are a variety of ways to explore the Veste Coburg and learn about Luther,” he says. “As a theologian I offer a theological approach.”
Following in Luther’s footsteps But the Veste Coburg isn’t the only place where Luther spent time while in the city. Axmann also offers a tour of Coburg following the reformer’s footsteps. “I don’t want people to just visit the Church of St. Moritz, where Luther preached seven times during Easter season [in 1530],” Axmann says. “There are more places to see.”
So he begins tours of Coburg at the Spital Gate. From there he takes people to the former house of Paul Bader and his wife, who took care of Luther’s meals and physi- cal welfare while he stayed at the castle. Another stop is the Ehrenburg Palace, a former Fran- ciscan monastery rebuilt in 1543. Today it houses a famous library, including the Luther collection begun by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria of Britain. One of Axmann’s favorite stops is the Lutherschule (Luther school) with its sculpture of the reformer. “Luther’s impact wasn’t just a theological one,” Axmann tells the group. “His translation of the Bible influenced the development of the German language significantly.”
Martin Luther spent six months in 1530 at the Veste Coburg while under imperial ban—while others attended the Diet of Augsburg. Part of the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Rainer Axmann (inset), a Lutheran pastor, leads tours focused on Luther’s time in Coburg, Germany.
It intrigues Axmann that the first teachers working at
Coburg were Melanchthon’s students. At most stops along the way, Axmann reads a pas- sage from one of Luther’s letters or sermons. At the Lutherschule, he tells his audience that Luther preached about students and teachers, quoting from a 1530 sermon where the theologian asked for kids to be sent to school. “Luther’s sermons [are] still relevant,” Axmann says. At the Church of St. Moritz, there is another Luther sculpture, as well as an opportunity to buy Luthertrunk, a locally brewed beer named after the theologian. Axmann began giving tours and lectures on Luther and Coburg years ago, inspired by a seminary class on the reformer’s letters. His interest in local history and the opportunity to explain systematic theology made him more than willing to help with the church’s tour ministry. “The longer I study Luther, the more fascinated I am,” Axmann said. “He was a multifaceted personality and an impressive theological thinker with a great impact on my hometown and the whole region.”
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