortable than other churches. Most other European churches, while beautiful, have this vault-like atmosphere where you feel like you’re in a palace of some kind. This place just felt like home. 

After a quick examination of the grave of Martin Luther (as well as other famous Saxons), and a small candle-lighting session, a number of us took the decision to climb the tower of the church. Now, I’m always ready for a nice climb up a medieval stairwell, but I’m aware some of my fellow exchange students were probably regretting it about halfway up: it was quite steep and claustrophobic, with no breaks at all. But the view of the tiled roof and the old city of Wittenberg was totally worth it. After a small visit to the actual door where Luther nailed his Theses, our relatively tired group left for Leipzig.

Lee writes:

Guten Tag aus Deutschland! Today was an exciting day of learning and discovery. The day started at the train station where I tried a decadent blueberry cinnamon roll, which was quite good. After we arrived in Wittenberg, we went to a panorama which displayed the birth of the reformation and the Schlosskirche. It was especially cool to learn about the new cultural changes and also to see the poster from Herr Strecker’s classroom. 

After downing a Wittenburger, we all went to the real Schlosskirche. The church was beautiful and the tower allowed us to see all of Wittenberg. The most impactful part though was the bronze plaque of Luther's 95 theses. Upon our return, Anish, Tanmay, their partners, and I ventured to the Nikolaikirche and Thomaskirche, seeing the places of the Montagsdemonstrationen and of Bach’s beginnings. We went back to Carl’s house where we went out to crush my fourth Döner and ended the night by explaining cultural references. 

Updated:

The count is in! So far on this trip I have eaten:

- 5 whole pizzas 

- ⁠1 Spaghettieis

- ⁠7 Fanta/Cola Beverages (Spezi, Mezzo Mix)

- ⁠9 Rosinenschenke/Rosinenbrötchen

- ⁠4 Ritter Sport Bars

- ⁠4 Döners 

- ⁠3 Bratwursts

- ⁠plenty of water and vegetables

This will be an ongoing counter stay tuned! 

------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow's agenda: After a short sightseeing bus tour of Leipzig in the morning, the kids will go back to school to give more presentations and learn about a sport that's very popular in Europe but mostly unknown in the US, team handball.

To view more pictures, click here.