Lutherstadt Wittenberg

The town of Lutherstadt Wittenberg is a quaint village with a beautiful town square. The building on the left is the Town Hall. And the church in the center of the picture is the Town Church. This is the church where I will preach the entire time I am in Wittenberg because the Castle Church is still undergoing renovations to prepare it for 2017 (the 500th anniversary of Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church).

The town itself is located on the banks of the Elbe River. In 2013 when we were there, the Elbe was flooding causing the cancellation of the Luther Wedding Festival held in June each year. Think Renaissance Festival with real Medieval buildings!

I will have much more information about Luther and the town of Wittenberg once I arrive there. But for now a few facts. It has a population about the size of Grand Forks (46,000).

Lutherstadt Wittenberg was founded in 1180 by Flemish settlers. During World War II, the center of town was spared, but a munitions factory located on the edge of town was bombed by allied forces. At the end of the war, Lutherstadt Wittenberg became a part of East Germany and was under the control of the Soviet Union until 1990. It has been democratically governed since then.

Last time I was in Wittenberg, I had a long conversation with a man about what it was like to live there during the time of the Soviet control. He was a tour guide who was blacklisted because he was a Christian. He told a fascinating story about the end of the Soviet control. To them, it seemed as if the military just vanished into the landscape. All of a sudden, there were no soldiers at the train stations or border crossings.

My first order of business when I get to Wittenberg and drop off my luggage is to head to the banks of the Elbe River and sing Happy Birthday to my friend, Warren Loberg. He will be 91 that day. During World War II, he fought in Germany and spent time along the Elbe River. If you see Warren on April 28, wish him Happy Birthday!