Hartenfels CastleThe spirit of reform
This town is a monument to Luther’s reform spirit. In Torgau, the spiritual center of the German Reformation, Hartenfels Castle is the most significant building of the townscape, an outstanding masterpiece in one of Germany’s most beautiful Renaissance towns. This is where the »Torgau Articles« laid the foundation for the Augsburg Confession, where the first Protestant songbook was published, and where the Protestant rulers signed the »Torgau League of Princes«. This is also where Luther’s wife Katharina von Bora died and was buried in St. Mary’s Church.
The »Torgau Museum Route« leads visitors up the hill to the castle and the castle church, the first Protestant church to be built in Europe whose design was based on an idea of Luther and which was personally consecrated by the great reformer.
The castle courtyrad is dominated by the Large Spiral Staircase: This »impossible staircase« by the great architect Konrad Krebs supports itself without the aid of any central pillar.
