Castle Church, Wittenberg, Protestant church in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany.
All Saints' Church, called Schlosskirche, forms the north wing of Wittenberg Castle at the end of Schlossstrasse. Conrad Pflüger built it between 1490 and 1511 in Late Gothic style; its 88-metre tower, rebuilt in the 1880s, carries the hymn line "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" around it. The tower's square stone shaft turns octagonal above, with pointed-arch windows and a clock, and ends in a steep dark spire with corner pinnacles and a cross.
The church was founded in the mid-14th century under Rudolf I and gained worldwide recognition when Martin Luther posted his Theses there in 1517.
The church is also called the Reformation Memorial Church, and since 1949 it has had its own Lutheran parish. From 1978 to 1992 Friedrich Schorlemmer preached here and became known for forging a sword into a ploughshare, a symbol of the East German peace movement. Twelve stained-glass windows made by Renate Brömme in 1983 show thirteen of Luther's most important followers.
The church is entered through the visitor centre in the castle courtyard, not directly from Schlossstrasse. Its long axis runs about 14 degrees south of due east. The 88-metre tower can be climbed for a view over Wittenberg and the surrounding countryside.
The bronze Theses Doors of 1858, weighing about 1,000 kg, carry the Ninety-five Theses in Latin; Friedrich Drake modelled the ornaments. Above them a tympanum shows Luther with his German Bible and Melanchthon with the Augsburg Confession. The tower bears the hymn line "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott".
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