Dutch Working Visit to Germany, Day One: Thuringia

Today, Tuesday February 7, Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima started a four-day working visit to the German Federal States of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The Royal Couple, along with the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen and the Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment Melanie Schultz van Haegen, arrived in Germany in the afternoon.

Upon their arrival the King and the Queen paid a visit to Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, a town in Thuringia. The medieval Wartburg Castle was built in 1073 and and in 1999 it was added to the World Heritage List of UNESCO. From 1521 to 1522, Martin Luther used the castle as shelter after being declared an outlaw by Pope Leo X and the Emperor Charles V that considered his ideas heretical. During his stay in the castle, Martin Luther translated the New Testament from Ancient Greek into German.

On October 31, 2017 will be celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. The King and the Queen toured the castle accompanied by Thuringia’s Finance Minister, Heike Taubert and Eisenach’s mayor, Katja Wolf, visited the room of Martin Luther and signed the golden book.

In the evening took place a dinner meeting focused on the Lutheran Reformation at the presence of theologians, philosophers and sociologists.

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged Germany, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Working Visit.

One Response to Dutch Working Visit to Germany, Day One: Thuringia