Wittenberg

WITTENBERG, a town in the Prussian province of Saxony, situated on the Elbe, 59 m. by rail south-west of Berlin, on the main line to Halle and at the junction of railways to Falkenberg, Torgau and Rosslau. Pop. (1933) 24,480.

Wittenberg is mentioned as early as

1180. It was the capital of the little duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg, the rulers of which after wards became electors of Saxony. The Capitulation of Witten berg (1547) is the name given to the treaty by which John Frederick the Magnanimous was compelled to resign the electoral dignity and most of his territory to the Albertine branch of the Saxon family. It was occupied by the French in 1806, and re-f orti fied in 1813 by command of Napoleon ,• but in 1814 it was stormed by the Prussians. Its defences were dismantled in 1873.

Wittenberg is interesting chiefly on account of its close con nection with Luther and the dawn of the Reformation, and several of its buildings are associated with the events of that time. Part of the Augustinian monastery in which Luther dwelt, at first as a monk and in later life as owner with his wife and family, has been fitted up as a Luther museum. The Augusteum was built in 1564-83 on the site of the monastery. The Schlosskirche, to the doors of which Luther nailed his famous 95 theses in 1517, dates from ; it was, however, seriously damaged by fire during the bombardment of 1760, was practically rebuilt, and has since been restored. The old wooden doors, burnt in 1760, were re placed in 1858 by bronze doors, bearing the Latin text of the theses. In the interior of the church are the tombs of Luther

and Melanchthon. The parish church, in which Luther often preached, was built in the 14th century, but has been much altered. It contains a magnificent painting by Lucas Cranach the elder, representing the Lord's Supper, Baptism and Confes sion, also a font by Herman Vischer The university of Wittenberg, founded in 1502, was merged in the university of Halle in 1815. Luther was appointed professor of philosophy here in 1508; and the new university rapidly acquired a con siderable reputation from its connection with the early Reformers. In opposition to the strict Lutheran orthodoxy of Jena it repre sented the more moderate doctrines of Melanchthon. The ancient electoral palace is another of the buildings that suffered severely in 176o; it now contains archives. Melanchthon's house and the house of Lucas Cranach the elder who was burgo master of Wittenberg, are also pointed out. The spot, outside the Elster gate, where Luther publicly burned the papal bull in 1520, is marked by an oak tree. Statues of Luther, Melanchthon and Bugenhagen embellish the town.

See Meynert, Geschichte der Stadt Wittenberg (Dessau, 1845) ; Stier, Die Schlosskirche zu Wittenberg (Wittenberg, 186o) ; Zitzlaff, Die Begrabnisstatten Wittenbergs and ihre Denkmdler (Wittenberg, 1897) ; and Gurlitt, "Die Lutherstadt Wittenberg," in Muther's Die Kunst (Berlin, 1902).