A gap in the nationwide Luther Trail between Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg has been closed. Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister President Dr Reiner Haseloff and Dr Ekkehard Steinhäuser, President of the German Luther Trail Society, opened a new section of the trail near Bad Schmiedeberg on Monday, linking the existing Luther Trail in Brandenburg to the network of Luther Trails in Germany. Representatives of the new stamping stations along the trail were also present and each received a stamp for their station from Minister President Haseloff. The opening ceremony was accompanied by music performed by children from the Evangelical School Centre in Bad Düben.
Haseloff, who is also the patron of the Luther Trail in Saxony-Anhalt, praised the idea and realisation of the Luther Trail since its opening in 2008: “This makes it clear that Saxony-Anhalt is the land of origin of the Reformation. It is great that this initiative has also been taken up in six other federal states and that the Luther Trail has thus become an important cross-border project. The trail reminds us of the history and culture of our homeland, but also shows us its natural beauty and at the same time reminds us to treat our natural resources with care.” Ekkehard Steinhäuser praised the joint efforts of numerous stakeholders on the Luther Trail: “Without the collective efforts of state politicians, local authorities, tourism, church representatives and hiking associations, this would not have been possible.”
The new trail runs for over 80 kilometres from Kemberg near Wittenberg through the Düben Heath to the spa town of Bad Schmiedeberg. It crosses the Elbe at Pretzsch/Mauken, continues along the Annaburg Heath and finally runs close to the floodplain landscape of the Black Elster as far as Herzberg (Elster). There, the new section meets the Luther Trail Brandenburg (Ostelbien).
