Was in Wittenberg in 1983, Was in the Wartburg Castle, also the Schloskirche where the 95 theses were posted and
where he is buried.
Was in the house in Eisleben where Luther was born.
Eisenach, was in Erfurt where he was ordained a priest
and where the Augustinian monastery is that he entered
and other interesting areas in East Germany.
Excet for a few historical churches including St. Thomas in Leipzig where Bach was orgaiist and choir master and where he is buried. Was able to see this.
almost all Lutheran Churches when I was there were locked shut by the Communists.
I spent the summers of '04, '05, & '06 in Lutherstadt Wittenberg (the official name), as part of seminary study on the Reformation.
I've also been to all the places you mentioned, as well as a few more. The good news is the churches are NOT all locked up any more. The bad news is that communism did its work, and a majority of people in the East are atheists still--hence the churches tend to be empty.
The article hits the nail on the head though as to what Wittenberg is like. Unlike most American tourist types, my stays were all over 3 weeks....and you get to know a place a bit for that period of time.
Tonight for example....a Monday, you'll find the bars in Wittenberg full up to Midnight and beyond--and not for tourists--typically packed a lot of high school age types--as the drinking age is 16 (and not strictly enforced...). Now that the nitrogen plant is closed (so no more polution--a very good thing) unemployment is something over 20%. Wittenberg's people today are a sad and very lost group.
All of Germany today is a huge mission field--full of people with empty lives....wide open to the Gospel.