The Christian Science Monitor

On Reformation's 500th anniversary, a German town buzzes with 'Luther mania'

Tourists gather around the Castle Church doors in Wittenberg, Germany where Martin Luther is said to have bailed his 95 theses 500 years ago. It is only one display of Luther mania sweeping Germany this year.

In this pretty town on the Elbe River, where Martin Luther is said to have nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church doors on Oct. 31, 1517, a certain Luther mania has swept through as the world marks the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation.

The historic churches and buildings where Luther preached, married, and baptized his own children have been painstakingly renovated. The jubilee year has brimmed with art installations, history exhibits, books, talks, and concerts.

Some of the marketing gimmicks surely would not have pleased

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor5 min readAmerican Government
Trump Vows To Fire Bureaucrats. Here’s Why Biden Is Trying To Stop Him.
For decades, American presidents routinely offered government jobs to political allies – and expected those employees would do their bidding in return. Then in 1881, a campaign supporter who did not win such a favor assassinated President James Garfi
The Christian Science Monitor4 min read
Caregiving Burdens Fall On Women. This Nigerian Woman Wants To Change That.
It’s 7 a.m. on a Monday, and the clamor of automobile engines fills the air, the soundtrack of millions of Lagos residents heading to work. Kindergarten teacher Fatimoh Adeyemi is one of them. But first, she stops in front of a simple white stucco ho
The Christian Science Monitor4 min readInternational Relations
For Moscow, The War In Ukraine Is A Rerun Of World War II
The atmosphere around Victory Day on May 9, a holiday celebrating the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, is always charged with martial fervor and a sense of Russia’s enduring resilience. The intensity almost makes i

Related Books & Audiobooks