Erected between 1482 and 1623, Hartenfels Castle is one of the most important castles of early Renaissance and former residence of Saxon Electors.
This town is a monument to Luther’s reform spirit. In Torgau, the spiritual center of the German Reformation, Hartenfels Castle is the most significant building of the townscape, an outstanding masterpiece in one of Germany’s most beautiful Renaissance towns. This is where the »Torgau Articles« laid the foundation for the Augsburg Confession, where the first Protestant songbook was published, and where the Protestant rulers signed the »Torgau League of Princes«. This is also where Luther’s wife Katharina von Bora died and was buried in St. Mary’s Church. The castle courtyrad is dominated by the Large Spiral Staircase: This »impossible staircase« by the great architect Konrad Krebs supports itself without the aid of any central pillar.
