Driving from Quedlinburg to Eisleben, the landscape changes. First, one comes across a very large modern windmill park. Then there are man-made hills, like tumuli: the remains of the mining industry. This area already was used for silver and copper mining during the 15th century, when Martin Luther was born here. Luther’s father worked in the industry too.

The town of Eisleben looked extinct when I explored it on a Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, I did find a few signs posting to the Luther sites: the statue on the Market, the house where he was born, and the one where he was buried. Two churches in town also have Luther connections: in the Church of St. Peter and Paul he was baptised, and in the Church of St. Andrew, he preached for the last time (just 3 days before his death).

Luther’s birth house is undergoing restoration at the moment (until March 9, 2007), both on the inside and outside. I did visit the small museum in the house where Luther died. The bed where it happened is still there (ahum, probably a replica). On the first floor, a number of early Bibles in the German language are exhibited. They reflect Luther’s work in translating the Bible from Greek into vernacular German. Also, the role of the printing press which enabled to spread of ideas far more quickly (a similar revolution as the internet nowadays) is highlighted.

The level of authenticity of these buildings in Eisleben is rather questionable. They all have been heavily restored or partly rebuilt over the centuries. The ICOMOS report mentions that their spiritual meaning has to be taken into account too. In this, it is a rather unique WHS – not rewarding what is left but what once was. I was thinking at first that it would be more appropriate to put this site on the list of intangible heritage (‘Memory of the world’), but a WHS like Lumbini has the same ‘problem’. Both places do give you a feeling though of ‘where it came from’ by showing the beginnings or living circumstances of important historical figures.

P.S.: Not part of this WHS is Wartburg Castle, where Luther stayed in hiding for a year and translated the New Testament into German. A possible extension?