Germany Guide
Saxony-Anhalt and the Harz
Lutherstadt Eisleben
"Mein Vaterland war Eisleben" – "My fatherland was Eisleben" – is, like many things Luther said of his own life, not quite true. The reformer was certainly born and also died here, but in between spent precious little time in the place. Nevertheless the small, otherwise unprepossessing and sprawling little town is absolutely focused on him, having invented itself as a place of pilgrimage as early as 1689 when it started preserving its Luther-related landmarks and finally renaming itself LUTHERSTADT EISLEBEN in 1946. Today, the town's main attraction is Luthers Geburtshaus the house where the reformer was born – now an excellent museum about him, his roots and the town. In fact Luther moved away from Eisleben aged one to the nearby settlement of Mansfeld, where he spent his formative years.
The Eisleber Wiesenmarkt ( 
www.wiesenmarkt.de ), a giant Volksfest, takes place at the start of September and is the liveliest event on the annual calendar.