In the summer of 2002, I visited some of the cities and sites in Germany that were important in the life of Martin Luther, as well as other you-should-know people, like Luther's colleague Philip Melancthon, his friend painter Lucas Cranach, and twentieth- century pastors Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Paul Schneider. The following pages highlight some of the most interesting things I saw and learned; you can follow the many links to some of the best sites on the web for lots more pictures and further learning about these Christians and their times. Make sure you scroll down all the way on each page; some pages are long. Each link opens a new window.
The "In-the-Footsteps of Luther" Tour: Eisleben, Eisnach, Wartburg Castle and Wittenberg
The Augustinian Monastery at Erfurt: Where the monk Martin Luther studied and lived
The Augustinians Inside and Out A new mission in a recovering city
Bonhoeffer's Berlin: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945, Lutheran pastor, theologian, martyr
Buchenwald: Nazi concentration camp, near Weimar, 1937-1945
Keeping the Faith in Buchenwald: Christianity against the odds
Remembering: Working through all that's happened
Can you guess what these are?
These three scenes are from the "Stone Bible," 29 relief panels that front the choir stalls in St. Anne's in Eisleben. The church claims to be the first to have converted to Protestantism in the Reformation.. This art makes key biblical stories vivid and accessible, a goal of the reformers, who wanted to put the Bible back into the hands of believers. If you can't guess, the answers are below the pictures.
