Wittenberg 2017 Congress
Please review the Congress Schedule & the travel options presented below. Then, complete a registration form to request your hotel, flights & space on one or more of the optional tours.
Please review the Congress Schedule & the travel options presented below. Then, complete a registration form to request your hotel, flights & space on one or more of the optional tours.
Check out the Congress Schedule to help decide on your hotel, flight & tour options.
Please review the following schedule carefully to determine your:
The Maritim Hotel Berlin, exclusive hotel of the Wittenberg Congress, is located in the embassy district, adjacent to the city's picturesque Tiergarten park. This luxurious property recaptures the glamorous flair of the roaring '20s, while offering its guests all of the modern comforts one would expect, ensuring that every stay is an experience to remember.
These elegantly furnished rooms cover 102 sq.ft. They have spacious bathrooms & enjoy views over either the cultural district or the diplomatic quarter.
Your stay will include a buffet breakfast daily.
Covering 167 sq.ft., each stylish Executive Suite interior houses a bedroom with a separate living area. The bathrooms are equipped with both a shower and a bathtub.
Your stay will include a buffet breakfast daily.
Additional service: Between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m., the VIP lounge "Berliner Salon" serves a selection of soft drinks, beer, sparkling wines, table wines, warm beverages & light refreshments. A range of current international publications & internet access are also provided free of charge.
Advanced flight reservations for the Wittenberg Congress will be available for conference participants & their guests beginning in October 2016. Fellowship Travel will provide special discounted rates for individual & group travelers departing from all major cities in the world.
When you register with us for your hotel & tour services, simply check the box in the "Flights" section. We will contact you with flight costs & itinerary information as soon as they become available.
At Fellowship Travel, a manager or senior agent is available 24/7 to assist you with travel emergencies during your trip. This service is complimentary to all of our ticketed passengers.
Berlin is a must-see destination for any traveler. Whether you are interested in history, arts, culture, or architecture, the city has much to offer. Explore Germany’s capital city with your choice of a half or full day of touring.
This 3-hour tour is available to Congress leaders & their guests.
Sunday, Oct. 29 or Monday, Oct. 30
Today's program will start with a tour along Berlin's boulevard "Unter den Linden" with the State Opera, St. Hedwigs Cathedral & Neue Wache (memorial to the victims of war & tyranny). This site is famous for Kathe Köllwitz's Pietà sculpture, "Mother & Her Dead Son," as well as its beautiful dome, once built as the Hohenzollern (Prussian dynasty) family tomb. Our tour continues past Museum Island, Alexander Square & East Side Gallery (a painted stretch of the former Berlin Wall in former East Berlin). It's the largest open-air gallery in the world with more than 100 original murals. (We'll stop here to take pictures & admire the paintings.)
We'll then have a quick stop at Checkpoint Charlie before continuing to Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin's most magnificent square (home to the concert hall, as well as German & the French cathedrals). We'll also see Potsdamer Platz. Formerly bisected by the Berlin Wall, it has been the site of major redevelopment projects since the German reunification. See the Holocaust memorial, Brandenburg Gate (we'll stop here & get some pictures), the Reichstag with its amazing glass dome, as well as the government district. We'll continue the tour visiting the area of the embassies & the Victory Column. Today’s tour will end with a ride along the Kurfürstendamm, the famous boulevard of former West Berlin, with the KaiserWilhelm-Memorial Church, an anti-war memorial to peace & reconciliation.
This 8-hour tour is available to Congress leaders & their guests.
Monday, Oct. 30 or Thursday, Nov. 2
Today's program will start with a tour along Berlin's boulevard "Unter den Linden" with the State Opera, St. Hedwigs Cathedral & Neue Wache (memorial to the victims of war & tyranny). This site is famous for Kathe Köllwitz’s Pietà sculpture, "Mother & Her Dead Son," as well as its beautiful dome, once built as the Hohenzollern (Prussian dynasty) family tomb. Our tour continues past Museum Island, Alexander Square & East Side Gallery (a painted stretch of the former Berlin Wall in former East Berlin). It's the largest open-air gallery in the world with more than 100 original murals. (We'll stop here to take pictures & admire the paintings.)
We'll continue on to see the Jewish Museum, Checkpoint Charlie & the Wall Museum, which contains the best documentation available on the many escape attempts from East to West. (We'll stop here & step out of the bus.) From here, we'll see the Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin's most magnificent square (home to the concert hall, as well as German & the French cathedrals). We'll also see Potsdamer Platz. Formerly bisected by the Berlin Wall, it has been the site of major redevelopment projects since the German reunification. See the Holocaust memorial, Brandenburg Gate (we'll stop here for pictures) & then continue on to the government district. We'll stop for lunch at Käfer Restaurant (subject to change) inside the Reichstag & afterward have the opportunity to walk around the dome. We'll continue the tour visiting the area of the embassies & the Victory Column. Today's program will end with a ride along the Kurfürstendamm, the famous boulevard of former West Berlin, with the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Memorial Church, an anti-war memorial to peace & reconciliation, & finally, Castle Charlottenburg.
This 4-day tour is available to Congress leaders & their guests.
Choose to depart Thursday, Nov. 2 or Friday, Nov. 3.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This German theologian & former monk led an effort to reform the Church of his day, but in the end became one of the most famous leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Commemorate the event that launched this movement in Germany with a visit to the many integral landmarks. Take a journey through many of Germany's most beautiful medieval cities, visiting the sites where Martin Luther was born, worked, wrote, translated, debated, taught, led & died.
After breakfast, depart Berlin for the city of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther lived much of his academic & monastic life. Visit the Luther House where he transitioned from monk to preacher. The building, which now serves as a museum, was also the Luther family home. Stop by the Melanchthon House, home to Philipp Melanchthon, one of Luther's collaborators & a spiritual leader of the Reformation. After seeing where they lived, we'll then pay a visit to where these religious pioneers were laid to rest, the Castle Church. Next, enter the town church where we'll see an altar designed by Lucas Cranach, a Renaissance artist & friend to Luther. After our visits, there will be free time for lunch on your own before heading to Eisleben.
Eisleben is the city of Martin Luther's birth & death. In addition to these places, we’ll see St. Peters Church (from the outside), where Luther was baptized. We will drive through Mansfeld, where Luther’s parents' home is located & on to Erfurt for your dinner & overnight.
After breakfast, we'll have the opportunity to tour Erfurt. Stops will include St. Severus Church & St. Mary's (also known as Erfurt Cathedral), where Luther participated in his first mass & was later ordained. We'll then tour the University of Erfurt where Luther discovered his passion for Bible studies & religion while earning both a Bachelor's & Master's degree. After completing his Master's, Luther entered the Augustinian Monastery as a member of the Augustinian Order of Hermit. We'll have the chance to explore this 13th century monastery. While in Erfurt, everyone must take the time to stop by the Tradesman's Bridge, which is famous for supporting a variety of houses which are still inhabited. Free time for lunch on your own in one of the local restaurants before heading to Eisenach.
In Eisenach, we'll visit Wartburg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where Luther translated the New Testament from Greek to German. After the visit, enjoy a short walk through town where we'll see the houses of both Luther & the famous composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. See St. George's Church where Bach was baptized as well as St. George's Latin School, Luther's preparatory school prior to University of Erfurt. Return to Erfurt for dinner & overnight.
Following breakfast, we'll depart for Coburg. Veste Coburg is one of the largest castles in Germany & where Luther continued his translation of the Bible while being protected by the Duke of Saxony for six months during the Diet of Augsburg. After our visit here, enjoy a guided walk through the medieval city of Coburg. The architecture of the former residence was mainly influenced by the dukes of Saxony-Coburg & Gotha dukedom. In this tour, we'll see all the historical places that are connected to Martin Luther such as the St. Moritz Church where Martin Luther preached. Enjoy free time for lunch on your own before we continue to Mainz for dinner & overnight.
After breakfast, we'll have the chance to explore Mainz with a tour dedicated to its most famous & influential son, Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg is heralded as the publisher who brought printing to Europe. At the Gutenberg Museum, we'll see one of only 47 existing copies of the Gutenberg Bible, the first printed version of the bible & aesthetic inspiration for future prints. While in Mainz, enjoy views of the Rhine River & marvel at some of the region's terrific Romanesque cathedrals, like the Mainz Cathedral. Free time for lunch on your own before our drive to Worms where we'll take a guided walking tour.
Martin Luther spent just ten days in Worms, but these ten days fundamentally changed the world. There, you'll see the Luther
Memorial, the largest Reformation memorial in the world, which was designed & constructed
by Ernst Rietschel & his pupils Donndorf, Schilling & Kietz & inaugurated
in 1868. The Luther Room in the Worms City Museum in St. Andrew's Collegiate Church deals
specifically with Luther's stay in Worms. Visitors can see a copy of a Luther Bible from
1521 with handwritten annotations by the reformer. (The original is kept by the city
library.) Also, see the sculpted head of Luther that Ernst Rietschel originally designed
for the Luther Memorial & much more. The place in which Luther made his brave declaration
because to go against one's conscience is neither right nor safe
is marked by
a plaque on the ground. At the start of the 20th century, another church was built in
the western quarter of the city in memory of the reformer, the Luther Church. Return
to Mainz for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant & overnight.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight.