This is a random sampling of NTA members in these
countries. For a complete list of potential partners,
please use the member search on NTAonline.com.
COMPASS
Germany and Switzerland
COMPILED BY BOB ROUSE
Reformation Jubilee hits full stride
Wittenberg, Germany, is the epicenter of the Reformation
Jubilee, a worldwide celebration of the 500th anniversary
of Martin Luther’s public rejection of numerous Catholic
Church practices.
“The Castle Church in Lutherstadt (Luther City)
Wittenberg is where the Protestant reformer Martin Luther
nailed the 95 Theses to the door in 1517,” says Christian
Utpatel, founder and owner of Terra Lu Travel, an NTA member. “This event is seen as the start of the Reformation.”
A highlight of Reformation tours, Castle Church was
closed during years of renovation and was accessible only
with special permission. “Due to our good local contacts,
we were able to get almost every group on the construction
site,” Utpatel says, adding that construction is now complete and the church is open to the public. His company
worked with another NTA member to arrange for a choir
from the U.S. to perform there last month.
The official rededication of Castle Church will be in
October, a year ahead of the anniversary date, Oct. 31, 2017.
The observance has been preceded by a 10-year run-up to
the anniversary—the Luther Decade—and tourist demand
is strong, according to Jessica Irro of NTA-member IrroReisen Coach Charter Germany/Europe.
“We have had many requests for the Reformation, and
because hotels are already fully booked or very expensive
in Weimar and Erfurt for next year, people will visit this
year, especially in September and October,” Irro says.
Utpatel confirms that many hotels are sold out but asks
NTA members to check with him because “we are on-site
and we still have access to some nice places.” Terra Lu specializes in faith-based travel; its name is derived from terra
Lutherana, or “Luther’s land.”
And like the Reformation itself, the celebration will
extend beyond Wittenberg and 2017. The Reformation
Jubilee will reach Switzerland in 2019, 500 years after
reformer Ulrich Zwingli started his work in Zurich. The
Swiss city is planning exhibitions and events for 2019, and
Utpatel is providing tours.
“One of our most popular itineraries combines the
German and the Swiss Reformation, leading from Berlin via
the Luther sites to Strasbourg, Zurich and Geneva,” he says.
Top: Castle Church in Wittenberg is a popular stop on
Reformation tours. Martin Luther was buried there in 1546.
Bottom: What looks like curtain in front of a wall inside Castle
Church is a trompe-l’oeil; it’s painted on.
42
July 2016
CHRISTIAN UTPATEL
For more details on Terra Lu Travel’s Reformation tours,
visit luther.travel or email Utpatel at [email protected]. You can reach Irro at [email protected] or learn more
at coach-charter-germany.com.