Wittenberg is about an hour from Magdeburg on the shores of the Elbe river.  The Germans call it Lutherstadt Wittenberg because of its most famous citizen, reformer Martin Luther.  Wittenberg was first mentioned in 1180.  A university was formed in 1502.  Martin Luther was a monk of the Augustinian order and taught at the university.  He was outraged one day when a catholic priest arrived in Wittenberg to sell indulgences in order to raise money.  In response, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church, which protested the indulgences and other false practices by the church.  What followed is now called the reformation.  Luther was persecuted at first for his action and was even excommunicated for what he did.  However, some German princes protected him from the catholic church and allowed him to teach the people and translate the Bible into German.  I thought it was so cool to see the place where this reformer lived and started the work that eventually led to the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.