Eilenburg, just outside Leipzig in Saxony, was once the residence of the Wettin dynasty. Its heyday was in the Middle Ages, when its brewing industry flourished. Martin Luther visited this prosperous small country town several times between 1522 and 1545.

Luther was known for healthy appetite and he enjoyed patronising Eilenburg's Zum Bären inn, where he met other leading lights of the Reformation. Judging by his accounts of his time in Eilenburg, it is clear that he ate well while setting the world to rights. Records show that Luther preached in the Church of St. Mary on several occasions. The church can still be seen, as can the building that now occupies the Zum Bären site. Eilenburg is on the Saxony-Anhalt section of the Luther Trail.


Eilenburg is also on the Via Regia, a Council of Europe cultural route. In addition to the Luther sites, Eilenburg Castle is worth a visit. It dates from the 10th century and is sometimes described as the cradle of Saxony because of its significance in the formation of the Wettin state. Even 500 years after Martin Luther, food and history still go hand in hand in Eilenburg, as illustrated at the museum in the quaint Zum Roten Hirschen inn.

Discover Destination Germany with our interactive map


0 favourites selected

Barrier-free control

Two useful shortcuts for using the zoom function of your browser:

Zoom in: +

Zoom out: +

For further assistance from your browser provider click the icon: