Start on Schlossstraße, Where the Day Unfolds
By late morning on 31 October, Schlossstraße has filled with the smell of roasting food and woodsmoke, the sound of Renaissance instruments drifting between the Town Church and the Castle Church. This is the historic market, open 11:00–19:00 through the old town, and it sets the rhythm for everything that follows. In 2026 the day falls on a Saturday, which traditionally draws larger crowds, so arrive early if you want room to move between the stalls.
Walk the length of the street between the two churches and you pass sutlers, craftsmen, musicians and jugglers — the whole stretch given over to medieval craft demonstrations and food and drink prepared from historical recipes. At 11:00 the market opens and a festive service begins in the Castle Church. An hour later the market spectacle starts: jugglers, musicians and craftsmen performing along the route.
Follow the Programme from Noon to Lantern-Light
The day is built as a sequence, and you can move through it on foot without hurrying. Times are fixed, and most events are free.
- 12:00 — Market spectacle: jugglers, musicians and craftsmen along the old town.
- 13:00 — Renaissance music in the market square.
- 14:00 — The "Wittenberg Sound Theses" at Bunker Hill, where citizens read Luther's 95 Theses aloud, with recordings broadcast acoustically.
- 15:00 — Guided city tours of the Reformation sites. These special tours are bookable through the city marketing office.
- 16:00 — Organ concert in the Town Church of St. Mary. Church concerts and services are freely accessible, sometimes with a suggested donation.
- 17:00 — The Procession of Lights gathers at Luther House, Collegienstraße 54. Lanterns are sometimes available on site, and public participation is welcomed.
- 17:30 — The procession moves through the city to Castle Meadow.
- 18:00 — Devotion and conclusion on Castle Meadow.
- 19:00 — The historic market closes.
Admission to the public events — the historic market, the Procession of Lights and the festive services — is free.
Stand Where the Theses Were Posted
The day commemorates Martin Luther's reputed nailing of the 95 Theses to the Castle Church door on 31 October 1517. Both the Castle Church and Luther House form part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing "Luther Memorials," and Luther House at Collegienstraße 54 is where the evening procession begins — a natural place to end your afternoon before the lanterns are lit.
Between the fixed programme hours, the old town itself is the attraction: the Town Church of St. Mary, Schlossstraße, the Castle Church, and the open ground of Castle Meadow where the day concludes. If you want a structured route through the Reformation sites, the 15:00 city tours are the way to do it.
Getting There and Planning Your Day
Lutherstadt Wittenberg sits in Saxony-Anhalt, and Reformation Day is a public holiday there. ICE high-speed trains reach the main station in roughly 45 minutes from Berlin and 35 minutes from Leipzig; from the station it is a 10-minute walk into the old town. If you drive, there are garages in the old town at Schloss, Markt and Lutherhaus, plus additional parking on the city outskirts with a shuttle service.
The full programme and detailed schedule for 2026 will be published from summer 2026 at wittenberger-reformationsfest.de, and the day is coordinated by Lutherstadt Wittenberg Marketing GmbH — worth checking before you book, particularly given the Saturday date. Build your day around the 11:00 market opening and the 17:00 procession, and let the hours in between fill themselves.