Depart USA.

After arrival at the Wrocław airport, you will meet your tour escort and embark on your journey. Today is all about settling in and getting to know your tour escort and the group. Depending on your time of arrival, you may start with a short tour to get a feeling for this vibrant city. This evening, enjoy a delicious welcome dinner at a lovely local restaurant. Overnight in Wrocław.

Today, you will explore Wrocław and visit where Bonhoeffer grew up. Bonhoeffer was born in 1906, and you will visit his place of birth and the monument at the Church of St. Elizabeth. Although Bonhoeffer stayed in Wrocław only until the age of 6, his spirit is still present in the city in the quarter of four denominations. His ideas inspired the Polish writer Tadeusz Różewicz. You will continue visiting the Aula Leopoldina, the Old Jewish Cemetery and the cathedral before you have dinner. Your overnight stay is spent in Wrocław.

After breakfast, you will drive to Berlin, the city where Bonhoeffer spent most of his time. On the way, you will enjoy a boat trip on the river Spree through the forests of the Spreewald. You will have a stop at the beautiful original village of Lehde and time to enjoy the idyllic atmosphere. You will then proceed to Berlin for dinner and your overnight stay.

After an early breakfast, go on a sightseeing tour of all the highlights Berlin has to offer; important places that retrace the footsteps of Bonhoeffer. You will start at the Church St. Matthäus, where the ordination of Bonhoeffer took place. Visit the grand Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of union and peace, and the magnificent “Reichstag,” where the German government makes most of its important decisions. Proceed to the boulevard “Unter den Linden” and visit the picturesque Museum Island, which marks Berlin’s historical center. One of the capital’s most famous buildings is located here, the Berlin Cathedral. The Humboldt University lies on the way. Here, Bonhoeffer studied for one semester and met Karl Barth. Both had a long friendship and influenced each other. Afterward, you will visit the Topography of Terror Museum, which has an exhibition about the time in Berlin, 1933-1945. The last visit point of this day is the Bonhoeffer House. Dinner and your overnight stay are in Berlin.

In the afternoon, you drive to nearby Potsdam, where you see the stunning Cecilienhof Palace, where the Potsdam Conference was held in 1945, and take in the charm of the Dutch Quarter with its unique architecture. Visit the Church of Peace, a symbol of reconciliation, and the City Palace, which houses the Senate of Brandenburg. Wander through the picturesque old city of Potsdam, including the Alter Markt, and marvel at the grandeur of the Neues Palais (New Palace). Proceed to the Wittenberg hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

After breakfast, a short drive through the German countryside brings you to Lutherstadt Wittenberg. When it comes to Luther, there is almost no city more important than this one. The legend of the 95 theses nailed to the door of the Castle Church, though not entirely accurate, continues to be told around the world. Visit this famous door, as well as the Luther House, the town hall, the historic center, and the Town and Parish Church St. Marien, the oldest building in Wittenberg. In the afternoon, you have the chance to attend an organ concert at the City Church. Then, you leave Wittenberg and head to Torgau, a little town off the beaten track. You can visit the Palace Chapel of the Renaissance Hartenfels Castle, the first protestant church in Germany built to the specifications of Luther and the Reformers in 1540. During your tour, you also see St. Mary’s Church, where Katharina von Bora, Luther’s wife, was buried, and her Death House. Then continue your journey to the city of Leipzig. Dinner and your overnight stay are in Leipzig.

Following breakfast, we visit St. Nicholas Church, the home of the faithful “Pray for Peace” Christians and the powerful force that transformed Germany’s East and West. We visit the magnificent St. Thomas Church, where Luther preached and Johann Sebastian Bach performed and directed the famous St. Thomas Boys Choir. It was here that Schiller wrote his immortal “Ode to Joy,” later to be adopted as the principal theme of “Beethoven’s 9th Symphony” (which was also written in Leipzig). You will have a short drive to your next stop, the city of Eisleben, where Luther was born and died. Start the tour of Eisleben’s town center. Stops include the Church of St. Peter and Paul, St. Andrew’s Church, St. Anne’s Church, and the Old Town with its charming historical houses. Discover the houses where he took his first and his last breaths. In the afternoon, you make your way to Erfurt, the spiritual home of Martin Luther. In Erfurt, Luther obtained a bachelor’s degree in 1502 and a master’s in 1505. After being caught in a violent thunderstorm nearby, Luther here took the decisive step to turn to theology and the monastic life and took the vow to become a monk. Dinner and overnight in Erfurt.

Following your breakfast, you will get a chance to explore the former Buchenwald Concentration Camp and see, among others, the Bonhoeffer Commemorative Site. The memorial commemorates the Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Wehrmacht General Friedrich von Rabenau, and Wehrmacht Captain Ludwig Gehre, who were held in the detention cellar of the SS casern as “special prisoners” of the Main Security Office of the Reich Wittenberg. You continue to Erfurt. It is time to explore the city of Erfurt and its historic center on a guided walk. Marvel at the Merchants’ Bridge, the longest continuous bridge with inhabited buildings in Europe. See the Luther Memorial, the Town Hall, and Merchant’s Church. Explore the Fish Market, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and the ‘Anger’, the city’s central square. It was here, in this beautiful city, that Luther decided to become a monk. Visit the Augustinian Monastery, a place that shaped and taught the young Reformer for six years. Take a glimpse at the small “cell” where Luther lived during his stay in the monastery. Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, in the early afternoon, continue to Eisenach. Stroll the city of Eisenach and admire all its beautiful sights, such as the Luther House and St. George’s Church, where Luther preached while “on the run,” and later, in 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach was baptized. Next is the Bach House, a museum housing an extensive collection of instruments from the 16th to 19th centuries and a permanent exhibition on the life and work of J.S. Bach. Here, we enjoy a musical performance of historical instruments. Then visit the UNESCO World Heritage site, Wartburg Castle. Here, Luther found refuge during his exile and translated the New Testament from Greek into German. Take a look at the Spartan room he lived and worked in. Afterward, you drive from the east of Germany to the west to the area of Frankfurt for dinner and your overnight stay.

Today, it is time to say goodbye. We hope you leave with wonderful memories and fascinating experiences. We look forward to welcoming you again in the future. Transfer to the Frankfurt airport for your departure.