6 Best Sights in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, Germany

A masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, Castle Hartenfels was constructed as a residential palace in the late 15th and early 16th centuries by the Ernestine line of nobles who ruled the Electorate of Saxony. The castle and its occupants played a central role in the support and dissemination of Martin Luther 's ideas, and therefore a pivotal role in the Protestant Reformation. Up the castle's impressive stone stairway, unsupported by any central structure, you'll find the oldest statue of Martin Luther, who designed the castle's church himself to convey his idea of bringing the word of God to the common people via a central alter meant to evoke Christ's last supper among his disciples. Nine sketches decorating the pulpit were created by Lucas Cranach the Elder (a tenth is missing). The church is also the birthplace of Protestant church music by the composer Johann Kenntmann, the originator of the genre. Concerts of his music are performed here weekly. A permanent exhibition in the castle's Albrecht wing traces Torgau's history.

Martin Luther loved to drink beer and Torgau's brew was his favorite. Visitors here discover all of the important and amusing facts about Torgau's beer-brewing history and the brew's importance, both socially and economically, over the town's more than 500-year-old brewing tradition.

It was in this pretty Renaissance building that Katharina von Bora, Martin Luther's widow, lived and died after the death of her beloved husband. The daughter of a noble, von Bora took her vows in the Cistercian order at a young age but fled the church with eight other nuns after pledging her faith to the teachings of Luther. Her final home is now a memorial and museum dedicated to this remarkable woman.

Martin Luther used to preach at this church, and his widow, Katharina von Bora, who died in Torgau in 1552, is buried in a richly decorated tomb here. Lucas Cranach the Elder's painting Fourteen Holy Helpers can also be seen. Built in 1119, this is the oldest church in Torgau.

Medical reformer Samuel Hahnemann,the founder of homeopathy, lived and worked in this house, one of the oldest residences in Torgau, from 1804 to 1811. It was here that Hahnemann wrote his groundbreaking Organon of the Rational Healing Art. Although the guided tour is in German, an informative brochure is available in English.

This magnificent Renaissance quarter stands virtually unchanged since the 16th century. On the central market square (Markt), you'll find the impressive town hall and elegant stately town houses of the local gentry of old, including the Mayor Ringenhain House (admission €2) at Breite Strasse 9, an outstanding example of a Renaissance town house and a fascinating immersion in the life and times of Torgau's 16th-century aristocrats.