European Reformations Study Tour

This 12-day study tour of Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy enables students to immerse themselves in the history, culture, and sites of the European Reformation, one of the most influential episodes in world history.

This tour, led by CSU Senior Lecturer in History, Dr Michael Gladwin, commences in Berlin, visiting sites such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and some of  Berlin’s world-famous museums. From Berlin the group will follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther to Wittenberg (where Luther lived and worked, and where he is believed to have nailed the 95 Theses that launched the Reformation in 1517); the Luther House (where Luther died) and St Andrew’s (where Luther preached his last sermon) at Eisleben; the medieval Wartburg Castle, where Luther fled for his life and translated the first German New Testament; and Erfurt, where Luther made a vow to become a monk during a lightning storm and entered the Augustinian monastery, and where he lived and studied as a monk during 1505–1512. We visit Erfurt’s monastery and its grand cathedral (where Luther was ordained priest in 1507). The tour will continue to Mainz (where we visit the Gutenberg Printing Press Museum and discover how the invention of mass printing was crucial to the impact of the Reformation), Strasbourg (a city of refuge for French Protestants and an opportunity to visit one of Europe’s largest and most beautiful medieval cathedrals) and Geneva (where we visit St Peter’s Church where French reformer John Calvin preached and led the Reformed wing of the Reformation, the Genevan Academy, Calvin’s home and grave, and the Reformation Monument).  From Geneva the group will travel to Rome to encounter the ancient, medieval, Renaissance and early modern roots of Christian history (including a visit to St Peter’s basilica and the Vatican Museum). On our last night together we gather for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.