IT IS impossible to miss what Wittenberg, a sleepy town in Saxony-Anhalt south of Berlin, is known for. The sign at the train station reads “Lutherstadt Wittenberg”. Visitors may wander around the house where Martin Luther lived with his wife, children and disciples, and purchase Luther-themed tea and socks embroidered with his most famous pronouncement: “Here I stand, I can do no other.” A statue of the man himself towers over the market square, not far from the “Luther-Apotheke”. Posters all over town advertise the planned festivities commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which Luther is said to have launched on October 31st, 1517 by nailing his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg’s church.
For most Germans, the chief consequence of the anniversary is that this year “Reformation Day” is a national holiday. Usually only a few of Germany’s eastern states get October 31st off. Such disparities have led to a longstanding German debate...Continue reading
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