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Saxe-Wittenberg redirects here.
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a town in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the Elbe River. A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular Saxony-Anhalt ( Sachsen-Anhalt) is one of the sixteen ''Bundesländer'' (federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. The Elbe ( die Elbe Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major Rivers of Central Europe. It has a population of about 50,000.
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The importance of Wittenberg historically was due to its seat of the Elector of Saxony, a dignity held by the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg and also to its close connection with Martin Luther and the dawn of the Protestant Reformation; several of its buildings are associated with the events of this time. The Prince-Electors (or simply Electors) of the Holy Roman Empire ( German: Kurfürst ( pl Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a Town in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the Elbe Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Part of the Augustinian monastery in which Luther dwelt, first as a monk and later as owner with his wife and family, is preserved and considered to be the world's premier museum dedicated to Luther. The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430) are several Catholic Monastic orders and congregations This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism.
History
A settlement was mentioned first in 1180 as a small village founded by Flemish colonists. The terms Fleming and Flemings ( Vlaming and Vlamingen in Dutch) denote respectively a person and people and the Flemings or In 1293 the settlement was granted a town charter. German town law (Deutsches Stadtrecht or German municipal concerns ( Deutsches Städtewesen) concerns Town privileges used by many cities towns and villages Wittenberg developed into an important trade centre during the following centuries, due to its location. The city became an important regional political and cultural centre at the end of the 15th century, when Frederick III "the Wise", Elector of Saxony, took up residence in Wittenberg. Frederick III Elector of Saxony ( 17 January 1463 &ndash 5 May 1525) also known as Frederick the Wise, was Elector Several parts of the city were extended soon afterward: the second bridge over the Elbe was built from 1486 to 1490 and the castle church, the Schlosskirche, was built from 1496 to 1506. The palace was rebuilt the same time.
Wittenberg was the capital of the small Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg, the rulers of which afterwards became Electors of Saxony, and it continued to be a Saxon residence under the Ernestine electors. The Electorate of Saxony (Kurfürstentum Sachsen or Duchy of Upper Saxony was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806 The Prince-Electors (or simply Electors) of the Holy Roman Empire ( German: Kurfürst ( pl In 1502 the University of Wittenberg was founded and gave a home to many important thinkers, among them Martin Luther (Professor of Theology from 1508) and Philipp Melanchthon (Professor of Greek from 1518). The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg also referred to as MLU, is a public University in the cities of Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer Philipp Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerd) ( February 16, 1497 &ndash April 19, 1560) was a German professor and theologian Shakespeare's character, Prince Hamlet, was a student at University of Wittenberg. Prince Hamlet is the protagonist in Shakespeare 's tragedy Hamlet.
On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed his 95 theses against the selling of indulgences at the door of the All Saints', the Castle Church, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences, commonly known as The Ninety-Five Theses, were written by Martin Luther in 1517 An indulgence, in Roman Catholic Theology, is the full or partial Remission of temporal punishment due for Sins which have already been forgiven All Saints' Church, commonly referred to as Schlosskirche, meaning " Castle Church " — to distinguish it from the "town church" the Stadtkirche The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time The Anabaptist movement also had one of its earliest homes in Wittenberg, when the Zwickau prophets moved there in late 1521, only to be suppressed by Luther when he returned from the Wartburg in spring 1522. Anabaptists ( Greek ανα (again twice + βαπτιζω (baptize thus "re-baptizers" are Christians of the Radical Reformation The Zwickau Prophets were early sixteenth century Anabaptists in Zwickau in Saxony. For other uses of Wartburg see Wartburg (disambiguation The Wartburg is a castle situated on a 1230-foot (410 m precipice to the The Capitulation of Wittenberg (1547) is the name given to the treaty by which John Frederick the Magnanimous was compelled to resign the electoral dignity and most of his territory to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. The Capitulation of Wittenberg (Wittenberger Kapitulation was a treaty in 1547 by which John Frederick I Elector of Saxony, was compelled to resign the electoral John Frederick I Elector of Saxony (Johann Friedrich I b Torgau, 30 June 1503 – d The House of Wettin was a dynasty of German Counts Dukes prince-electors (Kurfürsten and kings that ruled the area of today's
In 1760 during the Seven Years' War, the Prussian-occupied town was bombarded by the Austrians. The Seven Years' War (1756&ndash1763 involved all of the major European powers of the period causing 900000 to 1400000 deaths The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor It was occupied by the French in 1806, and refortified in 1813 by command of Napoleon. The Empire of the French (1804-1814 also known as the Empire of France, Greater French Empire, First French Empire, French Empire, or Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. In 1814 it was stormed by the Prussian Army under Tauentzien, who received the title of "von Wittenberg" as a reward. The Prussian Army (Preußische Armee was the Army of the Kingdom of Prussia. Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg ( 15 September 1760 &ndash 20 February 1824) was a Prussian General In 1815 Wittenberg became part of Prussia and was administered within the Province of Saxony. }The Province of Saxony (Provinz Sachsen was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945 Wittenberg continued to be a fortress of the third class until the reorganization of German defenses after the foundation of the new German Empire led to its being dismantled in 1873. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification
Unlike many other historic German cities during World War II, Wittenberg was spared destruction during the war. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Allies agreed not to bomb Wittenberg, though there was fighting in the city, with bullet pock-marks visible on the statues of Luther and Melanchthon at the marketsquare, or so the popular version of the city's history goes. The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War.
In actuality, the Luther statue was not even present in the city square during much of the war. It was stored at Luther Brunnen, a roadhouse only a few kilometers north of the city.
Wittenberg's reputation as a city protected from Allied bombing is also not historically accurate. There was on the outskirts of Wittenberg the Arado Fluzeugwerke (Arado Aircraft Factory), which produced aircraft components for Hitler's airforce. The factory was staffed by Jews, Russians, Poles, political prisoners, and even a few Americans--all prisoners engaging in forced labor. Despite the prisoner status of its workers, American and British planes bombed the factory near the end of WWII. One thousand prisoner workers were killed. The recent publication of ". . . und morgen war Krieg!" by Renate Gruber-Lieblich attempts to document this tragic bombing of Wittenberg.
At the end of the war, Wittenberg was occupied by Soviet forces, and became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state By means of the peaceful revolution in 1989, the communist regime was brought down and the city has been governed democratically since 1990. A peaceful revolution or bloodless coup is a Regime change that occurs without violence
Main sights
Wittenberg is home to numerous important historical artifacts, as well as portraits and other paintings by the Cranachs. Lucas Cranach may refer to Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472&ndash1553 Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515&ndash1586 On the doors of All Saints' Church, the Schlosskirche ("castle church" built 1496–1506) Luther nailed his 95 theses in 1517. All Saints' Church, commonly referred to as Schlosskirche, meaning " Castle Church " — to distinguish it from the "town church" the Stadtkirche The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences, commonly known as The Ninety-Five Theses, were written by Martin Luther in 1517 It was seriously damaged by fire in 1760 during a bombardment by the French during the Seven Years' War, was practically rebuilt, and was later (1885–1892) restored. The Seven Years' War (1756&ndash1763 involved all of the major European powers of the period causing 900000 to 1400000 deaths The wooden doors, burnt in 1760, were replaced in 1858 by bronze doors, bearing the Latin text of the theses. Inside the church are the tombs of Luther and Philipp Melanchthon, and of the electors Frederick the Wise (by Peter Vischer the Younger, 1527) and John the Constant (by Hans Vischer), and portraits of the reformers by Lucas Cranach the Younger. Philipp Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerd) ( February 16, 1497 &ndash April 19, 1560) was a German professor and theologian Frederick III Elector of Saxony ( 17 January 1463 &ndash 5 May 1525) also known as Frederick the Wise, was Elector VISCHER, the name of a family of sculptors active in Nuremberg between 1453 and 1549 who contributed largely to the masterpieces of German art in the 15th and 16th centuries John Elector of Saxony, known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant ( 30 June 1468 – 16 August 1532) was Elector VISCHER, the name of a family of sculptors active in Nuremberg between 1453 and 1549 who contributed largely to the masterpieces of German art in the 15th and 16th centuries Lucas Cranach the Younger ( October 4, 1515 – January 25, 1586) was a German Renaissance Artist, known for St. Mary's Church, the parish church in which Luther often preached, was built in the 14th century, but has been much altered since Luther's time. It contains a magnificent painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, representing the Lord's Supper (with the faces of Luther and other reformers), Baptism and Confession, also a font by Hermann Vischer the Elder (1457). Lucas Cranach the Elder ( Lucas Cranach der Ältere, 4 October 1472 &ndash 16 October 1553) was a German painter VISCHER, the name of a family of sculptors active in Nuremberg between 1453 and 1549 who contributed largely to the masterpieces of German art in the 15th and 16th centuries In addition, there are numerous historic paintings in the church. The ancient electoral palace is another of the buildings that suffered severely in 1760; it now contains archives. There are also Melanchthon's house and the house of Lucas Cranach the elder (1472–1553), who was mayor of Wittenberg. Statues of Luther (by Schadow), Melanchthon and Bugenhagen embellish the town. The spot outside the Elster Gate where Luther publicly burned the papal bull in 1520 is marked by an oak tree.
Coat of arms
Wittenberg's civic coat of arms conveys with its various heraldic elements something of the town's history. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people On 27 June 1293, Wittenberg was granted town rights by Duke Albrecht II. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden There then arose a mediaeval town whose highest governing body was its council. This council, known to have existed as early as 1317, was given the job of administering the town in its care through law and legislation, and of handling the town's revenue. For documentation, the administration used its own seal. One version of what is believed to be the town's oldest town seal, which the council used, and which dated from the first half of the 14th century, set the pattern with its elements for various civic coats of arms down to the present day.
The coat of arms symbolizes, with its crenelated wall and the towers within and each side, a town that was already strongly fortified by 1409. The two shields in the centre form the coat of arms of the Electorate of Saxony with the Saxon arms on the right, whose gold and black stripes recall the Ascanian rulers' house colours with the Rautenkranz (literally "lozenge wreath", although it is no such thing, as can be seen at the Saxony article) across them symbolizing the town's founder Duke Albrecht II since 1262, when it appeared in his arms. The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. The shield on the left is the Wittenberg district's arms. In 1356, Emperor Charles IV bestowed upon the Duke of Saxony-Wittenberg the honour of Elector. Charles IV ( Czech: Karel IV, German: Karl IV, Hungarian: IV Károly; 14 May 1316 &ndash Wittenberg became an Electoral residence. The shield with its crossed swords stands for the office of "Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire" inextricably joined by the Electorate, brought to Wittenberg by Rudolf I. Both coats of arms continued to be used by the Wettins after the Ascanians died out. The House of Wettin was a dynasty of German Counts Dukes prince-electors (Kurfürsten and kings that ruled the area of today's The flowing water at the foot of the shield symbolizes Wittenberg's location on the river Elbe. The fish is a salmon, which were once abundant in the Elbe. Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. The fishermen, like all professions in town, got their own order in 1422, and the fish found its way onto their coat of arms. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish.
Theatre and culture
Wittenberg has a long tradition in cultural events. The City Theatre Mitteldeutsches Landestheater reached a great importance in GDR times. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Since 1996, the City proposes Open-Air theatre shows based on the Lutheran history still alive in many historical places of the ancient town. As highlights, in 2001 and 2005, Fernando Scarpa became the artistic director of the "Bühne Wittenberg" (Stage Wittenberg), a project for theatre, art and culture in the whole of Germany which attracts to the City plenty of audience and whose success achieves European echo. Fernando Scarpa ( 10 December 1968 in Milan) is an international award winning director and actor Hamlet is said to have studied here. Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601
Twin towns
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, since 1988- Bretten, Baden-Württemberg, since 1990
Springfield, Ohio, since 1995
Békéscsaba, Hungary, since 1999
Haderslev, Denmark, since 2004
Gallery
 "Lutherdenkmal auf dem Marktplatz", Luther Memorial on the market place |
 "Melanchton-Haus", House of Philipp Melanchthon |
 "Schlosskirche", All Saints Church |
 "Turm der Schlosskirche", Tower of All Saints Church |
 "Stadtkirche", City Church |
 "Stadtkirche", City Church |
 "Rathaus", Town Hall |
Holzmarktbrunnen Wittenberg. Göttingen ( ˈgœtɪŋən, Low German: Chöttingen is a College town in Lower Saxony, Germany. Lower Saxony ( German: Niedersachsen ch is pronounced before an s --> lies in north-western Germany and is second Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Bretten is a City in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states ( Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Springfield is a city in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Clark County. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Békéscsaba ( Slovak: Békešská Čaba) is a city and urban county in Southeast Hungary, the capital of the county Békés. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Haderslev (Hadersleben is a town and municipality on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " JPG
"Holzmarktbrunnen", Wood Market Fountain |
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DruckstubeWittenberg. JPG
"Druckerstube im Cranachhof", printing room in the Cranach yard |
Luthereiche wb. JPG
"Luthereiche", Luther's oak |
 "Theater in Wittenberg", Theatre |
 "Elbbrücke bei Wittenberg", Bridge over Elbe river near Wittenberg |
 Detail of a Judensau |
Wittenberg, Germany
External links
- Municipal website
- City map
- Virtual tour of the Castle Church
- Wittenberg Photo Gallery
- Theatre of Wittenberg (German)
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