Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

(Tina Sui) #1

72


6 Wörlitz
Saxony-Anhalt; 06786
Many splendid residences
set in landscaped gardens
were built around Dessau
in the 18th and 19th centu-
ries. Of these, the most
impres sive is Wörlitz, where
Gothic follies and mock
Classical statues dot mani-
cured lawns, while swans
and rowing boats bob on
a tranquil lake. Prince
Leopold III of Anhalt, along with his
court architect Friedrich Wilhelm
von Erdman, built the gardens in the
second half of the 18th century. At
the center stands the Neo-Classical

WHERE TO STAY

WÖRLITZ
Pension Zum Hauenden Schwein
inexpensive
This traditional place has clean and
bright rooms, and a good wine bar.
Erdmannsdorffstrasse 69,
06786; 03490 53 01 90;
http://www.zumhauendenschwein.de

LUTHERSTADT WITTENBERG
Stadthotel Lutherstadt Wittenberg
Schwarzer Baer inexpensive
A central hotel in a 500-year-old
building with free parking.
Schlossstrasse 2, 06886; 03491 420
43 44; http://www.stadthotel-Lutherstadt
Wittenberg.de
Alte Canzley moderate
The former chancellery building has
now been revamped to create a
spotless, upmarket hotel. Facilities
include a sauna.
Schlossstrasse 3, 06886; 03491 42 91
90; http://www.alte-canzley.de
Stadtpalais moderate
The most exclusive hotel in town has
modern luxuries, including a sauna.
Collegienstrasse 56/57, 06886; 03491
42 50; http://www.stadtpalais.bestwestern.de

7 Lutherstadt Wittenberg
Saxony-Anhalt; 06886
Clinging to a scenic stretch of the Elbe, the tidy little town of
Lutherstadt Wittenberg is named after its most famous resident,
Martin Luther, who came here in 1508 and sparked the Protestant
Reformation. It now basks in this golden era, celebrating the homes
and graves of those who together created the “Protestant Rome.”

BACK ROADS GERMANY


Where to Stay: inexpensive, under €70; moderate, €70–€150; expensive, over €150

A two-hour
walking tour
From the Neustrasse parking
lot turn left onto Mittelstrasse
and follow it to
Collegienstrasse where,
beside a small park, lies the
Lutherhaus 1 (Apr–Oct: open
daily; Nov–Mar: closed Mon),
formerly the Augustinian
mon astery into which Luther
entered on arriving in the town.
Dissolved during the Reformation,

one of the monastery’s wings
served as the Luther family
residence. Today it contains
a col lection of Reformation
relics: Luther’s desk, pulpit,
and first editions of many
of his books. Outside the
Lutherhaus, and on the
corner of Lutherstrasse and
Am Hauptbahnhof, grows an
old oak, the Luthereiche 2 ,
which was planted in 1830 on the
spot where Luther displayed his

WALKING AROUND WÖRLITZ

The 35-mile (56-km) Gartenreichtour
Fürst Franz hiking and biking trail travels
through the nearby UNESCO biosphere
reserve. Well-marked from Wörlitz
parking lot, the closest point of interest
along the route is the fishing village of
Vockerode and the adjacent royal
woodland park, Sieglitzer, both around
4 miles (6 km) to the west of Wörlitz.
http://www.woerlitz-information.de;
http://www.dessau-tourismus.de

Schloss Wörlitz (open daily) with
its muted Baroque decor. Behind
the palace, the central lake spreads
out and gondola tours pass beneath
an array of bridges around the lake.
Other park attractions include the
Gotisches Haus, the prince’s Neo-
Gothic resi dence, the mock Italian
landscape Insel Stein, and a
synagogue (all open daily) mod eled
on the Temple of Vesta in Rome.
ª Turn left on Erdmannsdorff
Strasse then right on Dorfstrasse on
to Wittenberger Strasse to join the
B2. Turn right at the B187, then left
at Elsterstrasse and right on Am
Hauptbahnhof to exit on Lutherstrasse.
Turn left at Neustrasse to park.

Above Serene lake and 18th-century country
gardens of Wörlitz

Exterior detail,
Lutherhaus

0 meters

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200

200

Lutherhaus

Melanchthonhaus Luthereiche

Cranachhaus

Marktplatz

Stadtkirche
St. Marien

Schlosskirche

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