Luther's beloved Eisenach

Wartburg Castle sits on a hill overlooking the town of Eisenach. It's almost 1000 years old, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the scene of many historic events. From 1521 to 1522, Martin Luther translated the New Testament from ancient Greek into German there. Nowadays Wartburg Castle claims to be the most-visited place associated with the history of the Protestant Reformation.

Luther is said to have worked on his translation in this small room. It took him just eleven weeks. Many visitors ask to see a blue stain on the wall. Legend has it that the devil was sitting behind the room's tiled stove and Luther threw an ink pot at him. Although there's no stain to be seen and no evidence for the story, it remains persistent.

Three national special exhibitions in Berlin, Wittenberg and Eisenach mark 2017 as the anniversary of the Reformation. "Luther and the Germans" in Wartburg Castle devotes itself to the social, cultural and political effects of Luther's Protestant teachings over the subsequent eras. The exhibition runs until November 5, 2017.

An adventure path from Eisenach to takes you up the steep slopes to Wartburg Castle. Large panels with pictures and aphorisms attributed to Martin Luther line the way. Many of his sayings have been handed down. His "Table Talk," informal dinner conversation studded with ribald jokes and biting remarks, was notorious.

Many pilgrims and tourists are walking in this anniversary year, following in the footsteps of the great reformer. The best way to do that is on the Luther Trail, which takes you through places associated with the Reformation, crossing several German federal states. In Eisenach, columns with QR codes providing information about various spots linked to Martin Luther lead through the town.

The Luther House, one of Thuringia's oldest half-timbered houses, has been restored for this anniversary year. The museum's permanent exhibition "Luther and the Bible" covers three floors. The house once belonged to the wealthy Cotta family, with whom Luther is said to have lived as a schoolboy from 1498 to 1501. In exchange for room and board, he tutored their son.

Luther stands on Eisenach's oldest marketplace, Karlsplatz, in bronze and larger than life. The statue by Adolf von Donndorf was dedicated in 1895 on the anniversary of Luther's arrival at Wartburg Castle. The reliefs on its base show scenes from the reformer's life, including his first encounter with Ursula Cotta and Luther translating the New Testament in Wartburg Castle.

Eisenach wasn't just a place where Luther lived and worked. It was also home to Johann Sebastian Bach, who was born here in 1685. At that point the reformer was long dead, but his spirit lived on in Bach's music. A new exhibition in the Bach House, "Luther, Bach - and the Jews," shows the extent to which Luther's world view influenced the famous composer.

St. George's Church also has a close connection with the reformer. The young Luther sang in its choir, and he preached here in 1521 on his trip to and from the Diet of Worms. Eisenach's main church, right in the center of town, it's considered one of the oldest ever Protestant churches. This place is also linked to Bach, who was baptized and played music here with his family.