Veste Coburg, the Coburg Fortress towers majestically over the town of Coburg. The fortress is one of the largest in Germany and almost 900 years old.
The fortess' chapel is called the Martin Luther Chapel as the famous Reformer left a large footprint here.
In 1530, Martin Luther planned attending the Imperial Diet of Augsburg, but seized with an imperial ban he wasn't able to. Duke Johann the Steadfast granted him asylum at Coburg Fortress and Luther spent six months there, corresponding with his followers, working on his new doctrine and continuing his Bible translation.
The work Luther did here during this crucial phase of the history of the Reformation is of outstanding importance.
A plaque with Luther's picture commemorates his stay. The plaque displays Psalm 118:17: Non moriar sed vivam et narrabo opera Domini (I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD). |