500 Jahre Deutscher Bauernkrieg 1524 und 1525. Exkursion zu historischen Orten und zur thüringischen Landesausstellung »freiheyt 1525«

In the organizer's words:

Theological support: retired pastor Edgar L. Born
Historical and art historical support:
Dr. Katja Schlenker/Prof. Dr. Winfrid Halder

The excursion will be based in Erfurt. It was here that Martin Luther began studying law in 1501 before - against his parents' wishes - entering the Augustinian Hermit monastery in 1505. Luther's birthplace and place of death, Eisleben, is also part of the program.

Itinerary

Day 1 04.05.2025 (Sunday)

08.00-12.00: Travel from Düsseldorf to Bad Hersfeld (modern coach, departure from Düsseldorf central bus station)

12.00-14.30 hrs: Visit to the monastery ruins in Bad Hersfeld. Founded in 769, the Benedictine monastery in Hersfeld was for centuries one of the most powerful and richest religious orders in the world. The former monastery church, built in the first half of the 11th century, was one of the largest Romanesque religious buildings in Germany. The monastery was endowed with rich landed property and became the target of peasant attacks in 1525.

14.30-16.00: Drive from Bad Hersfeld to Erfurt, check-in at the Hotel Carat

First excursion through Erfurt's old town. As early as the 8th century, Erfurt became one of the main places of Christianization in the German region and for centuries maintained a prominent position as the ecclesiastical, political and economic center of the entire region. The university, founded in 1379, where Martin Luther studied, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. The synagogue, which is over 900 years old, is the oldest surviving building of its kind in Europe (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023). Erfurt Cathedral and the neighboring Severi Church are outstanding examples of medieval sacred architecture. The Krämerbrücke, built in 1325 and lined with narrow residential buildings, is an extraordinary sight.

19.00: Dinner individually, overnight stay at Hotel Carat

Day 2 05.05.2025 (Monday)

09.00-10.15: Drive from Erfurt to the old imperial city of Mühlhausen

10.15-16.00: Visit to the individual parts of the exhibition

Visit to the Thuringian state exhibition Freiheyt 1525:
- Peasants' War Museum Kornmarktkirche. The former Franciscan monastery church of St. Crucis, built in the second half of the 13th century, is one of the most important mendicant churches in Germany to have survived to this day. It has had no ecclesiastical function since 1802 and has served as a museum and event venue since 1975. In 2025, it will host the part of the state exhibition focusing on the causes, course and protagonists of the Peasants' War.
- Museum Sankt Marien - Müntzer Memorial - The huge, five-nave Gothic hall church, built in the 14th century, is the second largest sacred building in Thuringia after Erfurt Cathedral. Thomas Müntzer preached here in 1524/25. St. Mary's Church has been converted into a museum since 1975. For the 2025 state exhibition, its exhibition area is dedicated to the social and economic changes at the beginning of the 16th century, which were among the most important preconditions for the German Peasants' War.
- Museum of Cultural History - Built at the beginning of the 19th century, the building served as a school for a long time but was converted into a museum in 1947. Here, the state exhibition turns to post-history, in particular the interpretation of the Peasants' War since the 16th century, and finally ends in the present day. Central to this is the sometimes conflicting combination of memory, confessional or political instrumentalization and artistic interpretation.

16.00-16.20: Drive from Mühlhausen to Volkenroda

16.30-17.45: Guided tour of Volkenroda Monastery. Volkenroda Monastery was founded as a branch of the Cistercian order in 1131 from Kamp Monastery in the Lower Rhine region. In 1525, the monastery complex was severely destroyed by rebellious peasants. In 1540, the monastery was abolished during the Reformation and the remaining buildings became the property of the sovereign. In 1994, a Christian ecumenical community settled in Volkenroda, which saved the buildings and revitalized the place as a meeting place.

17.45-18.45: Return journey to Erfurt. More information about dinner to follow, overnight stay at Hotel Carat

Day 3 06.05.2025 (Tuesday)

09.00-10.00: Drive from Erfurt to Bad Frankenhausen

10.00-12.00: Visit to the Peasants' War Panorama
Towering over the town of Bad Frankenhausen is a striking cylindrical structure that houses a monumental painting 14 meters high and 123 meters in circumference: the oil painting "Early Civil Revolution in Germany", painted between 1983 and 1987 by Werner Tübke (1929-2004). With over 3,000 individual figures, this imposing work of art is one of the largest and most figurative paintings in modern art history and offers a vivid panorama of the 16th century.

12.00-13.00: Drive from Bad Frankenhausen to Eisleben

13.00-16.30: Guided tours in Eisleben. Eisleben was founded as a town in the 10th century and became an important economic center due to the copper mining industry in the surrounding area. Martin Luther, whose father had achieved some prosperity through his involvement in copper mining, was born here on 10 November 1483 and baptized the next day in the church of St. Peter and Paul. Having long since worked full-time in Wittenberg, Luther died during a business trip on February 18, 1546 in the town of his birth. The Luther sites will be visited and - if possible - the former synagogue, which has an extremely moving history.

16.30-17.30: Drive from Eisleben to Erfurt, overnight stay at Hotel Karat

Day 4 07.05.2025 (Wednesday)

Continuation of the guided tour of Erfurt. Program depends on which sights could be visited on the evening of the first day.

15.00-20.30: Return journey from Erfurt to Düsseldorf

Services included:

• Coach trip from/to Düsseldorf
• 3 nights with breakfast at the Hotel Carat*+, Erfurt
• Admission ticket for 3 museums in Mühlhausen for the special exhibition "Freiheyt 1525"
• 2 scientific guided tours (45 minutes each) in 2 museums
• Guided tour of the Volkenroda Monastery
• Admission ticket and audio guide for the Panorama Museum Bad Frankenhausen
• Guided tours and admission to Eisleben
• Guided tours and admission to Erfurt
• 2 free places in a single room for companions of the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Haus
• Erfurt city fee
• Travel insurance certificate

Travel price:

€ 629 per person in a double room
Single room supplement: € 135,-

Hotel Carat*+**Good middle-class hotel in the Daberstedt district. Approx. 500m from the main train station. The rooms are equipped with shower/bath, WC, TV; WLAN free of charge. The hotel has a bar in the lobby.

Important information:

The number of participants is limited!
Please register directly with the keyword "Excursion Peasants' War":

KLUGESREISEN - Reisebüro am Kölner Tor GmbH
Gräulinger Street 2
40625 Düsseldorf

Phone: 0211/2295080
E-mail: infokluges-reisende
www.kluges-reisen.de

Price information:

€ 629,- per person in a double room Single room supplement: € 135,-