10-Day Tour of Germany

Tour members meet for the flight to Germany. We are served meals according to flight schedule, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the onboard entertainment and prepare for this exciting adventure of a lifetime.

Upon arrival in Frankfurt, we meet our tour guide and drive to Oberursel to visit the seminary of SELK. SELK is a sister Lutheran church of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. After lunch (not included), we transfer to the quaint and charming village of Rüdesheim, which dates back to before the Roman era. We enjoy an orientation tour of the city, including its history in winemaking. We have dinner and winetasting at a local winery. Overnight is at our hotel in Rüdesheim.

After breakfast at our hotel, we drive to Mainz, the birthplace of printing. Here we visit the Gutenberg Museum where the evolution of printing is documented. Here Gutenberg’s first Bible and the world’s tiniest Bible are on display. Johannes Gutenberg is considered to be the most important individual contributor of the Second Millennium. Next, we continue to Worms, thought to be one of the oldest towns in Germany. Luther was summoned here in 1521 to appear before Emperor Charles V to recant his teachings before the Diet of Worms, a historic assembly that was to change the course of Christianity. We visit the world’s largest Reformation Monument and St. Peter’s Cathedral, situated on the highest elevation of the inner city. The cathedral is one of the most exquisite examples of Romanesque architecture. Then we continue to Heidelberg, the gorgeous town on the Neckar River, where romanticism is both past and present. Our walking tour includes the Old Town, the famous Stone Bridge over the Neckar River, Heidelberg Castle, Castle Church, German Apothecary Museum, and the Church of the Holy Ghost. On April 26, 1518, at the meeting of the Augustinian Order, Luther put forth his “theology of the cross” at the Heidelberg Disputation. Dinner and overnight are in Heidelberg.

After an early departure to Coburg, we visit the famous Veste Coburg. This is the fortress where Luther took refuge and lived during the Augsburg Confession. While visiting the castle, we see the Luther Room, the art treasures in the various collections, the royal building, and the Luther Chapel. Then we drive to Eisenach. As Luther said, “Almost all of my relatives live in Eisenach, and I’m known to them there and... well-respected; no other city knows me better.” We explore this city on a walking tour, highlighting St. George’s Cathedral where J.S. Bach was baptized. We visit the Luther House where Luther lived as a student with the Cotta family from 1498-1501, and the Luther exhibition documenting his life and theology. Dinner and overnight are in Eisenach.

After breakfast, our first stop takes us to the magnificent Wartburg Castle to tour the Palas (Great Hall), art exhibition, the Elisabeth Hallway, and the room where Luther, disguised as “Junker Jörg” (Knight George), translated the New Testament into German. We also visit one of the three big exhibitions celebrating the two greatest painters of the Reformation, son and father Lucas Cranach. This exhibition is dedicated to the Luther portraits of father Lucas Cranach the Elder. After arriving in Erfurt, we have lunch at the Augustinian Monastery (included). Here at the monastery, we see its famous dome and stained-glass window choir. Luther, student of law, entered here in 1505 and took his vows as a monk in 1507. Then we stroll through the cobblestoned streets to view the Fish Market, the Town Hall, Krämer Bridge, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and the Luther Memorial. A short walk takes us to the Anger square with its numerous shops. Dinner and overnight are in Erfurt.

This morning we drive to Eisleben where Luther was born in 1483 and died in 1546. Next, we visit St. Andrew’s Church, where Luther held his last four sermons, and Luther’s Death House, including a guided tour. A walk across the Market Square through the old town takes us to Luther’s Birth House and to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, where he was baptized. We then continue to Leipzig where we tour on foot the landmarks of this important city, including St. Nicholas Church and then St. Thomas Church where J.S. Bach worked and now rests. Dinner and overnight are in Leipzig.

We begin the day worshiping with our brothers and sisters at St. Trinitatis Parish in fellowship with the WELS. Then we will proceed to The Lutheran Theological Seminary. This is the seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (EFLK) in Leipzig, Germany. The seminary trains students to become pastors for the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church or for member church bodies of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference both of which are in Fellowship with the WELS. Then we make our way to Torgau and visit the Palace Chapel of the Renaissance Hartenfels Castle. This was the first protestant church in Germany, built to the specifications of Luther and the Reformers in 1540. Then it’s on to St. Mary’s Church, the burial site of Luther’s wife, Katharina von Bora. There was a plague in Wittenberg when she died, which is why she was not buried there next to her husband. We also visit her Death House, and then continue to Wittenberg for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Wittenberg was the main workplace of Martin Luther from 1508 and was his home for over 30 years. Our city tour includes a visit to the Luther exhibition at the Augusteum, Market Square, and Town Hall. We continue to St. Mary’s Church where Luther preached the majority of his sermons. Next, we see All Saints’ (Castle) Church where Luther posted his 95 Theses on the Castle Church doors, sparking the beginning of the Reformation. It is also where Luther and his fellow reformer Philipp Melanchthon are buried. We will enjoy an organ concert at the Castle Church. Then there is time at leisure to explore on your own. Dinner and overnight are in Wittenberg.

Following breakfast, we travel to Berlin, unified Germany’s capital city since 1990, and tour the city. We see the Museum Island with Berlin Cathedral, Checkpoint Charlie, Wall memorial, and the Holocaust memorial. If possible, we will visit Reichstag glass dome. We will have a farewell dinner at the Hofbräuhaus, and overnight is at our hotel in Berlin.

We transfer to Berlin Airport for the return flight back to the U.S.A. We arrive back in the U.S.A. the same day.