The castle church as seen from our hotelEarly print of the 95 theses in its latin original

Wittenberg –
Crossroads Between Dark Ages and Modern Times

The 95 theses and the subsequent translation of the bible into all languages spoken on the European continent at that time was the single most important measure to terminate the Medieval Dark Ages: The democratization of the “Word of God” from the unintelligible Latin into German, English, Dutch, Swedish, French and many other languages – combined with the unlimited multiplication of this revolution by Gutenberg’s newly invented printing press – launched an unprecedented popular alphabetization campaign across Europe. During the 16th century the illiteracy rate across Europe – a relic of the Dark Ages – decreased from 80% to 20%!

The ability to read and write liberated hundreds of millions of Europeans from the shackles of illiteracy – and turned them into dignified human beings. This liberation of the human mind from the prison of the Dark Ages transgressed any religious and geographical barriers and became the single most powerful force to propel mankind towards Modern Times. All areas of society were affected by that liberation and hundreds of universities and millions of schools were founded across Europe. Science, manufacturing, trade, cultural and social lives experienced a dramatic boost, because – for the first time – millions of people could participate in developing them.

That is the true meaning of Wittenberg across all religions and all nations. That is the reason, why “Life” chose the events that took place in Wittenberg in 1517 as one of the most influential events during the entire Second Millennium: a watershed event between the Dark Ages and Modern Times.

Our hotel offers you the opportunity to wake up in this unique location. Look outside your window and you cannot avoid inhaling the fourth dimension of “time.” 50 yards away and 500 years ago – across the cobblestones of the Castle Place – an event took place that has influenced the life of every human being ever since, irrespective of nationality and belief – including your own. If not for this event, the alphabetization of Europe may only have taken place centuries later and we may still today have been travelling in horse carts and illuminating our huts with candles.

No other hotel in Wittenberg can bring you closer to these historic events. And no other hotel in the world will allow you to inhale history so intensely. In fact, some guests described getting “goose bumps” when looking out their hotel window and reflecting on these events.