Rendezvous with Culture in Saxony-Anhalt
As the heartland of German history, Saxony-Anhalt provides excellent conditions for excursions through the cultural epochs. The journey through time starts with the Bronze Age on the “Sky Paths” archaeological route. Visitors are transported back to the Middle Ages on the state-wide Romanesque Road. Guests meet there in the footsteps of Otto the Great, who went down in history as the first German emperor. About 500 years later it was Luther who changed the world from the region of present-day Saxony-Anhalt. His activities in Wittenberg make Saxony-Anhalt the state where the Reformation originated. It is not without good reason that the Luther memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The region experienced a musical heyday in the 17th and 18th centuries with Baroque composers such as Bach, Telemann and Handel. The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (UNESCO World Heritage site) created in the 18th century by Prince Leopold III Frederick Franz of Anhalt-Dessau is regarded as the epitome of the Enlightenment, and cultural treasures of the modern age – from Kurt Weill music to Bauhaus – can be traced in Dessau. The Bauhaus building and Master’s Houses there (UNESCO World Heritage sites) recount the avant-garde among the Bauhaus artists.

Cultural excursions in Saxony-Anhalt can be easily combined with activities in the natural countryside. Concerts, open-air festivals and city festivals provide variety for those on the go. Regional specialities – such as the Saale-Unstrut wine – also transform the region into a culinary experience. Groups can take up quarters in modern hotels.

Romanesque Road
connects 80 Romanesque places of interest, among them the cathedral treasures in Halberstadt, Quedlinburg, Merseburg and Naumburg.
( www.strasse-der-romanik.de )

“Garden Dreams”- Historic Parks in Saxony-Anhalt
The “Garden Dreams” initiative includes 43 historic parks, among them the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (UNESCO World Heritage site).
( www.gartentraeume-sachsen-anhalt.de )

Sky Paths
The State Museum of Prehistory in Halle (Saale) with the original Nebra Ski Disc, the Nebra Ark Visitors’ Centre, the Goseck Sun Observatory and the Dolmen Goddess of Langeneichstädt are on the itinerary along the Sky Paths archaeological route.
( www.himmelswege.de )

UNESCO World Heritage Sites
There are four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Saxony-Anhalt: the Bauhaus building and the Masters’ Houses in Dessau, the Luther memorials in Wittenberg and Eisleben, the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz and the Quedlinburg, the city with its half-timbered buildings.
( www.luther-bauhaus-gartenreich.de , www.quedlinburg.de , www.eisleben.eu )

Saxony-Anhalt – the State where the Reformation originated
As the state where the Reformation originated, Saxony-Anhalt invites visitors to search for traces of where Luther lived and worked in Eisleben, Mansfeld and Wittenberg. His posting of the 95 Theses on 31 October 1517 in Wittenberg became the starting point of the Reformation. Even now the Luther Decade is getting in the mood for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017
( www.luther-erleben.de , www.luther2017.de ).

Prominent musicians
such as Baroque composers Bach, Telemann and Handel left their traces behind in Saxony-Anhalt.

Heritage sites: Bauhaus and Masters’ Houses in Dessau-Roßlau, Luther memorials in Wittenberg and Eisleben, Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz, Quedlinburg with Münzenberg, St. Servatius Collegiate Church, St. Wiperti Church and more than 1,300 half-timbered houses.

www.luther-bauhaus-gartenreich.de
www.quedlinburg.de
www.eisleben.eu

Luther’s Land
The Reformation started here in Wittenberg when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses against the selling of indulgences in 1517. To this day visitors encounter evidence of this era and a touch of Renaissance at the marketplaces, streets, museums and churches of the Luther cities Wittenberg, Eisleben and Mansfeld.
www.luther2017.de

Luther 2017
Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses in 1517 is regarded as a significant milestone of the Reformation. The 500th anniversary of this incident will be commemorated in 2017. This event was inaugurated in 2008 with the Luther Decade, which sets the years up until 2017 under various themes and among other things invites visitors with festival services, concerts and historical festivals in Martin Luther’s cities and places of activity.
www.luther2017.de

Music
The life and activity of prominent musicians has been closely linked with today’s Saxony-Anhalt for more than eight hundred years. The musical spectrum ranges from medieval minstrels to the Baroque composers Handel, Bach, Telemann, Fasch and Schütz as well as Kurt Weill, who decisively shaped the music of the modern era. Even today the rich musical tradition can be experienced in many places in Saxony-Anhalt while visiting original venues of musical history and at high-caliber concerts and festivals.
www.musikland-sachsen-anhalt

Natural pleasure – breathe deeply in Saxony-Anhalt
Unique landscapes and a well-developed network of routes for hikers, cyclists, water sports enthusiasts and equestrians make Saxony-Anhalt a good address for active holidaymakers and nature lovers. Cyclists can roll through Saxony-Anhalt on 18 trans-regional bicycle trails. The Elbe Cycle Route, one of the most popular long-distance bicycle trails in Germany, is among the family-friendly cycle routes. Athletically ambitious mountain bikers will find a suitable tour in the Harz mountain region, and the region between Dessau-Roßlau and Lutherstadt Wittenberg is recommended for recreational cyclists interested in culture. Three UNESCO-World Heritage Sites are concentrated in a very small area there: the Bauhaus building and the Masters’ Houses in Dessau, the Luther memorials in Wittenberg and the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz.

Hiking fans particularly get their full money’s worth in the Harz region, and there they will find a dense network of hiking trails, among them the 94 kilometre long “Harzer-Hexen-Stieg” (Harz Witches’ Trail) and the “Selketal-Stieg” (Selke Valley Trail). Pilgrims are welcome in Saxony-Anhalt on the St. James Pilgrimage Trail as well as on the Luther Trail between the Luther cities Eisleben, Mansfeld and Wittenberg. The near-natural courses of the Elbe, Saale, Unstrut and Havel rivers are areas for those who like to hike along water. The Altmark region in Northern Saxony-Anhalt is an ideal destination for those who love horses. The state’s nature reserves, among them Harz National Park and the Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve, should be noted for nature observations.

history. Active folks like to switch to a bicycle while on shore leave – this is easy because so many bike trails run next to the rivers.

Riding and equestrian vacation
The greatest happiness earth … also lies in Saxony-Anhalt on the backs of horses, particularly in the Altmark. Numerous riding stables and riding clubs offer short trips and extended tours. Experience or inexperienced riders can enjoy the view of pristine countryside, meadows and floodplain landscapes while on horseback during an idyllic shore leave or an excursion.

The Fläming Nature Park invites visitors to enjoy rides and wagon trips, while horse lovers in the moor and heather areas meet on riding trails, small lanes and along the Elbe. Or would you rather something wilder? A faster gait is guaranteed on race days at the race tracks in Magdeburg and Halle (Saale).

Pilgrimage

New horizons – the Way of St. James pilgrimage route
Nowadays pilgrims can also encounter the pilgrimage song “Ultreia!” encouraging pilgrims “to go forward and onward to Santiago de Compostela!” along the over 370 km trail in Saxony-Anhalt. As one of the most important pilgrimage route in Europe and a connecting path from Poland and Scandinavia, the trail leads to the grave of the apostle St. James.

On the spiritual trail – the Luther Path
Pilgrims can travel the Luther Path in the footsteps of Martin Luther. The 410 kilometer trail leads hikers to the most important places of activity which are connected with the Reformation. Today Protestant as well as Catholic communities open up numerous churches and abbeys, cathedrals and chapels – stations of the “Romanesque Road” – and invite visitors to enjoy tranquility, contempl

Saxony-Anhalt provides excellently furnished conference facilities and hotels for meetings and conferences as well as the suitable atmosphere for creative ideas. The state also provides a variety of offers for art and culture, lively cities and considerable leeway for allowing one’s thoughts to wander while enjoying the view of broad landscapes and historic gardens.

Go with your conference guests on a discovery tour. A thousand years of history ranging from medieval churches, monasteries and castles to modern era “cathedrals” preserved in the state’s numerous industrial monuments awaits visitors. Surprise your guests and customers with unusual locations, exciting incentives and impressive events. For instance, with your conference guests you can visit the Emperor Otto Festival in Magdeburg, the Handel Festival in Halle (Saale), the Luther’s Wedding City Festival in Wittenberg, the Garden Kingdom Summer at the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz or the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau-Roßlau. Discover the magical world of the Harz Mountains. The Harz TagungsPool organisation bundles the know-how from hotel partners, special locations, conference and seminar establishments, spa guest centres, local tourism organisations and specialists for outdoor training and events.

www.tagungsharz.com

Luther Decade: Theme Year “Reformation and Tolerance”
The Luther Decade is dedicating its efforts in 2013 to the theme “Reformation and Tolerance”. At many sites in Saxony-Anhalt guests can examine this theme as well as the intolerant sides of the Reformation and its consequences. For instance, Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius (19th/20th century, reference site Dessau-Roßlau) and Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz with the “Tolerance View” in the Wörlitz Park created by Prince Leopold III Frederick Franz of Anhalt-Dessau stand for tolerance. The annual exhibition “August Hermann Francke – A Life’s Work around 1700” is the highlight of the theme year and will be featured in the Francke Foundations in Halle (Saale) from 24 March to 21 July 2013.
( www.francke-halle.de ).

20 Years of the Romanesque Road
The 20-year anniversary of the Romanesque Road in Saxony-Anhalt will be celebrated in 2013. Guests interested in cultural history are invited to discover Romanesque sites and hidden worlds in the course medieval journeys or to enjoy culinary delights. In the cathedral treasure chambers of Halberstadt, Quedlinburg, Naumburg and Merseburg visitors can become “treasure seekers” and also relax in the monastery landscapes of the Romanesque Road. The series “80 Days on the Romanesque Road” features more than 80 events, including concerts, exhibitions, special tours as well as spiritual and culinary offers, and is the highlight from May to October.
( www.strasse-der-romanik.de )

World culture between Harz and Elbe for guests with individual needs
Guests with physical and mental impairments can go on a journey of discovery in many Saxony-Anhalt cities without barriers. A “Best of World Culture between Harz and Elbe” brochure presents day trips in Dessau-Roßlau, Halberstadt, Halle (Saale), Wittenberg, Magdeburg, Naumburg (Saale), Quedlinburg and Wernigerode. Among other things, the day trips include a support program with visits to attractions and lunch in a barrier-free restaurant. If required, overnights in barrier-free accommodations and special tours can also be booked.

For instance, guests can stroll in the footsteps of the reformer in the Luther city Wittenberg (UNESCO World Heritage site) or visit the “cathedral treasure” in Haberstadt. A visit to cathedral city Naumburg and the Naumburg master’s famous benefactor figure Uta is a must! The fascinating landscaped garden of Wörlitz Park in the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (UNESCO World Heritage site) is also advisable for people with a mobility restriction. A detailed color-coded site plan of the facilities provides information about suitable routes and levels of difficulty. The different levels of difficulty on the park’s trails are marked in green, yellow and red in the style of traffic lights. It provides information about surface conditions and practicality of trails and informs about obstacles and barriers. You guests will have eventful moments in the heartland of German history.

Exploring LutherCountry by car
The main Luther towns, cities and villages are close to each other and easy to get to. There is plenty to see and do, following Martin Luther’s footsteps as well as themes, such as history and art, architecture and music.

For a relaxing four days, explore Saxony-Anhalt’s vibrant Luther connections.
The trip is about 150 miles / 230 km.

Day 1: Lutherstadt Eisleben:
Houses where Martin Luther was born and died, Market square with Luther Memorial and Church of St. Andrew, Church of St. Peter and Paul

Day 2: Lutherstadt Eisleben > Halle (Saale):
Market Church, Handel Museum, Church of our Lady, Francke Foundations

Halle (Saale) > Magdeburg:
St. John’s Church (Luther preached here), 800-year-old Cathedral, Hundertwasser architectural project THE GREEN CITADEL OF MAGDEBURG

Day 3: Magdeburg > Dessau-Roßlau/Woerlitz:
Bauhaus Dessau and Masters’ Houses; Kurt-Weill-Centre in Feininger House, Dessau-Woerlitz Garden Kingdom (UNESCO)

Day 4: Lutherstadt Wittenberg:
Luther House, Luther’s oak, Luther and Melanchthon Memorials at market square and Cranach Courts, Melanchthon’s house, Municipal Church, Town Church and Castle Church

www.visit-luther.com

The HarzCard
One Ticket – over 100 experiences
Alone, as a pair, with the family or with friends – be exited from the unmatched wealth of experiences of the Harz and discover the magical moutainside with the HarzCard.
www.harzcard.info

Dealing carefully with resources as well as nature and the environment is also important in Saxony-Anhalt. The 1st climate-neutral hotel in Middle Germany is a pioneer in terms of ecology-minded travel:

Naturresort Schindelbruch
As the 1st carbon-neutral hotel in Middle Germany registered with EMAS (EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), Naturresort Schindelbruch is one of the top addresses for wellness, fine dining and “green meetings”, and naturally for those also involved in environmental protection. The topic of sustainability was incorporated into the hotel with the reconstruction in 2008. Among other things, an in-house water treatment system and a new pellet heating plant were installed. The hotel introduced the EMAS environmental management system, reorganized the waste management, converted to 100% green electricity and minimized the packaging volume. The pool is heated with the waste heat from cold stores via a heat exchanger and secures a portion of electricity requirement in a photovoltaic plant.

The hotel operation has been completely carbon-neutral since mid-2009. In addition to environmental protection, the hotel philosophy – “Discover – Enjoy – Preserve” – also entails the rediscovery of nature. Natural experiences, forest hikes and regional products as well as “Veggie Day” contribute to this philosophy.

www.schindelbruch.de

Saxony-Anhalt has something to offer for everyone! Visitors can look forward to a rich history, historical sites and beautiful landscapes. Saxony-Anhalt is the heartland of German history and thereby provides a vast number of travel ideas as well as new travel occasions every year.

We will gladly support you with:

• Information material
• Travel advice
• Tour proposals / travel programme proposals
• Complete travel planning / compilation of travel packages
• Theme trips

We are gladly at your disposal for your individual advice:
++49 391 562 838 17
gruppen@tm-sachsen-anhalt.de