Luther Trail: Section 03 – From Eisenach to Berka on the Werra

After staying in Worms and making a speech at the Diet, Luther started on his journey back to Wittenberg on 26 April 1521. On 2 May 1521 he stayed at the ‘Alter Stern’ guest house in Berka. On 4 May 1521, Luther was ‘kidnapped’ in Glasbachgrund near Steinbach and taken into ‘protective custody’ at Wartburg Castle. Here he spent many months and translated the New Testament from Greek to German under the alias ‘Junker Jörg' (Squire George).

Legend has it that the devil disturbed Martin Luther in his rooms at Wartburg Castle in Thuringia during the winter of 1521 and 1522. It is said that when the monk, so engrossed in his work in translating the holy word, was interrupted by the scratching and scrapping, he courageously grabbed the ink well and hurled it at the devil's face.