Katie's Statue...is located on the grounds of The Black Cloister which is now called Luther Hall. She looks as if she were bustling into Luther Hall in order to gather the entire family together for a meal. I am petite, and Katie was even tinier than I. Standing next to her statue, I truly felt as if she were going to move. The sculptor did a wonderful job recreating Katharina. I believe she was always moving...always doing something or going somewhere. This statue portrays that beautifully.
Katie's Tomb...she is finally at rest! Katie died in December, 1552, a month short of her 54th birthday in the town of Torgau. She and her family were escaping another outbreak of the plague in Wittenberg. The wagon or cart in which she was riding toppled. She was injured and developed a severe respiratory infection. Her family brought her to a little house on the Scharfenberg (which is now called Katharinenstrasse or Katherine Street), and this is where she breathed her last. She was buried in St. Mary's Church in the northern part of the choir aisle. This handsome relief carving marks the tomb. Above her shoulders are the coats of arms of both the Luther and von Bora families.
The Black Cloister and Black Cloister Tower...The Black Cloister is now known as Luther Hall. The Black Cloister was built in 1504-07 with the support of the Elector as a monastery for 40 Augustinian hermit monks. Martin Luther was summonsed there in 1508 and headed the monastery until its dissolution in 1522. At that time only Luther and his prior remained as residents. With the permission of the Elector, it became the home of Martin & Katie Luther following their marriage in 1525, and they called it "God's Inn." In 1532 the Elector bestowed the house to Martin Luther as a gift. During the years of their marriage, many students also lived at The Black Cloister along with Martin's and Katie's 6 children! Some of them paid for their board, but most did not. Life in God's Inn was very full and quite lively. Most of the management duties fell on Katie's shoulders. She made use of the brewery rights conferred on the monastery and gradually acquired a number of plots of land which she cultivated into gardens as well as an extensive cattle breeding operation. Luther Haus or God's Inn was filled to overflowing with love, joy, laughter, and yes...tears and sorrow. Through everything, there was the powerful presence of God and His gift of grace. God's Word was studied, talked about, and written about each and every day. Martin and Katie Luther were wonderful examples of what a relationship between husband and wife should be and how parenting should also be done. Martin and Katie were far ahead of "their time." In 1564, Luther's heirs sold the Black Cloister to the university and construction of the staircase tower began. The University used Luther House until 1816. From 1817 to 1883 it served many different purposes from a Protestant Preachers' Seminary to a free school for the poor. In 1883 it was opened as a Museum of the History of the Reformation. Today, Luther Hall has one of the most important memorial collections in Germany and is recognized as an international museum and research center.
Martin Luther and Family...this bronze relief is one of four which surround the bottom portion of the Luther Monument in the market place of Eisleben. The monument was created by Rudolf Siemering and unveiled in 1883. Eisleben is one of the oldest towns between the Harz Mountains and the River Elbe. Martin Luther's parents came from Thuringia to Eisleben to take up employment in the rising copper-mining industry. Their family life is reflected in the house which now serves as a museum. It is here that Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. The day after his birth, he was baptized in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul...one of many beautiful churches in Eisleben. St. Andrew's church is located opposite The Luther's home, and it is where Martin Luther delivered his last sermons. He had traveled to Eisleben in January of 1546 to settle differences among the Counts of Mansfeld. These differences were settled on February 17th. Already in very poor health, the negotiations had weakened Martin Luther further, and he died in the home in which he had been born on February 18, 1546. Eisleben is a quaint German town with wonderful churches and museums. There is also a theater, and arts center as well as small hotels and restaurants which offer a warm welcome to tourists throughout the year.
Martin's Pulpit...this hand-carved and painted pulpit is from the Town Church which is also known as St. Mary's. It is the oldest and most striking structure in Wittenberg. Centrally located in Wittenberg, it stands on the highest point in town and reflects Wittenberg's architectural history. During the movement of Iconoclasts in 1522, almost the entire interior of St. Mary's was destroyed. Only this pulpit from which Luther had preached was preserved. It is normally on display now in Lutherhalle or The Black Cloister. It is interesting to note that in most of the churches, the pulpits were not located in the front of the church to one the side of the altar, but rather up high (hanging over the pews!) in the middle of the sanctuary. Wouldn't it have been wonderful to hear Dr. Luther preach from this pulpit?! Can't you see him standing in it right now with the great sleeves of his black robe flapping with each important point?!
The 95 Theses...nearly everyone in the world has heard of Martin Luther and his nailing of the 95 Theses to the door of The Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. Quite simply stated, the church began to sell indulgences to raise monies to build a bigger and better facility. These indulgences were to forgive sins or shorten one's time in purgatory. You could buy them for yourself, your family and/or your ancestors. As an astute Biblical scholar, Martin Luther had discovered that there was absolutely nothing one could buy or do to earn their salvation. That salvation was a gift of God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus. By posting his points or theses on the church doors, he was hopeful that the church officials would read them and consider them worthy of a debate. However, Martin Luther's 95 Theses were printed on tracts which soon traveled throughout Germany and the rest of the world. His Scriptural insights and stands taken against many of the practices of the church created an uproar. Martin Luther did not set out to destroy the church. He wanted reform based upon Scriptural truths. However, he soon became a major threat to the church. He did have debates; he continued to write and teach; he married and had a family; he was ordered to retract all his writings or be declared a heretic and burned at the stake. Many more reformers surfaced and the movement spread far and wide. At one point Martin Luther was captured by his own people and for his own safety imprisoned at Wartburg Castle for a year. It was during his imprisonment that Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German...the language of the people. He believed that ALL people had the right to read for themselves God's promises and His gift of grace! In 1858, Martin Luther's 95 Theses were etched in bronze and mounted on the church doors. They are totally black today, but are visible to all visitors coming from Wittenberg's market square and serve as a powerful reminder of this man's faith in God and the power it had to change Christianity and the world forever!
Wittenberg...remains virtually the same as to the actual layout of the city. The Castle Church is located at one end and Luther Haus (The Black Cloister) at the other. It received its city charter in 1293. Wittenberg experienced a unique boom as Electoral capital under Frederick III who was known as Frederick the Wise. With the founding of the University in 1502, Wittenberg became a center of intellectual life in Europe. This was due to the work of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon. Wittenberg has retained an important role in religion, science and culture and since 1938 has called itself the "Town of Luther." Since it was "behind the Iron Curtain," extensive development of the surrounding area began only after the reunification of Germany. Since 1996 Wittenberg contains UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in the castle and municipal churches with their historical significance for the course of the reformation, the Luther Haus and Melanchton's house. Its revived university and the "Leucorea" foundation are bringing the international atmosphere back to what was once a very small town and now has a leading place in world history. When you travel to Wittenberg you can take advantage of lectures, organ concerts, Summer concerts and festivals of religious music featuring choirs from all over the world. Every second weekend in June, there is an enormous celebration of Martin's and Katie's "going to the church" or a celebration in honor of their wedding which occurred on June 13, 1525. In July and August there are Wittenberg Courtyard Concerts, and there is also a Youth Camp in July on the banks of the River Elbe. Young people from all over the world gather at the Luther Center. And, of course, in October there is a Reformation Festival which features church services, disputations, exhibitions and various other festive activities in the courtyards. As John and I walked the cobblestone streets with rain lightly falling, we felt as if we belonged there...as if we were actually a part of this charming city. We spoke no German and knew no one, but it felt like home. We'd go back again in a flash!