Trips and Itineraries

Lutherland and Eastern Europe 2013

Led by Dr. Kathryn “Kit” Kleinhans, Professor of Religion at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa April 29-May 21, 2013

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ELCA by visiting the land of Luther. Join Dr. Kit Kleinhans for a three-week Wartburg College travel seminar April 29-May 21, 2013. Stand where Luther said “Here I stand” in Worms. Visit the places where Martin Luther lived and worked, including his birthplace in Eisleben, the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, the Wartburg Castle, and Wittenberg. Guided by the theme Reformation Then and Now, the seminar will move from the Luther sites in Germany to Prague, in the Czech Republic, where Jan Hus was an active reformer 100 years before Luther, and then on to Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, where we will meet with Lutherans who continue the work of reformation in the aftermath of communism.

The seminar also engages the 2013 Luther Decade theme, “Reformation and Tolerance.” Hear the personal reflections of a Leipzig pastor about the Peaceful Revolution of 1989. Visit two concentration camps, Flossenbürg, where Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed, and Buchenwald, with its striking memorial to the common humanity of all people. Visit Halle and Neuendettelsau, where Lutheran pastors combined world mission with social service. Meet with members of the Lutheran deaconess community and the Bohemian Brotherhood to talk about their life and work in community.

Cost is $3700.00 per person (not including airfare), double (or triple) occupancy, based on 20 people; $3400 per person based on 25 people. Single room supplement is $620.00.

Please contact Dr. Kleinhans at: kathryn.kleinhans@wartburg.edu for details, including possibilities for continuing education and/or graduate credit.

See itinerary and application form.

Economic Disparity and Public Policy

Hosted by the Metro Washington DC Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia July 22-27, 2013

The Metro Washington DC Synod and its companion church in Slovakia will meet at the ELCA Wittenberg Center to explore Reformation sites and the Reformation's writings about economic disparity and public policy. Cost is $1500 in addition to airfare. Contact the Rev. Paul Wee at 703 370 7738 or at drpaulwee@gmail.com. See brochure. See registration.

Reformation Then and Now

Led by Christian Eggert Tours and the Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann June 4-15, 2013

Visit Reformation and other historical sites in Berlin, Wittenberg, Torgau, Eisleben, Halle, Leipzig, Erfurt, Eisenach, Weimar, Buchenwald, Dresden and Prague, including the annual festival of Luther's wedding.

Cost is about $1600 per person for a group of 30, not including airfare. See detailed itinerary | Summary itinerary

For more information, contact the Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann, Pastor at Christ Ascension Lutheran Church in Philadelphia: pastor@christascension.org. | Phone: 215-247-4233

Germany & Prague: Celebrating Our Lutheran Heritage

Hosted by Rev. Craig Breimhorst, Christ Lutheran Church and Rev. Steve Delzer, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church -Faribault, Minnesota October 24 - November 3, 2013

This custom-designed travel experience celebrates Lutheran heritage and explores the historic cities and natural beauty of the region. Begin in Prague, the city of a thousand spires, discover the unique culture which gave rise to a tradition of reformers of church and government. In Terezin and Dresden, remember the sobering days of WWII then witness the reconstruction with a visit to Frauenkirche. Explore charming Erfurt and immerse yourself in Reformation history in Wittenberg. End in Berlin, the vibrant, cosmopolitan German capital.

Cost is $3699 from Minneapolis/St. Paul. | Download brochure

Luther's Germany: the Living Heart of the Reformation

Led by Pastor Karen Bockelman and Crossing Borders October 28 - November 7, 2013

This travel experience is custom-designed to anticipate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation (in 2017) by visiting the people and places that have marked our Lutheran heritage. Learn more about Martin and Katie Luther and their fellow reformers, J.S. Bach and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Visit the Luther heritage sites of Wittenberg, Torgau, Erfurt and the Wartburg in Eisenach. Remember the sobering days of WWII at Buchenwald concentration camp and Dresden and the story of German reunification in Leipzig and Berlin. Hear about the church’s role in the Peaceful Revolution that brought an end to the communist government of East Germany. Throughout the tour, experience the close connection between people, culture and historical events. Come to know the Reformation as an ongoing influence through this journey into its living heart.

Cost is expected to be around $3500-$3700, not including airline taxes and gratuities. Contact Karen for more information at 218-349-5863 or kgbockelman@gmail.com | Download flyer

Past Trips and Itineraries

Following in the Footsteps of Luther...Plus

Led by Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in La Mesa, California and Christian Tours Europe
Sept. 29-Oct 10, 2012

Visit Munich, Oberammergau, Neuschwanstein, Nuremburg, Eisenach, Erfurt, Eisleben, Leipzig, Wittenberg and Berlin in a "Reformation Plus" journey. Cost is between $1890 and $1580.00 per person (not including airfare) depending upon how many participate.

See itinerary | For more information, contact the Rev. Dan Roschke at 619 670 7656 or Gina Seashore at 760 788 4315 (g.seashore@earthlink.net).

A Journey to Germany Discovering History, Heritage and Culture

Hosted by Rev. Bob & Jane Burmeister October 10 - 21, 2012

This travel experience is custom-designed and thoughtfully planned and paced. Beginning in Germany’s vibrant, cosmopolitan capital of Berlin explore the city’s rich history and cultural attractions. Travel on to nearby Wittenberg for two nights to discover Martin Luther’s city filled with Reformation landmarks and landscapes. Continue deeper into eastern Germany where the cities of Dresden and Leipzig tell the history of World War II and German reunification. Three nights are based in Erfurt, a central location for exploring not only this medieval city but nearby Eisenach, Weimar and Buchenwald. Into the west and along the Romantic Road is an overnight at the well-preserved walled city of Rothenburg. The last two days are spent in the region of the Rhine River, visiting the cities of Heidelberg and Mainz. Cost is $3850 from the Twin Cities, plus a few extra expenses.

Download brochure and itinerary

Church Musician Tour 2011

Led by Pastor Arden Haug, Director of the ELCA Wittenberg Center, November 17 – 22, 2011

Throughout 2012, the Reformation will be commemorated in Germany through the theme of "Luther and Music." The ELCA Wittenberg Center has arranged a familiarization tour of the principle musical venues around Wittenberg, Germany, to acquaint church musicans with the Reformation heritage and to promote musicans from across the globe gathering together during the Luther Decade. Together with the ELCA's partners in Wittenberg, Christian Tours Europe and the Colleg Wittenberg, this familiarization tour is being offered to church musicians at the cost of their own round trip fare from the US to Berlin, Germany.

Trip Itinerary

Luther and the Word: A Reformation Pilgrimage to Germany and Prague

A Book of Faith Initiative led by the Rev. Richard Bruesehoff October 24 - Nov 5, 2011

Explore your heritage, deepen your faith and be empowered as the people of God. Visit the Luther sites in Germany, including Wittenberg, Eisenach, Halle, Leipzig, Herrnhut and Mainz. See Prague, where church reformer Jan Hus preached 100 years before Luther. A highlight of the journey is the Reformation Festival in Wittenberg on October 31. Itinerary and more information!