In the Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg World Heritage Region, worlds lie close together: Luther's theses and Bauhaus visions, baroque garden art and industrial monuments, tranquil lake landscapes and lively cities.
Anyone who travels here is traveling through centuries - on short routes, between places that have left their mark on history.
Martin Luther changed the world—a story that continues to resonate and be experienced today.
in the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz – from Wörlitz via Georgium to Luisium, connected by avenues and waterways.
from 1925 to 1932, the art and design school experienced its heyday and shaped modernism with ideas that continue to have an impact today.
What changed the world began here. In 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the castle church - the start of the Reformation. Today, the Luther House, Melanchthon House and town church tell the story of this upheaval. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, not only because of its buildings, but also because of the ideas that were born here. Walking through the alleyways, you can feel that history was not only written here, but that the future was thought.
The Garden Kingdom is both a world heritage site and an idea. From 1764, Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz created an ideal landscape: parks, palaces, canals and islands, linked by paths and watercourses. Wörlitz Park, Georgium, Luisium - each park bears the spirit of the Enlightenment in dreamlike beauty. Lakes reflect temples, avenues lead to hidden grottos, bridges connect islands of tranquillity. Today, the vision can be experienced on foot, by bike or gondola. A landscape that continues to inspire today.
From 1925 to 1932, Dessau was the center of the Bauhaus and modernism. Walter Gropius' Bauhaus building, the Masters' Houses and the Törten Estate show how architecture, art and technology can change lives. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they invite visitors to take part in guided tours, workshops and discussions about design and society. A place where the future was conceived - and continues to have an impact.
The former Golpa-Nord open-cast mine on Lake Gremmin is home to five steel giants: bucket-wheel excavators that have become monuments. Ferropolis is both an industrial heritage site and a stage - for concerts, festivals and guided tours of the machines. Between rust and sky, it shows how industry can become culture.
Residence on the Saale
Bernburg Castle towers high above the Saale - one of the most important Renaissance complexes in Central Germany. The rooms tell of the life of the Anhalt princes, the castle park invites you to linger. There is also the castle museum with the Owl Mirror Tower, the zoo and a historic old town with quiet corners.
Life by the River
The Elbe characterizes the region not only as a waterway, but also as a habitat. Between Dessau and Wittenberg lies one of the last near-natural river landscapes in Central Europe. Riparian forests, oxbow lakes, dykes and meadows offer protection to rare species. Cycle paths, hiking trails and waterways invite you to discover this landscape.
The region is great for active exploration. The Elbe Cycle Path connects Wittenberg with Dessau and continues on to Magdeburg. The European Cycle Route R1 also crosses the region and connects places steeped in history. Side paths lead to the lake district around Bitterfeld-Wolfen or through the Garden Kingdom - mostly flat, often with rest areas and always with new discoveries.
On foot, other perspectives open up: The Saxony-Anhalt Luther Trail connects Wittenberg with other Reformation sites, while paths lead through parks and landscapes in the Garden Kingdom. Waterways also play a role: by gondola through Wörlitz, by canoe on the Mulde or by excursion boat on the Elbe.
The cultural diversity of the region is reflected in events, festivals and open courtyards. From May to September, the Garden Kingdom Summer brings concerts, theater and readings to parks and castles. The Wittenberg Adventure Night shows Lutherstadt Wittenberg in a new light.
Special highlights include the Luther Wedding - a festival that takes Wittenberg back to the time of the Reformation, the Bauhaus Festival in Dessau - and the Ferropolis Festival,s where industrial culture meets music. Smaller formats also have their appeal: park festivals in the Garden Kingdom, Bauhaus workshops in Dessau or concerts in historic vaults.
The Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg World Heritage region is a certified "Travel for All" tourism region. Here, people with visual impairments can experience World Heritage sites through special guided tours and tactile offers, wheelchair users have access to historic buildings and viewpoints, and deaf people can take part in barrier-free tours. Many sights, hotels and restaurants have been inspected and have received appropriate awards. What counts is not what is not possible - but what can be experienced by everyone.
All information on excursion destinations, events and hosts can be found here: