Celebrate 500 Years of the

Lutheran Heritage Tours give believers an opportunity to enrich their spiritual lives in unexpected ways as they visit some of the most significant places of their faith history: from ’s humble birthplace in to the door of the Castle Church in where he affixed his legendary theses. Experiencing these places alongside fellow believers and spiritual leaders forms a life journey that has been a tradition for centuries. Travelers are refreshed in mind, body, and spirit; ready to share how the tour deepened their faith and enriched their lives. Cohesion often builds as the group enjoys a special fellowship and as they experience their faith in the context of its heritage. Why Witte Since 1975, Witte Travel & Tours has designed and operated exceptional tours for pastors and their congregations, Guides were well-informed; religious organizations, scholars, historians, and family groups excellent devotions and who desire to add a spiritual dimension to their travels. Each Reformation history — a Witte Spiritual Journey is a made-to-order combination of trip to remember! religious and touristic activities. Our background knowledge — Martha E. Fair of Reformation destinations as well as personal connections to Nepean, ON these people and places will ensure that your pilgrimage is a blessing on every level.

Our services include: • Personalized, full-color brochures with registration forms • The convenience of online registration • All arrangements for flights, land transportation, accommodations, sightseeing and special events • Full breakfast daily and other meals according to your specifications • Accounting services including individual billing, all major credit cards accepted • Arrangements for individuals to extend their stays, visit other destinations, and/or depart from different cities Wonderful! Can’t think of anything I would change… Ready to go again! — Begee Staub Carlisle, PA From top: Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin; Luther House, Eisenach Sample 10-Day Itinerary Walk with on a pilgrimage across the land he loved. Today’s “Luther-cities” contain numerous historical and religious treasures. As you ponder the significance of the Great Reformer’s life and work, you will also enjoy Germany’s rich culture and its hearty cuisine. GERMANY Day 1—Departure Berlin Day 2—Berlin Wilkommen in Deutschland! Today’s sightseeing includes views Wittenberg of the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate, with a visit to the Eisleben Museum at Checkpoint Charlie to learn about the history of Leipzig the Berlin Wall. We’ll also make a visit to the Kaiser Wilhelm Eisenach Erfurt Memorial Church and enjoy a relaxing cruise of Germany’s dynamic capital. Day 3—Berlin Mainz After breakfast, we’ll transfer to the Dietrich Bonhoefferhaus, Worms a memorial to the life and work of the young German pastor Heidelberg Bonhoeffer. After perusing the interesting exhibits, we’ll drive along Unter den Linden and on to the Nikolaiviertel to see the Nikolaikirche, the oldest church in Berlin. Day 4—Wittenberg On our morning walking tour with a local guide, we’ll visit Luther House, the Stadtkirche, and the Schlosskirche, where Luther famously affixed his 95 Theses to the church door, and which is also home to his tomb. Later we’ll visit the Day 7—Eisenach Melanchthon House. Our sightseeing today will take us first to the impressive Fortress of , where we’ll see the Knight’s Hall, the Day 5—Eisleben, Leipzig dining room, the Wartburg museum and Luther’s room. Next This morning we’ll travel west to Eisleben to visit Luther’s on our agenda are visits to the Bachhaus—Bach’s birthplace birthplace, as well as the house in which he died in 1546. Then and museum—and St. George Church. we’ll continue on to Leipzig and the St. Thomas Church, where Luther’s sermon on Whitsunday in 1539 effectively Day 8—Mainz, Worms introduced the Reformation to Leipzig. On the road again, we’ll visit Mainz to see the Gutenberg- Museum, home to two original editions of the world-famous Day 6—Erfurt Gutenberg Bible. We’ll continue on to Worms to see the Today we’re headed southwest to Erfurt, the “Town of 19th-century , and then we’ll head for Flowers.” Our first stop is at the Augustinian Monastery Heidelberg, our home for the last two nights of our tour. where Luther once lived and worked. We’ll also visit St. Peter’s Cathedral, see the Kramerbrücke bridge, and have some free Day 9—Heidelberg time for exploring or shopping before continuing west to We’ll start today by touring the romantic Heidelberg Castle. Eisenach. Then we’ll walk through the historic city center to visit the University Library and the Holy Ghost Church. The next few hours are yours to finish your souvenir shopping before we reconvene in the evening for a festive farewell dinner. Day 10—Return All too soon, it’s time to head home! After breakfast we’ll transfer to the airport for our return flights to the U.S.

Left: Fortress of Wartburg, Eisenach Planning a Lutheran Heritage Tour for your congregation

It all begins with a DIALOGUE between you and one of our Group Tour Specialists. Together we will narrow down the big decisions on the right cities, time frame and length of your trip to fit your goals and budget.

From there, one of our Group Tour Specialists will further the conversation until they present to you a TOUR PROPOSAL document, which includes a planned itinerary, details on trip components and inclusions, and pricing and payment options.

Once we are in agreement on the details, you accept our proposal with a set-up deposit, and we get to work booking components and designing your PROMOTIONAL BROCHURE—a custom-designed, full-color registration packet.

At this point it’s time to advertise and RECRUIT for your tour. We are available to help you with promotional materials or even participation in meetings.

Witte can receive all of the passenger REGISTRATIONS and deposits directly or they can route through your organization. From there, we manage each individual account and any special arrangements desired!

We take care of the details and you prepare your group for TRAVEL. We’ll be in steady communication, adjust to any last-minute realities, and have you on your way before you know it! From top: St. Thomas Church, Leipzig; statue of Martin Luther, Erfurt

3250 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512 616.957.8113 | 800 GO WITTE www.wittetours.com/Lutheran

Witte Travel & Tours is the North American travel partner of Refo500, a multi-year international platform that seeks to demonstrate the continuing relevance of the Reformation through books, seminars, concerts, art exhibitions, teaching materials, and travel experiences. The project will culminate in 2017, the year in which the 500th anniversary of the Reformation will be celebrated. For more information, visit the Refo500 website at www.refo500.com.