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Wednesday | December 31, 2025 | 9:00 PM | Castle Church
New Year's Eve Concert by the Dresden Bach Soloists
With Christmas organ music and reflections on the turn of the year
December 31, 2025, 9:00 p.m.
Castle Church, Lutherstadt Wittenberg
The Dresden Bach Soloists present their program
"In the Italian Style – Works by J. S. Bach and his contemporaries".
The "Dresden Bach Soloists" were founded in 2014 by Joachim K. Schäfer. The ensemble, consisting of leading instrumentalists, is dedicated to preserving the works of the golden age of European musical culture of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The program for the New Year's Eve concert includes:
Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto in F major after BWV 1046
Aria/Duet BWV 78,2 “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten” (We hasten with weak, yet diligent steps)
Concerto in F major BWV 971 “In the Italian Style”
Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto in G minor RV 107
Christmas organ music will also be performed on the historic Ladegast organ by Castle Church organist KMD Ulrich Hirtzbruch. Pastor Birgit Neumann-Becker, director of the Evangelical Preachers' Seminary in Wittenberg, will offer spiritual reflections on the turn of the year.
Tickets available at: Tourist Information, Schlossplatz 2, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Mon-Sun 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Online: → Link zu reservix
More than 1,700 years ago, on March 3, 321 AD, Constantine the Great issued an edict establishing the first state-mandated protection in history for a work-free Sunday—marking the birth of Sunday protection. The observance of Sunday as a day of rest is enshrined in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany. The EKD (Evangelical Church in Germany) also advocates for its protection: Sunday is not a day for shopping or working. It belongs to family, faith, culture, sports, socializing, and relaxation. Find out more – www.sonntagsruhe.de
30 Years of World Heritage
In 1996, the castle church was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an almost completely preserved prime example of 19th-century monument preservation. From 2012 to 2016, it was renovated and restored with funding from the State of Saxony-Anhalt, the Federal Republic of Germany, the European Union, and private donors.
Congregation Excursion to Mittenwalde
On October 10, the Schloss- und Stadtkirchengemeinde (Castle and Town Church Congregation) invites everyone to a congregation excursion titled "In the Footsteps of Paul Gerhardt." The destination is Mittenwalde, one of the places where the pastor and hymn writer served.
History
Around 1340, the Ascanian dukes had an "All Saints' Chapel" built at their castle and founded a collegiate monastery in it for liturgical service. Elector Friedrich the Wise had the palace with the chapel demolished and his new residential palace with a more spacious palace church built on the site. You can find out more about the story here.
Church for children
Every Sunday there is a children's service in the Wittenberg Castle Church, parallel to the adult service. Ms. Felicia Grauel is one of the volunteers for the children's service.