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Luther Trail Tour Tip: Luther Mile Nordhausen

City Walking · Harz

Responsible for this content
Lutherweg - Thüringer Tourismus GmbH

/ Petriturm - Nordhausen
Photo: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA, By Tilman2007 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
/ St. Blasii-Kirche - Nordhausen
Photo: Paul Hentschel, Lutherweg - Thüringer Tourismus GmbH
/ Roland am Rathaus - Nordhausen
Photo: Paul Hentschel, Lutherweg - Thüringer Tourismus GmbH
/ Frauenbergkirche - Nordhausen
Photo: Paul Hentschel, Lutherweg - Thüringer Tourismus GmbH

Retracing Luther's footsteps at the gateway of the Harz mountain range.

easy

6.5 km

3:30 h

90 m

103 m

“I know of no other town in the Harz region – or anywhere else – that submitted so quickly to Protestantism than the town of Nordhausen. For this they shall be rewarded by God and all others in this life”.

With these words, Martin Luther expressed his appreciation of the Reformation in Nordhausen. He first visited the town on 30 May 1516 as part of a journey that took him there via Gotha and Langensalza.

On 22 April 1525, Luther preached in Nordhausen against the rebellious peasants and thus drove the Reformation forward, as he did in many other towns.

The Luther Mile in Nordhausen covers a total of eleven stations. Due to his friendship with the town mayor, Meyenburg, Martin Luther often visited Nordhausen, and the town quickly converted to Protestantism.

One of the most significant stations on the route is St Blasii Church where Martin Luther preached and in 1525 called for obedience to temporal authorities. Thomas Müntzer was also here for a few months, and the Reformation spread through Nordhausen and the entire Südharz region thanks to the vicar and preacher Johannes Spangenberg.

Author

Paul Hentschel

Updated: March 17, 2017

Difficulty

easy

Technique

Stamina

Experience

Landscape

Highest point

219 m

Lowest point

185 m

Best time of year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Rest Stop

Barfüßer Gate / Barfüßer Straße, Café FELIX

Start

St Peter's Church – St Peter's Tower (209 m)

Coordinates:

51.500535, 10.796540

DMS

51°30'01.9"N 10°47'47.5"E

UTM

32U 624696 5707018

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Destination

Marienknechtskloster (Servants of Mary Monastery), Himmelgarten

Turn-by-turn directions

St Peter's Church – St Peter's Tower – St Blasii Church – Barfüßer Monastery – Gatehouse of Spendekirchhof Cemetery – Barfüßer Gate – Barfüßer Straße, Café FELIX – Nunnery in Altendorf, St. Maria in valle – Altendorf Church – Holy Cross Cathedral – Lutherplatz – Old Town Hall – Monastery of the Augustinian Hermits – Nordbrand GmbH – Frauenbergkirche church, Neuwerk, St Mary in monte – Marienknechtskloster (Servants of Mary Monastery), Himmelgarten

Note

all notes on protected areas

Public transport

Public transport friendly

You can travel from Erfurt with Deutsche Bahn. In Nordhausen you can use the trams and buses. Timetable (German only)

Getting there

From the A38 take exit 10 'Nordhausen-West' onto the L3080. In Nordhausen, turn right onto Uferstraße. Take Kyffhäuserstraße, the B4, towards Taschenberg.

Parking

Please use the 'August-Bebel-Platz' car park in the town centre.

Coordinates

51.500535, 10.796540

DMS

51°30'01.9"N 10°47'47.5"E

UTM

32U 624696 5707018

w3w

///branch.pots.mocking

Arrival by train, car, foot or bike

Travel Guide: City walks in Harz

Germany ›

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Difficulty

easy

Distance

6.5 km

Duration

3:30h

Ascent

90 m

Descent

103 m

Public transport friendly Loop Cultural/historical value

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