Wittenberg

Wittenberg (/ˈwɪtənbɜːrɡ, ˈvɪt-/ WIT-ən-burg, VIT-, German: [ˈvɪtn̩bɛʁk] ; Low Saxon: Wittenbarg; meaning White Mountain;^[a] officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Luther City Wittenberg)), is the fourth-largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, 60 kilometers (37 mi) north of Leipzig and 90 kilometers (56 mi) south-west of Berlin, and has a population of 46,008 (2018).

Not to be confused with Wittenberge or Wittenburg.

Wittenberg

Lutherstadt Wittenberg

Germany

Saxony-Anhalt

Wittenberg

Torsten Zugehör^[1] (Ind.)

240.32 km² (92.79 sq mi)

67 m (220 ft)

45,535

190/km² (490/sq mi)

UTC+01:00 (CET)

UTC+02:00 (CEST)

06886

03491

wittenberg.de

Wittenberg is famous for its close connection with Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, for which it received the honorific Lutherstadt and is being called the "cradle of the Reformation"^[3] and "cradle of Protestantism".^[4] Several of Wittenberg's buildings are associated with the events, including a preserved part of the Augustinian monastery in which Luther lived, first as a monk and later as owner with his wife Katharina von Bora and family, considered to be the world's premier museum dedicated to Luther. Wittenberg was also the seat of the Elector of Saxony, a dignity held by the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg, making it one of the most powerful cities in the Holy Roman Empire.

Today Wittenberg is an industrial centre and popular tourist destination, best known for its intact historic centre and various memorial sites dedicated to Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon. The buildings associated with those two figures were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996, along with other sites in Eisleben, because of their religious significance and testimony to one of the most influential movements of medieval Europe.^[5]

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg

Lutherhaus, Melanchthonhaus, Stadtkirche Wittenberg and All Saints' Church, Wittenberg

Cultural: iv, vi

783

1996 (20th Session)

, Markt 4 (changing exhibitions)

Cranach-Höfe

(changing exhibitions)

Altes Rathaus

Christian Art Foundation Wittenberg with a permanent exhibition and changing special exhibitions in (access via visitor centre)

Wittenberg Castle

Haus der Geschichte (20th century housing culture and in particular that of the former GDR), Schlossstraße 6

(city history; Julius Riemer collection: natural history, ethnology), Arsenalplatz

Museum of Municipal Collections in the Zeughaus

Science Center futurea, Markt 25

Historical City Information and burial place of the in the monastery church, Arsenalplatz

Ascanians

The new Lutherstadt Wittenberg station in 2017

The Elbe bridge is part of the Bundesstraße 2 federal highway

The 'SKW Piesteritz' industrial area

The Elbe connects Wittenberg with Hamburg and Magdeburg

The town is an important centre of chemical industry with the SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH. The whole area of the industrial park covers more than 220 hectares with more than 1,500 workers. Wittenberg 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.