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Souvenir Sales in Luther Town

Ian Brown
Jun 12, 2017
2 min read

Some of our members who were on a recent trip to 'Lutherland' were quite disappointed to discover only a few items with Reformation relevance that were worth purchasing.

It seems that since they have returned home the merchandising of Luther materials has gone up a few gears. A headline from 23 May 2017 draws attention to, 'How 'Luther town' is cashing in on the Protestant Reformation.'

It explains:

"As Germany commemorates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the seismic theological shift started by Luther, Wittenberg is decked out in full Luther regalia.

On arrival at the town's main train station, visitors are greeted with a giant rectangular block labelled 'The Bible - Luther's translation.' Walk a few metres and a billboard seeks to tempt the weary with a 'Luther Burger.'

In the display windows of shops running one kilometre through the centre of the old town, there is something for everyone – a toddler-sized Luther teddy bear, bags of Luther pasta and Luther tea."

The head of Wittenberg tourist office Kristin Ruske said hotel bookings and demand for guided tours had doubled for January to March, even before the Reformation fest began.

And going by the number of tourists carrying jute bags featuring Luther's image, or the steady stream of people picking up Luther cookies, it is clear that the crowd just can't get enough of the theologian.

The boom in Luther souvenirs has been driven by this year's celebrations, Ruske noted.

"There are Luther noodles, Luther tomatoes, Luther chocolate and also Luther coffee. There are many great products that we sell ... but there are also bizarre souvenirs. But as long as the demand is there, there'll always be offers," said Ruske.