Two thousand years ago, the Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca recognized that “travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” We at MISP couldn’t agree more. In setting itineraries, we take into consideration the educational value of the city or attraction, its historical and cultural significance, and the advice of local experts in the travel industry. Here is just a sampling of possible destinations, along with likely sights of interest, to be included in Magdeburg Adventures’ various programs:
↓ Leipzig—home to the St. Thomas Church, where J. S. Bach was organist (2010 marked the 325th anniversary of his birth); site of the monument to the Battle of the Nations, where an alliance of European armies soundly defeated Napoleon’s forces in the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I; and the birthplace of the non-violent demonstrations that led to the collapse of the Soviet-backed East German dictatorship in 1989
↑ Dresden—the great Saxon cultural capital only recently recovering from its destruction in World War II and home of the Semper opera house, the Church of Our Lady, and the Zwinger palace and museum
↓ Berlin—long regarded as one of the most exciting cities in Europe, capital of a reunited Germany, and home to numerous museums, such as the Pergamon; to numerous palaces, such as Charlottenburg; to the largest department store on the European continent, the KaDeWe; and to almost countless points of historical interest, such as the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Kurfürstendamm, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, the Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz, Unter den Linden avenue, and the Reichstag, the German Parliament
↑ Bernburg—home to an imposing medieval castle renovated during the Renaissance and now serving as a cultural and historical museum
↓ Wittenberg—the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation, where Martin Luther studied and taught and where he famously posted his 95 Theses on the church door on October 31, 1517
↑ Dessau—the long-time home of the Bauhaus artistic movement after the Nazis forced it out of its birthplace in Weimar
