This morning I spent my time reading commentaries for my sermon on Saturday (it's not all fun and games here, people!). This afternoon, I wandered the town taking pictures of all the renovations being done to prepare for 2017. The Schlosskirche is probably the most impressive. Not only are they renovating the existing castle and church, they are also building an extensive center for study. This expansion will be built to the back of the courtyard, so it is not visible from the town square. Most buildings in the older parts of the towns here are built in a U-shape. What is visible from the front, is only a small portion of the facilities. It extends back and almost always has a courtyard not visible from the street.
Below is a picture of the Schlosskirche doors where Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses. This is a replica because the original doors were burned long ago. This bronze version of the doors is engraved with Luther's theses.
The picture below is of the same doors only back a bit to show the extensive scaffolding and construction for renovating the Schlosskirche. These school children were given presentations to each other in front of these doors today. One student used a microphone and all the others had clipboards. I'm assuming they were evaluating or taking notes of the presenter. One comment that has been made by many local people is that it has taken visitors from around the world to help them realize what history and treasure their own town contains.
Renovations continue on the Schlosskirche. I am hoping to see the inside of the church next week. Rev. Dr. Hanna Kasparick has offered to give me a tour. The church was also closed two years ago when we were here, so I am anxious to finally see the inside!
Below is a picture of the "back side" or courtyard side of the Schlosskirche. The church portion pictured above is to the right on this picture. This shows the renovation of the castle portion and beyond that to the left will be the new expansion.
This is the Town Church St. Mary's (Stadtkirche - St. Marien) where I have been preaching during my time here. You can also see the scaffolding for the renovation work behind the buildings that face the Marketplace (Marktplatz). The inside renovations are finished at the Town Church. The external renovations continue. I am very thankful they have finished the internal renovations. Last summer all of the worship services were held in Katharinensaal (Katharina Hall) because both churches were closed.
The third major location for renovation is the Luther House and school. Although technically, they are not working on the Luther House. It is located to the rear of the courtyard area. They are working on the building at the front to make it into a center for cultural exhibition. This front section is called the Collegium Augusteum. It is the oldest university of its kind in a German-speaking country. They are working to join the Augusteum to the Luther House with a glass hall that will also house more museum exhibits. The renovation and expansion will add 1000 square meters of space. It's difficult to capture the scale of this renovation/expansion. Let's just say, "It's HUGE!"
These two men were on this very steep portion of the roof using a chain saw. They are not tethered and they are 4+ stories up!
The back side of the Augusteum and the Katie Luther statue in the courtyard.
Supper tonight had to include Spargel again! This time with Hollandaise sauce and a melted butter/breadcrumb sauce. Spargel is asparagus grown underground so it remains white. It is much milder in flavor than green asparagus. It is seasonal and very popular in this part of Germany.
This evening was Englisch Stammtisch. Local residents join English-speaking guests to practice their English. Tonight we had a group of teaching students from Concordia College in Portland, Oregon. They are planning to attend the chapel service today so that should keep things lively.
Thomas Glaubig (left) is a local tour guide and a regular at Stammtisch. Beth and Margot are visiting with him about some of the Luther sites we saw yesterday. I'm off to wander the Luther Museum again today. It is such a gift to have all the time I want to take it in! Auf Wedersehen!
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