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Events Calendar
Musical City Walk
Love as in Luther's Time | Praetorius Consort Wittenberg & Wittenberg Court Orchestra & Guests
Sat, September 27, 2025 - 3:00 PM | Castle Church
Rediscover Wittenberg with open eyes and ears to the sounds of history: Participants in the musical city walk can already look forward to it! At the 20th Wittenberg Renaissance Music Festival, the Wittenberg Court Orchestra, the Praetorius Consort Wittenberg, and their guests invite you to a stroll through the original sites of the Reformation this Saturday afternoon, offering extraordinary listening experiences at representative locations in Luther's city. The young musicians from the Torgau Music School, who contributed to the success of this extraordinary tour last year, will be back in 2025.
During the approximately half-hour opening concert in the Castle Church, popular compositions from the past and present will be heard – songs and dances of the Renaissance, into which musical themes, melodies, and motifs from the soundtracks of modern cinema hits, such as "Tennessee," "Lord of the Rings," and "Pirates of the Caribbean," are subtly but unmistakably woven. Above all, however, in keeping with the festival motto, the focus is on two existential things: love and peace. Thus, Wittenberg's famous couple and the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's wedding play a major role this afternoon.
After the opening, interested parties can participate in a musical city walk in groups – accompanied by experienced city guides, of course. While strolling through Wittenberg, they can enjoy further musical performances in the Old Town Hall, the Corpus Christi Chapel next to the City Church, and the Café Klatschmohn, among others, and experience the impressive sound of historical instruments such as harps, lutes, viols, and crumhorns.
Since capacity is limited, we recommend booking tickets in advance. And be sure to allow some time: it can take two and a half to three hours for the "Love Like in Luther's Time" performance.
Tickets: €25/reduced: €22
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.