The Luther beech is located southwest of Stolberg at a vantage point above Stubengasse.
Luther had been summoned to Stolberg in the spring of 1525 to calm the angry peasants and citizens with a sermon in St. Martin’s Church, but he was unsuccessful. During his stay, he apparently took the opportunity to go for a long walk on the surrounding hills with his friend Wilhelm Reiffenstein. To this day, the legend lives on in Stolberg that Luther compared the town to a bird from there.
In the Stolberg Church and Town History by Johann Arnold Zeitfuchs, published in 1717, the following entry has survived: “When, on the Friday after Easter in 1525 , Luther preached here / and went up the mountain with Mr. Wilhelm Reiffensteinen / the doctor compared the town to a bird . 1525. on the Friday after Easter Luther preached here / and went up the mountain with Mr. Wilhelm Reiffensteinen / the doctor compared the town to a bird. The castle / he thought / was the head / the 2nd lanes were the wings / the market the rump / the lower lane the tail.”
The Luther beech tree and the surrounding square were already known as “Lutherplatz” in 1868 and were included in the celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the Reformer’s birth. The current beech tree bears a wooden plaque on which the reference to Luther is explained.
The special charm of Stolberg lies in its closed historical townscape in half-timbered style, the winding alleyways and the many sights. One of the legendary leaders of the Peasants’ War of 1524–1525, Thomas Müntzer, was born in Stolberg around 1489.
From the market square, walk through the Saigerturmtor gate and follow Stubengasse to the “Bandwege”. The Luther beech stands at the highest point of the Oberer Bandweg.
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