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97-635: Wittenberg , officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg , is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt , in the Federal Republic of Germany . It is situated on the River Elbe , 60 kilometers (37 mi) north of Leipzig and 90 kilometers (56 mi) south-west of the reunified German federal capital city of Berlin , and has a population of 46,008 (2018). Wittenberg is famous for its close connection with Dr. Martin Luther (1483–1546) and

194-543: A "place of pilgrimage for the Reformation". With the Luther Decade starting in 2008, the city began preparing for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which took place in 2017. Numerous buildings have been restored, the infrastructure has been partially renewed and numerous new attractions have been created in the city (e.g. the new Lutherstadt Wittenberg Hauptbahnhof , Arsenal shopping centre, Luthergarden or

291-407: A continuous downward trend in the population of Saxony-Anhalt. This is partly due to outward migration and partly because the death rate exceeds the birth rate. Although the birth rate has been steady since 1994, the net reproduction rate is only approximately 70%. However, the total fertility rate reached 1.50 in 2014, the highest value since 1990. The region has historically been associated with

388-542: A large black round overprint covering his face. At the end of the war, Soviet forces occupied Wittenberg; it became part of East Germany in 1949. During the East German period, it formed part of Halle District . By means of the peaceful revolution in 1989, the communist régime dissolved and the town has been governed democratically since 1990. Wittenberg is currently characterized by renovation and new construction work, an economic recovery and tourism development as

485-522: A long tradition of cultural events. The Central German State Theatre ( Mitteldeutsches Landestheater ) reached great importance in GDR times. Since 1996, the town has staged 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),

582-424: A new town regarded the original model as a Rechtsvorort , or roughly a legal sponsor of the newly chartered town. For instance, Magdeburg became the sponsor of towns using Magdeburg Rights, and its lay judges could rule in ambiguous legal cases in towns using such rights. Certain city rights became known under different names, although they originally came from the same source; the name of some city variants designates

679-459: A preserved part of the Augustinian monastery of the local community of the world-wide Roman Catholic Order of St. Augustine in which Luther lived, first as a celibate monk and later as property owner with his later wife Katharina von Bora (c. 1499–1552), and family, considered to be the world's premier museum dedicated to Luther and the Reformation era. Wittenberg was also the seat of

776-527: A project for theatre, art and culture in the whole of Germany which attracts many visitors to the town and whose success is known European-wide. On 2002 and 2003 Stefano Vagnini , Italian composer and organist created the music for Thesys and Luther Stories . Prince Hamlet is said to have studied in Wittenberg and it was the supposed home of Dr. Faustus . Wittenberg is the seat of the Leucorea which

873-473: A theologian and professor of Greek starting a decade later in 1518. On 31 October 1517, according to legend, Luther nailed his "95 Theses" against the selling of indulgences to the huge wooden double-doors front entrance (which longtime served as an informal bulletin board for the parish and local academic community) of the All Saints' Church / Castle Church – an event taken as marking the beginning of

970-421: Is a federal state with a relatively short history, compared to other German federal states. It was formed in 1945 out of former Prussian territories and mainly consists of three distinct historical regions: the area around Magdeburg , the formerly independent Anhalt and a southern part which once was part of Saxony but had been annexed by Prussia in the 19th century. This historical origin can still be seen in

1067-628: Is a local Polish variant of the Magdeburg rights, modelled after the town rights of Środa Śląska in Lower Silesia , granted in 1235 by Polish ruler Henry the Bearded of the Piast dynasty . The purpose of creating the Środa law was to conform the so-called German law to the interests of Polish authority. Major cities chartered with Środa law were Kalisz , Legnica and Radom . Resulting from

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1164-559: Is also the headquarters of the eco-friendly web search engine Ecosia . Tourism plays a major role. Wittenberg is one of the top destinations in Saxony-Anhalt. Lutherstadt Wittenberg station is the main railway station. It connects Wittenberg hourly with Berlin to the north and Leipzig and Halle (Saale) to the south. The station was rebuilt to be more environmentally friendly and re-opened in December 2016. Wittenberg has

1261-418: 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

1358-644: Is home to numerous historical sites, as well as portraits and other paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Younger . On the doors of All Saints' Church, the Schlosskirche ("castle church", built in 1496–1506) Martin Luther is said to have nailed his 95 theses 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

1455-577: Is part of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , the largest university in Saxony-Anhalt. Not only the men of the Reformation era Martin Luther , Philipp Melanchthon and Lucas Cranach left their mark on Wittenberg. Much more than in its role as the capital of Kursachsen and as the residential town of Saxony-Wittenberg , the city was shaped by what was probably the most important university in Central Europe at

1552-520: Is the 11th largest. It borders four other states: Brandenburg to the north-east, Saxony to the south-east, Thuringia to the south-west and Lower Saxony to the north-west. In the north, the Saxony-Anhalt landscape is dominated by the flat expanse of the North German Plain . The old Hanseatic towns Salzwedel , Gardelegen , Stendal and Tangermünde are located in the sparsely populated Altmark . The Colbitz-Letzlingen Heath and

1649-836: Is the most irreligious state in Germany. Of the Saxon-Anhaltish, 15.2% adhered to the major denominations of Christianity (11.9% were members of the Protestant Church in Germany and 3.3% were Catholics ), 2% were members of other religions (mostly Islam, Judaism, the New Apostolic Church and Mandeism ). Of the citizens of Saxony-Anhalt, 82.8% were religiously unaffiliated. As of July 2019 there were 1,892 Jehovah's Witnesses (publishers) in Sachsen-Anhalt. Originally their branch office for Germany

1746-782: The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, almost all of the 51 reichsfrei cities of the Holy Roman Empire were mediatised by the territorial princes; the remaining imperial free cities of Frankfurt , Bremen , Hamburg , and Lübeck became sovereign city-states . The only remnants of medieval town rights (statutes) included in the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch of 1 January 1900 were single articles concerning family and inheritance laws. The cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Berlin are currently administered under Landesrechte , or laws of

1843-593: The 95 Theses , the first part of the Luther Bible, Luther's Table Talks, and numerous woodcuts were printed here. After the reconstruction of the Cranach courtyards, a historic print shop was re-established in Schlossstrasse, where texts (e.g. Luther's table speeches) and illustrations (in linocut) are now produced as privately printed matter using the letterpress process. The historical Gutenberg press in

1940-590: The Congress of Vienna , in the capital of Vienna , Austria, Wittenberg and Saxony was transferred to became part of the Kingdom of Prussia mostly further to the north and east, and administered within the Province of Saxony . Wittenberg continued to be a fortress and military post of the third class during the rest of the 19th century with the reorganisation of German defences until later dismantled two years after

2037-665: The Cranachhof at Markt 4 demonstrates how printing was done in the Middle Ages. Wittenberg Castle is the former residence of the Saxon Electors . After being destroyed in 1760 and 1814, it was used as a barracks as part of the defensive fortifications. Since the First World War , the castle has served civilian purposes. Wittenberg's civic coat of arms conveys with its various heraldic elements something of

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2134-693: The Drömling near Wolfsburg mark the transition between the Altmark region and the Elbe-Börde-Heath region with its fertile, sparsely wooded Magdeburg Börde . Notable towns in the Magdeburg Börde are Haldensleben , Oschersleben (Bode) , Wanzleben , Schönebeck (Elbe) , Aschersleben and the capital Magdeburg , from which the Börde derives its name. The Harz mountains are located in

2231-610: The Elbe River was built between 1487 and 1490 and the castle church (the Schlosskirche in German) was erected between 1496 and 1506. The Elector's palace was rebuilt at the same time. In 1502 , Elector Frederick founded the University of Wittenberg , which attracted some writers such as Dr. Martin Luther (1483–1546), —a professor of theology beginning in 1508—and Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560)—a friend and disciple along with

2328-667: The Evangelical Lutheran seminal theological document of the Augsburg Confession of 1530. The buildings associated with those two figures were added to the UNESCO ( United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ) designated World Heritage list in 1996, along with other sites in nearby Eisleben , because of their religious significance and testimony to one of the most influential religious, political and social movements of world history from

2425-709: The Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. That important Central Europe conflict resulting in the organization and proclamation of the German Empire in 1871, which endured under the rule of the German Emperor from the House of Hohenzollern in Berlin until the First World War A prisoner-of-war camp outside of town from 1914 to 1918 was built and set up. A 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 -acre (4.2 ha) camp

2522-653: The Habsburg monarchy of the Austrian Empire bombarded the Kingdom of Prussia 's Royal Prussian Army , which occupied the town. Warfare again touched Wittenberg by the First French Empire of neighboring France far to the west, took control in 1806, during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) and Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), (Emperor Napoleon I commanded the refortification of around

2619-593: The Holy Scriptures in Luther's Bible in their own tongue. 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 noble House of Wettin . During the 18th century in 1760, during the Seven Years' War (1753 / 1756–1763, the military forces of

2716-597: The Iron Cross for his part in the epidemic. The award however was controversial and later questioned by the Allies, who won the conflict. The use of dogs to attack P.O.W.'s was mentioned and described in the manuscript text and criticised by the United States Ambassador to Germany in 1913 to 1917, of Ambassador James W. Gerard (1867–1951), in his famous published book of the era and later produced by

2813-757: The Luftwaffe . This war factory was worked by Jews, Russians, Poles, political prisoners and even a few Americans—all prisoners engaging in forced labour , including POW's who were supposed to be exempt from this sort of labor. American and British planes bombed the factory near the end of the war, and in destroying it killed over one thousand of the prisoners and POW's placed by the Germans in this war plant. The 1995 publication of "...und morgen war Krieg!" by Renate Gruber-Lieblich attempts to document this tragic bombing outside Wittenberg. In 1945, Wittenberg issued 19 of its own postage stamps, each depicting Hitler but with

2910-495: The Lutheran faith, but under Communist rule, church membership was strongly discouraged and much of the population disassociated itself from any religious body. Saxony-Anhalt contains many sites tied to Martin Luther's life, including Lutherstadt Eisleben and Lutherstadt Wittenberg . In 2018, the majority of citizens in Saxony-Anhalt were irreligious and more were leaving the churches than entering them – in fact, Saxony-Anhalt

3007-779: The Medieval / Middle Ages era in the History of Europe . [REDACTED] Duchy of Saxony 1180–1296 [REDACTED] Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg 1296–1356 [REDACTED]   Electorate of Saxony 1356–1806 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Saxony 1806–1815 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Prussia 1815–1871 [REDACTED]   German Empire 1871–1918 [REDACTED]   Weimar Republic 1918–1933 [REDACTED]   Nazi Germany 1933–1945 [REDACTED] Soviet occupation zone 1945–1949 [REDACTED]   East Germany 1949–1990 [REDACTED]   Germany 1990– present Historical documents first mention

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3104-634: The Protestant Reformation and the start of a major branch of Western Christianity of Evangelical Ltheranism (followed by over 70 million believers in the world today). The more radical later Protestant group of 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 upset and angry Luther when he returned from temporary hiding and exile at

3201-569: The Rechtsvorort they became famous from, not necessarily that that specific style of rights originated from the Rechtsvorort . As territorial borders changed through the passage of time, changes to German city rights were inevitable. During the course of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the town laws of many places were modified with aspects of Roman law by legal experts. Ultimately, the older towns' laws, along with local autonomy and jurisdiction, gave way to landed territorial rulers. With

3298-688: The Red Army and therefore inaccessible. On the site of the former Franciscan monastery, the city's Central Visitors' Reception was opened in 2014/2015. It includes the event centre Stadthaus, the Historical City Information , the Council Archive and the Tourist and City Information Centre. In the centre of the old town is the generously proportioned market square, where a harmonious ensemble of town houses has grown up over

3395-404: The Seven Years' War , the building was severely damaged and rebuilt with a lower building height. Several building activities in the following period have greatly changed the appearance of the building. At the end of the 19th century, for example, one storey was added and large window openings were broken in on the south side. Between 1945 and 1992, Arsenal Square with the town house was occupied by

3492-682: The Soviet army administration in Allied-occupied Germany formed it from the former Prussian Province of Saxony and the Free State of Anhalt . Saxony-Anhalt became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, but was dissolved in 1952 during administrative reforms and its territory was divided into the districts of Halle and Magdeburg . Following German reunification , the state of Saxony-Anhalt

3589-478: The Westphalian towns of Soest , Dortmund , Minden , and Münster . As Germans began settling eastward, the colonists modelled their town laws on the pre-existing 12th century laws of Cologne in the west, Lübeck in the north ( Lübeck law ), Magdeburg in the east ( Magdeburg rights ), and either Nuremberg or Vienna in the south. The granting of German city rights modelled after an established town to

3686-516: The federal states of Germany . Many towns granted German city rights had already existed for some time, but the granting of town law codified the legal status of the settlement. Many European localities date their foundation to their reception of a town charter, even though they had existed as a settlement beforehand. German town law was frequently applied during the Ostsiedlung of Central and Eastern Europe by German colonists beginning in

3783-640: The reformer Philipp Melanchthon lived and died. It houses an exhibition. In 2013, the house received an extension according to plans by the architects Dietsch & Weber from Halle made of grey brick. Founded in 1502, the University of Leucorea in Collegienstraße was and is not only a teaching institution. For example, the famous personalities of the Reformation Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon spent time here. Over

3880-530: The 13th century. The town house contains significant remains of the medieval building fabric of the former monastery church of the Franciscans , which in turn was used as the burial place of the Ascanians . As early as 1536, the building was converted into a granary by Conrad Theiß and heavily remodelled by adding several levels. The medieval windows were closed and pouring openings were installed. During

3977-609: The 14th century. In the 15th century, many towns in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were chartered with the Środa town law used in much of Poland, although this was done through the duplication of Polish administrative methods instead of German colonization. In the 16th century Muscovy granted or reaffirmed Magdeburg rights to various towns along the Dnieper acquired from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . After

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4074-493: The 16th century religious / theological movement of Protestantism begun here in the Reformation and the large branch of Western Christianity started here of Evangelical Lutheranism , for which it received the honorific title Lutherstadt and has been called the "cradle of the Reformation" and "cradle of Protestantism ". Several of Wittenberg's buildings are associated with the historical / religious events, including

4171-726: The Duke of Saxony-Wittenberg the honour of Elector. 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 flowing water at the foot of the shield symbolizes Wittenberg's location on

4268-618: The Elbe (as is the capital Magdeburg) in the Anhalt-Wittenberg region. The capital and largest city of Saxony-Anhalt is Magdeburg . The second-largest city in the state is Halle (Saale) . From 1994 to 2003, the state was divided into three regions ( Regierungsbezirke ), Dessau , Halle and Magdeburg and, below the regional level, 21 districts ( Landkreise ). Since 2004, however, this system has been replaced by 11 rural districts and three urban districts. [REDACTED] The districts are: The independent cities are: The largest towns in Saxony-Anhalt as of 30 June 2022: Saxony-Anhalt

4365-434: 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 or crancelin (literally " rue wreath"; see the Saxony article for more) across them symbolizing the town's founder Duke Albrecht II since 1262, when it appeared in his arms. The shield on the left is the Wittenberg district's arms. In 1356, Emperor Charles IV bestowed upon

4462-516: The German economy, Saxony-Anhalt not only followed the national trend, but clearly outperformed other German states. For example, it outperformed three German states in terms of unemployment (10.8%, as of September 2011): the German capital and city-state of Berlin (12.7%), the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (11.3%) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (11%). The unemployment began to fall under 10% in 2016, and stood at 7.1% in October 2018. Saxony-Anhalt has seven World Heritage Sites ,

4559-422: The Panometer). In 2014 Lutherstadt Wittenberg was awarded the honorary title European City of the Reformation by the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe . The figures are given for the metropolitan district at the point in time. Up to 1791 the figures are generally estimated, later figures are from census or local authorities. Source: 2012 census. The town Wittenberg consists of Wittenberg proper and

4656-439: The River Elbe. The fish is a salmon , which as once abundant in the Elbe. The fishermen , like all professions in town, got their own order in 1422, and the fish found its way onto their coat of arms. The town is an important centre of chemical industry with the SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH  [ de ] . The whole area of the industrial park covers more than 220 hectares with more than 1,500 workers. Wittenberg

4753-400: The Soviet zone, allowing parties truly to compete for seats in provincial and state parliaments, on 20 October 1946, the Province of Saxony was renamed as the Province of Saxony-Anhalt ( German : Provinz Sachsen-Anhalt ), taking the prior merger into account. On 3 December 1946 the members of the new provincial parliament elected Hübener the first minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt, with

4850-468: The Teutonic Order in Prussia and along the lower Vistula in Eastern Pomerania, and in the Duchy of Masovia . Other variants included Brandenburg, Litoměřice, and Olomouc law. Litoměřice law and codes based on that of Nuremberg , such as Old Prague and Cheb law, were introduced into Bohemia during the reign of King Wenceslaus I , while German colonists introduced Brünn (Brno) and Olmütz (Olomouc) law in Moravia . South German law, broadly referring to

4947-450: The US Army withdrew from the former Prussian Province of Saxony to make way for the Red Army to take it as part of the Soviet occupation zone , as agreed by the London Protocol in 1944. On 9 July the Soviet SVAG ordered the merger of the Free State of Anhalt , Halle-Merseburg , the governorate of Magdeburg (in its then borders), Allstedt (before Thuringia) and some Brunswickian eastern exclaves and salients ( Calvörde and

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5044-454: The Younger, who is also buried in the church. 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 painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, representing the Last Supper (with the faces of Luther and other reformers), Baptism and Confession, also a font by Hermann Vischer the Elder (1457). In addition, there are numerous historic paintings in

5141-401: The basis of Riga law in Riga , used for some towns in the lands of the Livonian Order in Livonia , Estonia , and Courland . Magdeburg law was popular around the March of Meissen and Upper Saxony and was the source of several variants, including Neumarkt law ( Środa Śląska ) in Poland, used extensively in central and southern Poland, and Kulm law (Chełmno law), used in the State of

5238-414: The beginning Hollywood motion pictures industry as a documentary silent film " My Four Years in Germany ", in 1918. Unlike many other historic German cities during World War II , Wittenberg's town centre was spared destruction during the conflict. The Allies agreed not to bomb Wittenberg, though fighting took place in the town, with bullet pock-marks visible on the statues of Luther and Melanchthon in

5335-408: The building houses the Reformation History Museum with its collections of pictures, writings and contemporary exhibits from the Reformation era. During the renovation of the Luther House, its medieval charm was partially lost. The architectural style of the Melanchthon House in Collegienstraße, which expresses the self-confident modernity of the Renaissance , is an architectural sight. In this house

5432-460: The centuries. On it are the Renaissance town hall, the monuments to Martin Luther (designed by Schadow ) and Philipp Melanchthon (by Drake ), as well as the Marktbrunnen . Since the town administration has been located in the former Tauentzien barracks in Lutherstraße beginning in 2000 (New Town Hall), the town hall on the market square has been called the Old Town Hall and has since served more representative purposes. The Cranach Courts attest to

5529-469: The church. The ancient electoral palace is another of the buildings that suffered severely in 1760; it now contains archives. Martin Luther's home, the Lutherhaus , where he studied and lived both before and after the Reformation, is now a museum containing many artifacts from his life. Melanchthon's house and the house of Lucas Cranach the Elder, mayor of Wittenberg, can also be found here. Statues of Luther (by Schadow), Melanchthon and Bugenhagen embellish

5626-436: The church. The church on Mauerstraße was consecrated in 1872 by Bishop Konrad Martin . It was renovated in 1999/2000. Christ Church was built as another church in 1907/1908 in the suburb of Kleinwittenberg in historicist forms. The representative showcase building Augusteum was once an extension of the University of Wittenberg "Leucorea". In the inner courtyard of the Augusteum is the former home of Martin Luther . Today,

5723-406: The coat of arms of the federal state. In April 1945 the US Army took control of most of the western and northern area of the future Saxony-Anhalt. The U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (a precursor of the OMGUS ) appointed the first non-Nazi officials in leading positions in the area. Erhard Hübener , put on leave by the Nazis, was reappointed Landeshauptmann (state governor) . By early July

5820-523: The codes of Nuremberg and Vienna , was used in Bavaria , Austria , and Slovenia , and was introduced into the Kingdom of Hungary during the rule of King Béla IV . Jihlava law was a variant used frequently by mining communities in Bohemia, Moravia, the mountains of Upper Hungary , and Transylvania . Other town laws were only suitable for or were modified to fit local conditions, such as Głubczyce , Görlitz , Goslar, Lüneburg, Lwówek Śląski , Nysa , Spiš, and Székesfehérvár laws. The Środa/Neumarkt law

5917-443: The districts were reintegrated as a state. The territory around Torgau did not return to the state and joined Saxony. Torgau is now the centre of the Nordsachsen district (since 2008). In 2015 the skeletal remains of an ancient inhabitant of Karsdorf dated from the Early Neolithic (7200 BP) were analysed; he turned out to belong to the paternal T1a-M70 lineage and maternal lineage H1. Since German reunification, there has been

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6014-430: The early 13th century. Because many areas were considered underpopulated or underdeveloped, local rulers offered urban privileges to peasants from German lands to induce them to immigrate eastward. Some towns which received a German town law charter were based on pre-existing settlements, while others were constructed anew by colonists. Many towns were formed in conjunction with the settlement of nearby rural communities, but

6111-401: The eastern part of the former Blankenburg district ) with the Province of Saxony. The previously Saxon Erfurt governorate had become a part of Thuringia . Anhalt takes its name from Anhalt Castle near Harzgerode ; the origin of the name of the castle remains unknown. Anhalt was once an independent German federal state dating back centuries. The SVAG appointed Hübener as president of

6208-424: The edges of town in 1813. The following year in 1814, the Royal Prussian Army under Bogislav Friedrich Emanuel von Tauentzien had returned now a half-century later, this time storming the outskirts of Wittenberg; he received the title of "von Wittenberg" as a battle reward. Following the fall and exile of Napoleon in 1814 and 1815, and as a result of the negotiations at the ensuing major European peace conference at

6305-424: The end of the Middle Ages. It was the place of work for many personalities, who at the same time exerted influence on the city. Today, the names and dates of many personalities are recorded on memorial plaques on the houses in the old town. Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( German : Sachsen-Anhalt [ˌzaksn̩ ˈʔanhalt] ; Low German : Sassen-Anholt ) is a state of Germany , bordering

6402-445: The following Ortschaften or municipal divisions: Wittenberg has a typical oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ; Trewartha : Dobk ) with cool winters and warm summers. The average temperature in Wittenberg ranges from 1 °C (34 °F) in winter to 19 °C (66 °F) in summer, with the average temperature from May to September being above 10 °C (50 °F). Winter begins in early October and spring begins in mid-April of

6499-424: The following year. There are 14.1 days of daytime high temperatures exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) each year, and about 18 days of daytime maximum temperatures below freezing each winter. The Wittenberg weather station has recorded the following extreme values: Lutherstadt Wittenberg has a wide range of cultural sites. Most are located within the historic old town along the Wittenberg Culture Mile . Wittenberg

6596-509: The highest number of all states in Germany. Saxony-Anhalt has several universities, including: German town law As Germans began establishing towns throughout northern Europe as early as the 10th century, they often received town privileges granting them autonomy from local secular or religious rulers. Such privileges often included the right to self-governance, economic autonomy, criminal courts, and militia . Town laws were more or less entirely copied from neighboring towns, such as

6693-407: The history of the university, which is rich in tradition, developments took place that had an impact not only on Germany but also on large parts of the world. The Hamlethaus in Collegienstraße blends into the ensemble of the town. The Bugenhagen House next to the town church is the oldest Protestant vicarage in the world and is one of the most significant memorials to the Reformation. Until 1997, it

6790-416: The local branch of the Ascanians died out in 1422, control of Saxe-Wittenberg passed to the House of Wettin . The town became an important regional political and cultural centre at the end of the 15th century when Frederick III "the Wise", the Elector of Saxony from 1486 to 1525, made his residence in Wittenberg. Several parts of the boundaries of the town were extended soon afterwards. The second bridge over

6887-497: The market square – or so the popular version of the town's history goes. In actual fact the Luther statue was not even present in the town square during much of the war but in storage at Luther Brunnen, a roadhouse a few kilometres north of the town. Wittenberg's reputation as a town protected from Allied bombing is largely accurate. However, just outside Wittenberg the government had built the Arado Flugzeugwerke (the Arado Aircraft Factory), which produced components of airplanes for

6984-517: The official residence of the Wittenberg superintendents. The artistic decoration is well preserved and includes works by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger . Epitaphs on the interior and exterior walls refer to the work of many important personalities. The cemetery chapel of the Holy Corpse stands to the south of the town church and once belonged to the walled cemetery area of

7081-564: The prince Elector of Saxony , a dignity held by the dukes of the Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg , making it one of the most powerful cities in the thousand years old of the Holy Roman Empire (A.D. c.800 / 962–1806) in Central Europe. Today Wittenberg is an industrial centre and popular tourist destination, best known for its intact historic centre and various additional memorial sites dedicated to Martin Luther and his friend and fellow theologian / reformer Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560), major author of

7178-474: The province emerged into the State of Saxony-Anhalt on 6 October 1947. It became part of the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany ) in 1949. From 1952 on the East German states were dissolved, and Saxony-Anhalt's territory was divided into the East German districts of Halle and Magdeburg , except that the territory around Torgau was assigned to Leipzig . In 1990, in the course of German reunification ,

7275-470: The provincial Saxon administration, a newly created function. The administration was seated in Halle an der Saale, which became the capital, also of later Saxony-Anhalt until 1952. On 3 September 1945 the new administration enacted by Soviet-inspired ordinance the mass expropriations, mostly hitting holders of large real estates, often of noble descent. On the occasion of the first (and one and only) election in

7372-610: The reign of King Casimir III of Poland , numerous towns were chartered with Środa town law throughout the Kingdom of Poland in the 14th century, especially in Masovia , Galicia , and Volhynia . By 1477, 132 towns and thousands of villages in Poland were granted Środa law. Many Transylvanian Saxon settlements in Transylvania, especially in the regions of Altland , Burzenland , and Nösnerland , received South German town law in

7469-471: The remaining and newly created businesses are highly competitive. For example, the industry has doubled its share of international revenue from 13 percent in 1995 to 26 percent in 2008. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has fallen considerably. By 2010 the GDP of Saxony-Anhalt was almost two and a half times higher than it was in 1991. Even though part of this recovery was brought on by the positive performance of

7566-599: The remote hilltop Wartburg Castle in the spring of 1522. There he had spent months of time, effort and research into translating the two to four thousand years old texts of ancient languages of ancient Hebrew , Ancient Greek and Latin texts and manuscripts of the Old Testament and New Testament in the Bible into then common 16th century version of their German language so that the Christian lay people could read

7663-527: The rivers Saale and Unstrut in the south of the state. The metropolitan area of Halle (Saale) forms an agglomeration with Leipzig in Saxony. This area is known for its highly developed chemical industry (the Chemiedreieck – chemical triangle), with major production plants at Leuna , Schkopau ( Buna-Werke ) and Bitterfeld . Finally, in the east, Dessau-Roßlau and Wittenberg are situated on

7760-401: The settlement in 1180 as a small village founded by Flemish colonists under the rule of the House of Ascania . In 1260 this village became the residence of the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg , and in 1293 the settlement was granted its town charter as a free-standing town. Wittenberg developed into an important trade centre during the following few centuries because of its central location. When

7857-645: The south-west, comprising the Harz National Park , the Harz Foreland and Mansfeld Land . The highest mountain of the Harz (and of Northern Germany ) is Brocken , with an elevation of 1,141 meters (3,735 ft). In this area, one can find the towns of Halberstadt , Wernigerode , Thale , Eisleben and Quedlinburg . The wine-growing area Saale-Unstrut and the towns of Zeitz , Naumburg (Saale) , Weißenfels and Freyburg (Unstrut) are located on

7954-470: The states of Brandenburg , Saxony , Thuringia and Lower Saxony . It covers an area of 20,451.7 square kilometres (7,896.4 sq mi) and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the 8th-largest state in Germany by area and the 11th-largest by population . Its capital and most populous city is Magdeburg . The state of Saxony-Anhalt was formed in July 1945 after World War II , when

8051-500: The third lowest among the 16 states of Germany (together with Saxony and Thuringia). The largest foreign resident groups by 31 December 2022 were: Minister-president Reiner Haseloff (CDU) retained his position in a coalition with former partner SPD and newly the FDP. Before the election the coalition had consisted of the CDU, SPD and Greens. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the state

8148-424: The town's history. On 27 June 1293, Wittenberg was granted town rights by Duke Albert II. 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

8245-640: The town. The spot outside the Elster Gate where Luther publicly burned the papal bull in 1520 is marked by an oak tree. The original Wittenberg University quadrangle also lies in the city centre. One of the town's main attractions is the Schlosskirche (Castle Church), most notably associated with the publication of Martin Luther 's 95 Theses , a bold attack on the Roman Catholic Church's practice of indulgences. The castle church

8342-490: The towns' urban rights were jealously guarded. Initially German town law was applied only to ethnic Germans, but gradually in most localities all town-dwellers were regarded as citizens, regardless of ethnic origin. Lübeck law spread rapidly among the maritime settlements along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and was used in northern Mecklenburg , Western Pomerania , and parts of Pomerelia and Warmia . It formed

8439-636: The votes of the CDU and Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD) . Thus he became the only governor in the Soviet zone who was not a member of the communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) , making him an inconvenience for the Soviet forces. After the official Allied decision to dissolve the Free State of Prussia , which had remained in limbo since the Prussian coup of 1932 , its former provinces , in as far as they still existed, achieved statehood; thus

8536-404: The work of Lucas Cranach the Elder , Lucas Cranach the Younger , Hans Cranach , Augustin Cranach , and Lucas Cranach III in Wittenberg. The building at Markt 4 and the pharmacy with the courtyard at Schlossstraße 1 show points of contact with Lucas Cranach and his descendants. Lucas Cranach the Elder set up his own print shop in the once-famous printing town of Wittenberg. Among other things,

8633-609: Was 62.7 billion euros in 2018, which accounts for 1.9% of Germany's total economic output and ranks 13th among the 16 German states. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 26,000 euros or 86% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 88% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the second lowest of all German states. By 2020, the GDP of the state dropped to 62.654 billion euros, shortly after reaching an all-time high of 64.115 billion euros in 2019. Saxony-Anhalt

8730-468: Was extensively renovated. St. Mary's Town Church and Parish Church is the mother church of the Reformation. The first Protestant service was held in it in 1521 by Justus Jonas the Elder and Andreas Bodenstein of Karlstadt. As Martin Luther's preaching church, it was the Reformation official church of the general superintendents of the Saxon Kurkreis . After the Congress of Vienna it became

8827-540: Was in Magdeburg. When World War II ended in 1945, the property in Magdeburg, then part of East Germany, was returned and the branch was reestablished. But on 30 August 1950 Communist police stormed the facilities and arrested the workers, and the Jehovah's Witnesses in the German Democratic Republic (DDR) were banned. The percentage of foreigners in Saxony-Anhalt was 4.9 percent by 31 December 2018,

8924-584: Was later (1885–1892) restored. 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 Martin Luther , Philipp Melanchthon , Johannes Bugenhagen , Paul Eber 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

9021-551: Was part of the communist German Democratic Republic. After the breakdown of communism and the German reunification in 1990, the collapse of non-competitive former GDR industries temporarily caused severe economic problems. In 2000, Saxony-Anhalt had the highest unemployment rate of all German states, at 20.2%. However, the process of economic transformation towards a modern market economy seems to be completed. Massive investments in modern infrastructure have taken place since 1990, and

9118-494: Was re-established in 1990 and became one of the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Saxony-Anhalt is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and possesses the highest concentration of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Germany . Saxony-Anhalt is one of 16 constituent states of Germany. It is located in the western part of eastern Germany. By size, it is the 8th largest state in Germany and by population, it

9215-405: Was remodelled between 1883 and 1892. According to the intentions of the builders, the world-historical significance of the castle church was to be expressed. In the spirit of the historicism period, the statement was related to the precursors and bearers of the Reformation, thus creating a Reformation memorial. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the posting of the theses in 2017, the church

9312-525: Was set up at Klein Wittenberg, 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city. Eight compounds held 13,000 men of soldiers, sailors and pilots captured from the Allied armies of several opposing enemy nations. During the typhus epidemic of 1914–1915, conditions were harsh. The camp medical officer, Dr. Aschenbach who supposedly did the best he could, was later awarded the Imperial German military decoration of

9409-445: Was the residence and place of work of the Wittenberg superintendents without interruption since the Reformation. Johannes Bugenhagen was the first pastor to live here until his death in 1558. Between 2004 and 2007, the building was thoroughly renovated and now serves as a spiritual community and meeting centre. The Stadthaus is a modern building complex on Arsenalplatz that includes several historic buildings. Their origins date back to

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