Luther Trail: Section 34 – From Schmölln to Altenburg

Luther often visited Altenburg, the second Thuringian residence – in addition to Weimar – of the Wettin Prince Electors. He stayed with his friend Georg Spalatin, secret secretary of the Prince Elector and the canon of St George’s Abbey. In 1519, Luther met the Pope’s legate Karl von Miltitz and negotiated the ‘Altenburg vow of silence’ in a final attempt to achieve an amicable settlement. Miltitz was to find out if Luther still stood by his Wittenberg thesis. The agreed vow of silence did not last long.

In 1528, Spalatin took over as Superintendant and implemented Luther’s Reformation according to his wishes on an administrative level. Spalatin was able to prevent conflicts arising between Luther and the Saxon Prince Elector Frederick the Wise as a result of Luther’s impulsive behaviour. ‘If it hadn’t been for me, Luther and his teachings would never have come so far’.

Sites on the way to Schmölln include the village church in Mockern, dedicated to St George and the single-nave church in Saara with its unusual clock. Instead of numbers, the clock uses letters to spell out the phrase ‘Nütze die Zeit’ (Use the time). The medieval single-nave church in the idyllic village of Maltis is also worth visiting.

This section takes you to Schmölln, which boasts one of the largest market places in central Germany. The town hall features a portal with seats in niches at the entrance, a perron staircase and inflexed arch windows and is well worth a visit. Crossed swords on the front of the town hall signify the former right of jurisdiction. The town is surrounded by an 8-metre high wall. In 1127, Bruno ‘Count of Pleißen’ ordered the construction of a second Cistercian monastery on Pfefferberg hill in Schmölln, which was moved to Pforta between 1138 and 1140. The Church of St Mary, which remained on the site, became a popular pilgrimage destination between the 13th and 16th century. During the peasants' war in 1525, the church was destroyed by the rebels. Four years later, the Reformation was introduced.

Around 1900, the town became the centre of the button industry. The mother-of-pearl artist Hermann Donath laid the foundations for the industry in Schmölln. Today at the ‘Knopf- und Regionalmuseum’ (Button & Local History Museum) you can gain an extensive insight into the eventful history of the Schmölln button industry.