Fragrant garden landscapes, historic cities, architectural milestones - the cultural heritage in Saxony-Anhalt is large and diverse. With no fewer than five UNESCO World Heritage sites, the state is one of the regions with the highest density of places that are significant for humanity's cultural and natural heritage. The Luther cities Eisleben and Wittenberg, das Bauhaus Dessau, Quedlinburg mit historischer Altstadt und Schloss, der Dom in Naumburg sowie das Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz sind mit dem begehrten UNESCO-Titel zertifiziert. Drei davon stellen wir auf dieser Seite vor.
In the autumn of the year 1517 began in the beautiful City of Wittenberg in eastern Saxony-Anhalt, a movement of historic significance. On October 31, Martin Luther (1483-1546), who lived in Wittenberg as a monk, preacher and university professor of biblical studies, posted his 95 theses against the sale of indulgences on the portal of the castle church. This marked the beginning of the Reformation, the traces of which are still visible 500 years later. Hardly any area of life in society remained untouched by it, whether church, language, economy or culture.
Who the Lutherstadt Wittenberg today can easily follow in the footsteps of the reformer. UNESCO has recognized several memorials on site as cultural heritage of humanity. Starting with the Luther House, where the reformer once lived and worked for 35 years - today it is the largest museum of Reformation history in the world. In the beautiful residence of Philipp Melanchthon, once Luther's most important collaborator, the scholar's study and death rooms are recreated. In addition to the castle church, the most important stops include St. Marien, Luther's place of preaching since 1514 - in this "mother church of the Reformation" Holy Mass was celebrated in German for the first time.
Die zweite Lutherstadt Sachsen-Anhalts auf der UNESCO-Welterbe-Liste ist Eisleben im östlichen Harzvorland, wo der Reformator geboren wurde und auch gestorben ist. In seinem Geburtshaus wird heute mit historischen Möbeln an das Leben im Mittelalter erinnert, eine Ausstellung im Sterbehaus gedenkt der letzten Tage des Kirchenmanns. Martin Luther wird auch durch Skulpturen auf den Marktplätzen von Eisleben und Wittenberg geehrt – im Restaurant "Wittenberger Hof" können Gäste zudem wie zu Luthers Zeit speisen. Mehr Infos finden sich here.
The Bauhaus School of Design, Art and Architecture is famous the world over; internationally, it is considered Germany's most successful cultural export of the 20th century, no more and no less. After its founding in Weimar, the school moved to Dessau in 1925 - since then, the city in southeastern Saxony-Anhalt has been most strongly associated with the Bauhaus. No wonder: nowhere else can so much Bauhaus architecture be discovered in such a small area, and it can still be seen today.
As the "cradle of classical modernism," the school has written style history like no other. Practical, shapely, straightforward: these characteristics are now firmly associated with the Bauhaus style. It struck a chord with the times; worldwide, interest in the "New Building" with its simple cubic forms was high in the 1920s and 1930s. And Dessau was the hotspot of all activities. All three Bauhaus directors - Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe - lived and worked there, and from there the style spread all over the world, from Rotterdam to Tel Aviv.
UNESCO has long since recognized the importance of the school. Since 1996, Saxony-Anhalt's most important Bauhaus sites have been registered as World Heritage Sites. These include the Dessau Bauhaus building, which was once built as a schoolhouse according to plans by Walter Gropius and is considered an icon of modernism, or the portico houses on site. Every year, tens of thousands of curious visitors come to the state to see the original buildings. Incidentally, the legendary university was closed in 1933 after only 14 years - in this short time it has left tremendous traces. Read more here.
Dichte Wälder, duftende Blumen, weite Wiesen, dazu Seen, Flüsse und Brücken, Schlösser und Tempel: Seit mehr als 200 Jahren beglückt das Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz seine Besucher. Sachsen-Anhalts bedeutendste Kulturlandschaft liegt im Biosphärenreservat Mittelelbe und umfasst heute eine Fläche von 142 km². Von der UNESCO wurde die Anlage bezeichnet als ein „herausragendes Beispiel für die Umsetzung philosophischer Prinzipien der Aufklärung in einer Landschaftsgestaltung, die Kunst, Erziehung und Wirtschaft harmonisch miteinander verbindet“ – und zählt folglich seit dem Jahr 2000 zum UNESCO-Welterbe.
The core of the Garden Kingdom is the Wörlitz Gardens. The foundation stone was laid in 1765 by Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau. He and his architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff were inspired by numerous travels, and from then on planned the first landscape park on the English model on the European continent, as an image of a modern state and an enlightened way of thinking. The beautiful should be useful. During his 50-year reign, Prince Franz had magnificent palaces and parks built, connected by avenues, dykes and fruit plantations.
Was den Besucher heute erwartet? Der Wörlitzer Park, dessen Wege und Wiesen von Obstplantagen gesäumt sind – die Gäste können von einer Gondel aus die einmaligen Anlagen erleben. Das als kleines Sanssouci bezeichnete Rokoko-Schloss Mosigkau voller Gemälde flämischer und holländischer Meister. Der Sieglitzer Park, das Gotische Haus, Schloss Oranienbaum und das Luisium, einst privates Refugium der Fürstin. Und immer und bei allem verzaubern die weiten Grünanlagen ringsum – seit über 200 Jahren Heim für seltene Tiere und Pflanzen im Herzen von Sachsen-Anhalt. Mehr Infos gibt es here.
Cover photo: Milestone in history - the castle church in Lutherstadt Wittenberg © Michael Bader
