Sabbatical and Journey Planner 

Welcome to the ELCA Wittenberg Center's Sabbatical and Journey Planner! In these web pages, we present a rich compilation of contact resources.

 Planning A Sabbatical/Journey

• Over the course of the year, the ELCA Wittenberg Center receives many requests to help professors, pastors and leaders of the church plan a sabbatical experience that will include time in Germany and, particularly, in Wittenberg and the “land of Luther”. 
• We do not have the resources to work through the specific details of individual sabbatical programs. 
• We are able to provide a wide assortment of contact information (mostly web sites) that can help with the many aspects of a sabbatical program – accommodations, in-country travel, information about people and places, institutions available for further study and research. 
• We invite you to use our sabbatical and journey planner to make your plans.  We hope you will be able to find the information you need to plan your sabbatical or journey to Germany.
• If you need more information, or if what you're looking for isn't included here, please feel free to email us at ELCAWittenbergCenter@t-online.de.
• You may have some general questions about sabbaticals and sabbatical planning.  Please look at our Planning a Sabbatical - Frequently Asked Questions.  We have tried to provide basic information and answers for sabbatical questions.  Again, if you would like further assistance, please e-mail us at the address above. 
• Coming to your ELCA Wittenberg Center -- soon!  Summer Sabbatical Sampler  For pastors and church professionals planning sabbaticals -- this new (and under development!) 12-day program will provide background on Luther and Reformation, German culture and language.  It is designed to equip participants for further travel and studies.  Contact Center for more information.

We hope you enjoy your visit!

On the following pages, you will find information and links for various programs, places, people, and so on. If you are interested in pursuing any of these possibilities, please use the contact information we have included to get in touch with the person in charge of the program you're interested in and make arrangements for yourself to be involved!

AltaVista's Webpage Translator will open in a new window. Simply type in the URL of the German web page, select "German to English" from the drop-down menu, and click the "translate" button.

Planning a Sabbatical – Frequently Asked Questions

1.  How do I get started? 

I am ready for a sabbatical, but would like some help as I begin to plan.  What  resources can you offer?

·        An excellent study and planning guide is contained in the short book Clergy Renewal, by A. Richard Bullock and Richard J. Bruesehoff, The Alban Institute: 2000.  Other Alban resources can be found at their web site.

·        Online resources include the website for the Charis Ecumenical Center at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.

On the right side of the home page are two sabbatical

related links.

·        The ELCA webpage, offers information and planning suggestions use the search function specifying “sabbatical”:   In addition, many synods have staff and written materials available to assist with sabbatical planning.

·        The ELCA Wittenberg Center is in the process of offering an annual “Pastors Sabbatical Program” each summer.  If you would be interested in joining a group of other pastors in a guided program of lectures, discussions, travels, church interactions in Wittenberg and nearby cities, please contact the Center.  ELCAWittenbergCenter@t-online.de. 

 2.  How do I fund a sabbatical?  

·        One generous source of independent funding for clergy sabbaticals comes from the Lilly Endowment.  Many local, regional, or synodical sources of funding also exist.  Wheat Ridge ministries has recently begun a shared funding program for parish pastors. 

3.  What about language? 

I speak very little or no German, will I be able to learn and study in Germany?

• Before the fall of the Berlin Wall and Communism in 1989, people living in the former German Democratic Republic, learned Russian as their first foreign language.  As a result, you will not find as many English speaking pastors and church leaders in the former East Germany as you would in the West.   German speaking pilgrims will find more opportunities to engage Germans and become immersed in German social and church life.

• Provisions continue to be made for English-speaking pilgrims to Wittenberg and other Luther and Reformation cities.  Museums offer English translations of exhibit descriptions and/or English-speaking guides.  In some cases, audio guides in English are available.  This is true for Wittenberg, which offers an English audio guide for a complete city tour. 

• Tour operators working with English-speaking groups provide guides who offer city tours and museum tours in English.  The individual traveler will face the challenge of securing an English tour.  You would usually need to register beforehand for an English tour. Occasionally, English language walking tours are available on a walk-in basis.  There are times when a sabbatical program overlaps a group program of the ELCA Wittenberg Center.  It is sometimes possible to make arrangements for individuals to join a scheduled, guided, English tour.

• The ELCA Center has a number of contacts in Wittenberg and other cities with English-speaking scholars, professors, pastors and church members who can be engaged to provide presentations on historical and current topics.  If there is interest in specific areas, arrangements could be made for such presentations.

3.  What will a trip to Germany cost?

As the travel agent responded to the person from Chicago who asked how much a trip to California will cost.  It all depends!  There are many variables affecting the cost of a trip to Germany:  a. cost of the flight to and from the United States.  b. cost of travel within Germany.  c. cost of overnight accommodations.  d. cost of food, and there are ‘incidentals’ (or another person’s essentials)

• Flight:  there are many web sites that provide an opportunity to secure a low-cost flight.  Winter tends to have cheaper flights; the summer season has the highest fares.  Airlines run promotions or have “competitive initiatives” that can lower flights significantly for certain windows of time.  Some folks do not mind checking the internet regularly, waiting for just “the right moment” to purchase a ticket.  Others prefer to have a travel agent whom they will trust find a reasonably priced flight.  People flying to “Luther Land” usually fly into Berlin Tegel airport.  The Leipzig-Halle airport is also close to Wittenberg – although fares seem to be cheaper into Berlin.  Some people fly into Berlin, make their way to Wittenberg, visit nearby cities and then make their way south (Coburg, Augsburg) and fly home out of Munich or make there way southwest (Worms, Mainz, Heidelberg) and fly home out of Frankfurt.
• Travel within Germany:  Trains in Germany are very reliable; a regular ticket on the fast train (ICE) will cost around 30 euro cents a mile (19 euro cents a kilometer).  There are special deals on weekends, and special deals traveling within certain German states.  Traveling by train avoids traffic on the autobahn and slower driving on back roads.  However, often the train station will be a “healthy” walk (15+ minutes) from the city middle or your hotel. Instead of walking, some travelers will choose/prefer to use a public bus/street car or hail a taxi. Cars can be rented.  It is often less expensive to rent the car in the US.  Gas is more expensive in Germany, (summer 2007, about $7.00/gallon).  The good news is that German cars get better gas mileage.  Driving on the autobahn can be a wonderful experience (some places have no speed limit and it is definitely an experience to be passed by a Mercedes at 200 kph!).  However, driving on the autobahn can be a terrible experience when there is traffic –caused by summer construction or summer vacation rush.  Driving on back roads is picturesque but you do need to watch out for the changing speed limits as you drive in and out of villages – 100kph –70kph – 50kph. Caution:  Speeding tickets can be issued on the basis of a traffic camera.  The advantage of the car is that is takes you right up to your hotel or pension.  If you have a car, you would want to find a pension with parking.  Street parking in German cities can be a challenge (and expensive).
• Overnight accommodations:  Short term stays in a Pension with a simple, no frills room are available in most German cities or villages at a cost of $40-80/night.  In major cities, such as Hamburg or Berlin, a Pension can cost twice as much.  As in the United States, there will be a variety of hotels available in a variety of price ranges.  Most Pensions and hotels include a hearty European breakfast in the price of the room – but please check (“breakfast included, inklusiv Frühstück or Frühstück eingeschlossen”).  Because breakfast is often included, having a second or third person in a room will make a significant difference.  Check to see if the price is pro Zimmer (room) or pro Person.  Most German cities have a web site (www.germancityname.de) that will have a tourism (“Tourismus”) button that will eventually give hotel and pension information.  See our accommodations page for more information.  For those seeking a long term stay in Wittenberg, the ELCA Wittenberg center can assist in making arrangements to rent a furnished apartment at a cost of approximately $600 per month, including utilities, linens, computer and on-line, but slow, Internet connection.
• Food and dining out:  Most pensions and hotels will provide a hearty breakfast that might allow you to have a smaller lunch.  There are usually Imbiss counters or Döner (Turkish chopped meat with cabbage salad and sauces) and sandwich shops that will provide you with meals under 5 euro.  Dinner prices are slightly less than in the US, especially when you consider that tax and tip are included (German custom is to round up to the nearest euro or so for a tip – not 15 or 20%).Most German restaurants will have their menus on display outside of the restaurant so that you can avoid surprises. You will find that beer is one of the least expensive beverages, water (sometimes even tap water – stilles Wasser or Leitungswasser) costs money.  Coffee cups are not refilled, a “pott” of coffee is usually the equivalent of two cups. 

4. When should I travel? 

Does travel to Germany in winter present any problems?

• If the cost of airfare will be important, consider that air travel in the late fall and winter is normally less expensive.

• If the number of people at the sites and places you visit is a factor consider that the busy season in Wittenberg begins after Easter.  The flux of visitors is heavy in June and July, and begins to lessen in August.  Luthers Hochzeit (Luther’s wedding) is the city festival that takes place on the second weekend in June and the city will be packed.  Wittenberg also fills up for the Renaissance Fair and Reformation Day festivities in late October.
• If sunlight is important consider that Wittenberg lies many degrees of latitude north of the US/Canada border.  This means less light in the winter – (dark at 7:45 am, dark again by 4:15) and more light in the Summer – (sunrise before 5:00 am, light until after 10:00 pm).
• “Summer hours” in museums and churches take effect after Easter until Reformation Day. In the “winter” (November through Easter) museums and churches close earlier and guided tours are limited. (English language tours would be as well.)   In Wittenberg in the winter, museums close on Mondays (this is common throughout Germany, sometimes in the summer).
• Wittenberg does not experience extremely cold winters or hot summers.  However, many parts of Germany receive snow and ice during the winter making travel by automobile more difficult.  Only rarely would the trains not run due to weather conditions.

5. What research possibilities are there in Wittenberg?
   • For a listing of archives available to researchers, consult the list of libraries and archives available elsewhere on our website.
   • In addition to or in conjunction with the “Pastors Sabbatical Program”, the ELCA Wittenberg Center maintains a list of possible sabbatical activities including short-term research or service projects suitable for the average parish pastor who has retained some basic German language skills.

6. What kinds of distances are involved in visiting the cities of Luther Land? 

See the mileage chart below for driving distances/train travel times.

 

Distances from Wittenberg to various other cities of historical Reformation significance are listed below.  Distances are given in U.S. miles from Lutherstadt Wittenberg.  For distances between these cities, we suggest you consult a road map of Germany available from AAA or from most large bookstores in America. From Lutherstadt Wittenberg to:  Town                     Distance by highway               Average travel time by train Augsburg              309 miles                                     5-6 hrs. Eisenach                 164 miles                                     2 ½ hrs. Eisleben                  72 miles                                       1 ½ hrs. Erfurt                       132 miles                                     2-3 hrs.      Heidelberg              334 miles                                     5-6 hrs. Leipzig                     43 miles                                       1 ¼ hr.                Magdeburg            76 miles                                        1 ½ hr. Mansfeld                80 miles                                        2-3 hrs. Marburg                  264 miles                                      5 hrs. Rome                       881 miles                                       17-18 hrs. Torgau                    31 miles                                         1 ½ hrs. Wartburg                164 miles                                       3-4 hrs. Worms                    322 miles                                        5 ½ hrs.

Travel times and distances are approximations and will vary.

 

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