Tourist association Lutherstadt Eisleben/ Mansfelder Land e.v.

Tourist association Lutherstadt Eisleben/ Mansfelder Land e.v.

In 1483, I, Martin Luther, was born of my father, Johannes Luther, and my mother Margaretha... My fatherland was Eisleben. Martin Luther, after-dinner speeches Eisleben is one of the oldest towns between the Harz Mountains and the River Elbe. The Great German Reformer Dr. Martin Luther was born here, and he also died here. His Birth House, the house where Luther died, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (where Luther was baptized), the St. Anne s Church, and St. Andrew s Church at the marketplace belong to the important places which are closely connected with the life and work of Martin Luther. In 1996 the Birth House and the house where Luther died were admitted to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. But not only the Luther sites, churches, and museums are destinations of the town s visitors. A great interest is shown in the Convent of Helfta which has been rebuilt after 450 years. But also the theatre,the arts center with the gallery, the famous Eisleben Fair, places in charming surroundings of the East Harz Mountains as well as small hotels and comfortable restaurants offer a warm welcome for your visit. The historical town center with the late Middle Ages marketplace is dominated by the impressive ensemble town hall, St. Andrew s Church and Luther statue. The town hall was built in the first third of the 16th century. In the background is St. Andrew s Church. Focal point of the marketplace is the Luther statue that was created by Rudolf Siemering and revealed for the first time in 1883. Bronze reliefs on the base of the Luther statue can be found. 2

Martin Luther s Birth House Martin Luther s Birthplace is the oldest historical museum in the German-speaking area. After a fire in 1689 it was rebuilt in 1693 by order of the citizens of Eisleben and since then it has been a memorial place for the Reformer. In the spirit of Luther an Armen-Freischule was also put up in this house at that time. In that school children of poor parents got a good general education. The Franconian town house is late Gothic in its origin, and got its present shape from the 17th to the 19th century. The big straight hallway from the street to the yard remained from the 15th century. The facade facing the road which runs alongside Luther s Birthplace is decorated by a relief from 1693. In the garden is a Luther bust created by Schadow. The exhibition is devoted to the origin, childhood, and youth of the Reformer as well as the history of the building and the effect of the house. It is opened by valueable sacral exhibits, a German-language bible from the year of the Reformer s birth and the uncovered kitchen from the Middle Ages. Highlight of the 2nd floor is the Handsome Room with the painted silver swan as a symbol of the Reformer. Hans and Margaretha Luder, Martin s parents, moved from the Thuringian Möhra to Eisleben in the county of Mansfeld because of the flourishing copper mining. Front view, relief, kitchen, Luther bust, courtyard, and the Handsome Room in the birth house 3

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (where Luther was baptized) The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is a late Gothic hall church, in which the aspiring columns and the fan vault impress the viewer. The choir area is dominated by a late Gothic altar which is consecrated to St. Anne. The dignified group of Anne Selbdritt forms the focal point of the altar. Saint Anne, the grandmother of Jesus, was very honoured in the Middle Ages. She is regarded as the patron saint of mining. An exceptional feature of the predella of the altar is the depiction of the shepherds as miners. On November 10th, 1483 Martin Luther was born and one day later he was baptized in the name of the patron saint of the day in the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. The Luther font in the choir area retains the memory of Luther s baptism. Altar and font of St. Nichola s Church in the Tower Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul. Choir with St. Anne s Altar and Luther font. A view into Luther s baptismal church which is often used for concerts. 4

St. Anne s Church It is the miners church of Neustadt Eisleben. The monastery of the Augustinian Hermits with its 5 attractive Franconian framework gables with the monk cells adjoin the church. It was founded in 1515. Luther in his capacity as an Augustinian district vicar repeatedly stayed there. St. Anne s Church was the first Protestant church of the Mansfeld county. An origine in Europe is the so-called Eisleber Stone Picture Bible which was created by Hans Thon Uttendrup from Münster in 1585. It consists of 29 sandstone reliefs and mainly shows pictures from the Old Testament. The pulpit - a stucco work made of plaster - is from 1608. The bearer of the pulpit is Moses depicted wearing horns. The history of mankind and the life-story of Jesus are shown. The glass paintings of the valuable windows indicate Franconian influence and verify the artistic importance of the Mansfeld county in the 16th century. Coat of arms of the Counts of Mansfeld A detail of the Stone Picture Bible A window showing Count Albrecht of Mansfeld Pulpit details and window details 5

St. Andrew s Church Martin Luther gave his last sermons here. The basic structure of the late Gothic hall church was put up in the 15th century and re-built again after the great fire in 1498. The two west towers were given their baroque spires after 1601. The Luther pulpit has been preserved nearly intact from the Luther period. In the aisles there are monuments of the counts of Mansfeld. The busts of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon were created by Johann Gottfried Schadow. Communion cup from c.1480 The square around St. Andrew s Church is - as well as the market square - often visited on celebrations and processions. There you can certainly meet a Lutheran actor. 6

The house where Luther died Since his childhood Martin Luther has had close relations to the Mansfeld region and the copper mining industry. His parents lived here. His brother Jacob carried on the copper works of his father, his sisters were married to foremen of copper works. On January 28th, 1546 Luther came to his native town to settle differences among the Counts of Mansfeld. Already weakened by illness, the negotiations were successfully concluded by him with a contract on February 17th. During the night of February 17th to 18th Luther died at the age of 62 years. The house where Luther died is opposite St. Andrew s Church. Since 1894 it has been used as a museum. The exhibition is dedicated to the last three weeks of Luther s life and the Reformation in the county of Mansfeld. The origins of the Luther bible is shown in four rooms. Katharina of Bora and Martin Luther as guests at celebrations in Eisleben Graphics adapted to paintings of Cranach and Hohlbein At the top: The house where Martin Luther died, front view; The bedroom - reconstructed in the 16th century; Epitaph painting from 1569 - depiction of the last ordination on February 14th,1546 in St. Andrew s Church; Death chamber The center of attention is the pall which has been purchased by Luther s heirs and is kept in a splendid show-case; The entrance to the house where Luther died; Bedroom with a view of the square around St. Andrew s Church 7

The Convent of Helfta For more than 450 years there has been no convent life in Helfta anymore. And even 5 years ago there was a hopeless expanse of ruins here. But God had something planned with this apparently godforsaken place. Abbess Maria Assumpta Schenkl In the 13th century the holy women St. Gertrud (the Great) von Helfta, Mechthild von Hakeborn, and Mechthild von Magdeburg established the fame and the religious aura of the Convent St. Mary of Helfta as the jewel of the German convents. At present 20 Cistercian nuns live in Helfta who live there according to the rules of St. Benedictus and the spiritualism of the father monks. The daily prayer times (8 times a day) as well as the daily Eucharist services have been very popular with the visitors in the convent for years and invite them to a return. A guided tour of the church and the convent or a walk around the pond grounds in the big convent area are a welcome opportunity to relax. A wide program selection has been offered in the St. Mechthild Hall with room for up to 450 people. Its pleasant-sounding acoustics fascinate every concert-goer. St. Gertrud (the Great) von Helfta (1256-1302), a sculpture from the Catholic parish church of St. Gertrud, Lutherstadt Eisleben. In the open heart of Gertrud Jesus can be seen according to his word in St. John s Gospel (14,23): If anyone loves me, my father will love him, and we will take up residence with him. Impressions of the convent. But also concerts and art exhibitions make the Convent of Helfta a well-attended cultural meeting place. 8

Celebrations, traditions and culture For nearly 500 years the Eisleben Fair has been the biggest annual funfair in Central Germany. Since then, it has become famous as the Munich beer festival of Central Germany. In the Museum of Regional History, right behind the house where Luther died, the history of the Mansfeld region is described very concretely. After 800 years copper mining the mining and works traditions are upheld in splendid processions. A cultural center of the Mansfeld region is the Landesbühne Sachsen-Anhalt - a theater in the Luther town of Eisleben. The ensemble is widely known across the borders of Saxony-Anhalt, because of many excellent productions. In the not distant village Oberwiederstedt is the birth house of the early Romantic Georg Philipp Friedrich von Hardenberg - named Novalis. Castle Oberwiederstedt Great procession to the Luther jubilee 1996 Scene from The broken pitcher by Heinrich von Kleist at the Landesbühne Sachsen-Anhalt theater Lutherstadt Eisleben; at the top: The dress of a leader of the miners in the Mansfeld copper mining at about 1769; on the right: The Eisleben Fair, celebrations in Eisleben and processions 9

Mansfeld - Luther town The town of Mansfeld and Mansfeld Castle are - alongside the Luther town of Eisleben also well-visited places on the trail of Martin Luther in the Mansfeld region. Martin Luther spent his childhood in Mansfeld. The house which was bought by Hans Luther in 1491 was pulled down in 1805. From 1879 to 1883 the working quarters were converted into a Luther memorial. A little museum in memory of Luther s childhood is furnished today on the upper floor. In the reconstructed building of Luther s school is the tourist office of the town with multimedia center. The remains of the ancestral castle of the Mansfeld counts, a late Gothic Palace Church, and enormous fortifications rise over the town of Mansfeld. Luther s parents house in Mansfeld On the right: Mansfeld Castle is used today as a place of learning for young people; The Luther well On the left: St. George, heraldic picture of the town of Mansfeld, a wooden relief in St. George s Church At the top: A view of Mansfeld Castle and the scenery of the Lower Harz Mountains Hettstedt On the copper hill near Hettstedt the qualified miners Nappian and Neuke discovered the copper mineral. St. Gangolf s Church has already been erected at the beginnings of the mining and it is the oldest church in Hettstedt. An exhibition of the history of Mansfeld copper mining and changing special exhibitions are put on in the building of the so-called Humboldt Castle. The large exhibition on the open-air exhibition ground shows with many exhibits the technology of mining, smelting, the production of goods made of non-ferrous metals, and shows the first German steam engine made in once with accord Watt s construction. Highlights are the Steam Engine Days which take place on the area of the Mansfeld-Museum. 10

The scenery in the Mansfeld region The mining has characterized the appearance of the Mansfeld region. Nevertheless the region is rich in beauty and nature. The region was once divided into the Mansfeld Mountain District and the Mansfeld Lake District. This combination of low mountain range and lakeland district has a special charm. The north-western part of the region extends to the lower parts of the Harz Mountains. Spruce woods and beech woods are marked by charming courses of rivers. The possibilities of hiking and relaxing, riding lessons, guest-houses, castles, ruins, historical memorials to the mining, museums, and impressive churches invite you to the Mansfeld region. The historical mining railroad On the right: Riding school in the holidays in the Mansfeld region; Pure nature by the Vatterode Pond with the park railroad; Cherry picking by the Lake Süßer See ; A view of Castle Seeburg At the top: A view of Vatterode A popular recreational area is the valley of the Wipper River near Vatterode with an idyllic pond. Lake Süßer See has an expanse of water of 238 hectares and is a special nature paradise. It is perfectly suitable for bathing, camping, sailing, and surfing. It also offers enough possibilities for anglers and persons who are in need of a rest. Because of the favourable climatic location apricots and vines thrive on the slopes of the lake. 11

Comrade Martin - the symbolic figure of the Mansfeld mining Bookings and information: Tourist Association Office Lutherstadt Eisleben / Mansfelder Land e.v. (Fremdenverkehrsverein Lutherstadt Eisleben / Mansfelder Land e.v.) Bahnhofstraße 36 06295 Lutherstadt Eisleben Germany phone: +49-3475 - 60 21 24 fax: +49-3475 - 60 26 34 e-mail: info@eisleben-tourist.de www.eisleben-tourist.de Publisher: Fremdenverkehrsverein Lutherstadt Eisleben / Mansfelder Land e.v. Conception and lay-out: 2D-Grafik-Design Pictures: Archiv FVV, 2D, Stadtverwaltung Lutherstadt Eisleben, Franke, Mitteldeutsche Zeitung-Stedtler, Kloster Helfta, Stadtinformation Mansfeld-Lutherstadt, Gemeinde Vatterode Printing: Halberstädter Druckhaus GmbH With courtesy of the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung and the Landesmarketing Saxony-Anhalt GmbH, Magdeburg