Torgau - City of Reformation and Renaissance
Acquaintance with the best preserved German Renaissance city.
The former capital of Saxony's electorate seduces visitors with its 1000-year-old past. In its unity, Torgau is the best preserved German Renaissance city. And Torgau is a Lutheran city. Under the regency of Frederick the Wise, John the Steadfast and John Frederick the Magnanimous the city was the political centre of the Reformation in Germany. It has been proved that the great reformer Martin Luther was in Torgau 40 times. Many tracks lead to him.
Market place with Renaissance guildhall
The market place in Torgau shows many treasures of architecture. The mighty Renaissance guildhall, built in 1579, with the colourful and richly decorated oriels is a feast for the eyes. It is considered to be Saxony's most beautiful guildhall. A walk through the narrow streets shows more than 500 monuments from late Gothic and Renaissance times.
Hartenfels Castle
Hartenfels Castle is probably the most striking building in the cityscape. It is located near the city centre on the shore of the Elbe. The Große Wendelstein (great spiral stone) in the castle, built between 1485 and 1623, from the times of Early Renaissance is regarded as unique. The castle church was consecrated in 1544 as first protestant church in Germany by none other than Martin Luther himself.
Mayor-Ringenhain-House
Especially remarkable is the Renaissance house of the mayor Paul Ringenhain. Today, it is a museum. In the originally preserved stately floors of the house, built in 1596, aside from the mayor's furniture, wall and ceiling paintings in the style of the antiquity as well as Christianity can be admired.
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Tip: On the traces of the Reformation
The traces of the Reformation are leading from the elector's chancellery across the first German superintendency to the grave of Luther's wife, Katharina of Bora, in the church of St. Marien, but also to the Torgau beer.
Torgau-Informations-Center
Markt 1
04860 Torgau
Fon: +49 (0) 3421 - 701 40
Fax: +49 (0) 3421 - 701 415
E-Mail: info@tic-torgau.de
Internet: www.torgauinfo.de