Wartburg Castle
In the Footsteps of Martin Luther
September 21 - 30, 2023 | Maximum Group Size: 15 Participants | Availability: Open
On October 31, 1517, legend has it that the priest and scholar Martin Luther approached the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nailed a piece of paper to it containing Ninety-five theses - revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther’s Chamber
Or maybe he didn't! Modern scholarship has cast doubt on the accuracy of the traditional account. Joan Acocella, writing in the New Yorker states: “Not only were there no eyewitnesses; Luther himself, ordinarily an enthusiastic self-dramatizer, was vague on what had happened. He remembered drawing up a list of Ninety-five theses around the date in question, but, as for what he did with it, all he was sure of was that he sent it to the local archbishop.”
Statue of Martin Luther
In the final analysis, it matters little how the document was transmitted - although there is a certain dramatic flair to the "nailed to the door" story - the fact that it was written and disseminated was enough to set in motion a chain of events that changed the world. In 1521, Luther was excommunicated for his refusal to back down on his Ninety-five proposals for reform, and was subject to the Edict of Worms, issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. This declared Luther an outlaw and a heretic and gave anyone the right to execute him without consequence. Protected by Prince Frederick, he began his 10 year task of translating the New Testament into German, which he undertook in Wartburg Castle (pictured here). In 1529 Charles V revoked a provision of the Edict of Worms that had allowed individual state rulers to decide whether to enforce it or not. Many of them protested this and became known as the "Protestants." The rest, as they say, is history.
If you would like to know more about this fascinating story, please consider joining us on a brand new tour for 2023, that has been developed in conjunction with our resident Berlin tour guide, Matthias Kort
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