A great success after a long period of preparation: a new 80-kilometre section of the Luther Trail in Saxony-Anhalt was opened today at the Zscheiplitz monastery church near Freyburg an der Unstrut. It leads from Lutherstadt Eisleben to Naumburg. Minister-President Dr Reiner Haseloff came to Zscheiplitz in person and symbolically stamped the pilgrims’ passports of numerous and cheerful guests. Haseloff is the patron of the Saxony-Anhalt Luther Trail and in his welcoming address, he recognised the success of the pilgrimage and hiking trail, which was launched in 2008. Dr Ekkehard Steinhäuser, President of the German Luther Trail Society, thanked the state for the financial support and numerous other stakeholders who had made the opening of the trail possible. The Klosterbrüder Zscheiplitz association was an excellent host.
Representatives from the church, politics and tourism, from associations and companies were also present – as well as men and women from the seven new pilgrim stations, who received their pilgrim stamps on this occasion. Of course, all those present also went on a short pilgrimage. This included a visit to a former lime kiln, which now serves as a home for bats. And at the end there was a hearty snack, served by Café Wunderbar from Naumburg, in the Saale-Unstrut region of course with wine. The creation and opening of the new section of the trail was organised for the German Luther Trail Society by the Saxony-Anhalt Luther Trail Coordination Office.
