Wittenberg, Potsdam and Berlin
Well Wittenberg is famous for being the place where Martin Luther nailed
his 95 thesis on the door of the church protesting the sale of indulgences by
the Catholic church.
On the way, our guide gave us a bit of information about the economic
situation of Germany. Wittenberg is located in the old East Germany. The
remains of communism can be seen in the poverty of the towns all around but
Wittenberg attracts many tourists due to its connection to Martin Luther and Philipp
Melanchthon who were two
influential reformers of the church.
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| Looking back at the Castle Church from the town |
The town is very small. As you drive in there is the Castle Church in front.
There is a big dome with "Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott" (A mighty fortress is our God" written on it.
The door on which Martin Luther nailed his theses on 31st
October 1517 has been replaced by a door bearing the inscription of the 95
theses. It is gated off so you can only take photos but not touch. The outside
of the church is undergoing repair at the moment and this restoration is
expected to finish for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in
2017. Inside the church are statues of Luther and Melanchthon and they are also buried
inside the church.
Walking a little further down the road into the town, there is a square and
the town hall. There are again statues of Luther and Melanchthon outside the town hall. The
outdoor cafés and restaurants and little shops all along the street are very
busy with tourist traffic.
Walking a little further, there is another church – St. Mary’s church where
Luther preached a lot of his reformation sermons.
About 15mins walk down the main road, there is a university and just past
that are the grounds of Lutherhaus - Martin Luther’s house. In his early days,
Luther lived here as it was the Augustine monastry and then later he became the
owner and lived there with his wife Katherine. There is a museum there now
depicting the life of Luther.
After Wittenberg we drove towards Berlin, stopping at Potsdam first. We
went to have a look at the San-Souci Palace which was built as a summer palace
by Frederick the Great (a Prussian King) in the 18th century.
It’s
interesting to go from Wittenberg – a historical Christian site to San-Souci.
Basically Frederick was a gay pedophile who was married for appearances but
built this palace as a place to get away. No women were allowed in the palace
and our guide joked about “Sans-Souci” meaning “no worries” in French because
it was a place of peace for men away from women. Anyway, it’s a very small
palace because Frederick’s wife and the rest of the family were housed in a
palace elsewhere.
One interesting fact is that Frederick the Great is credited with the
introduction of the potato to Europe. Potsdam is actually the home of some
300,000 army men who were loyal to Frederick’s father. Driving around, the
buildings still resemble barracks. So Frederick had to come up with an
economical way to feed that many men and so he brought the potato over to
Europe. Frederick is buried in the gardens at San-Souci and people come and put
potatoes on his grave in tribute.
Late in the afternoon, we arrived in Berlin and were able to walk around a
bit near the Brandenberg gate. In the 17th century, Berlin was a
walled city with many entry gates. After a war, King Frederick William II of Prussia commissioned the
building of this gate as a sign of peace. It’s probably one of the most well-known
tourist attractions in Berlin.
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