Schmalkalden

Schmalkalden, on the southwestern edge of the Thuringian Forest, is best known as the birthplace of the Schmalkaldic League — the alliance of Protestant princes and cities formed here in December 1530/31 to defend the Reformation against the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor. The League's members met in the town in 1537, when Martin Luther preached at St. George's Church and drafted the Schmalkald Articles, a founding Lutheran doctrinal statement. That history, plus a well-preserved half-timbered old town, makes Schmalkalden a notable stop for anyone tracing Reformation-era sites in Germany.

Schmalkalden is reached by regional road and rail from Erfurt and other Thuringian Forest towns; the nearest airports with commercial service are Erfurt-Weimar and Frankfurt.

The old town of Schmalkalden is compact, hilly, and best explored on foot.

• Wilhelmsburg Castle — built 1585–1590 as a secondary residence of the Hessian landgraves, considered one of the best-preserved Renaissance castles in Germany, with largely intact original interiors, wall paintings, and stucco work. Its chapel organ, built in 1589, is among the oldest functioning organs with wooden pipes in Europe.
• St. George's Church — a Gothic hall church built 1437–1509 that dominates the old town; the site where Martin Luther preached to the assembled Protestant princes in 1537.
• Lutherhaus — the house associated with Luther's stay during the 1537 assembly, where he drafted the Schmalkald Articles.

Visitors can explore the half-timbered old town on foot and visit Viba Nougat-World, a confectionery exhibition and shop that has been a local visitor draw since 2012.

• Berlin — Germany's capital city, reachable by regional train
• Nearby towns in Thüringen — explore the surrounding region