The central square of Wittenberg is framed by the twin-towered Stadtkirche and the Renaissance town hall, completed in 1535 — the same year the town was becoming the intellectual centre of the Protestant world. Life in the Marktplatz today moves at a quiet pace: a few restaurants with outdoor seating, the occasional market, and the bronze statues of Luther and Melanchthon watching proceedings from their pedestals.
It is a good place to sit down with a coffee and take stock before moving on to the museums. The view of the Stadtkirche towers from the square, particularly in late afternoon light, is one of the more satisfying townscapes in eastern Germany.