Highlights

Travel to Germany for a 13-day trip from May 5-17, 2025. This tour itinerary has strong musical components—particularly with J.S. Bach—as well as strong historical components:

• J.S. Bach sites
   
  • Köthen Castle, where Bach led the court orchestra
  • Bach Museum, an interactive, multimedia exhibition
  • Leipzig, where Bach spent his most productive years
• Martin Luther sites
  • Luther Museum
  • Wartburg Castle, where Luther translated the New Testament into German
  • Augustinian Monastery
    
     
•  Enlightenment and Romanticism sites
  • Goethe Residence and National Museum
  • Friedrich Schiller’s Garden House
  • Romantikerhaus Jena, a museum in the home of Johann Gottlieb Fichte
    
     
• Historical sites
  • Buchenwald concentration camp
  • Residenzschloss (Royal Palace)
  • Schloss Cecilienhof, site of the Potsdam Conference
  • Berlin Wall Memorial
     
• Additional activities
  • Krämerbrücke (Merchant’s Bridge)
  • Classical music concert in Leipzig or/and Dresden
  • Sanssouci Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Lunch at a beer garden
  • Cruise on the Elbe River
  • Meissen porcelain-making demonstration

With three nights in Leipzig and Berlin as well as two nights in Erfurt and Dresden, there will be plenty of other excursions, as well as free time to explore these cities and try some local restaurants on your own.

Tour leaders

Jim Bratt is professor of history emeritus; he will offer insights to places connected with the Protestant Reformation, the Enlightenment, and Romanticism, tracing how these three movements influenced American intellectual and religion history. Suzanne Bratt is a music librarian at the University of Cincinnati who has a PhD in musicology and wrote her dissertation on J.S. Bach.

Cost

The tour cost is $5,145 per person from Grand Rapids for double occupancy rooms. The cost for single-room accommodations is $5,775.

Flights are from Grand Rapids to Frankfort, and home from Berlin to Grand Rapids. Witte Travel can arrange for flights from other departure cities as well ($75/person fee).

Travel insurance is offered via TravelEx for an additional fee; review the TravelEx plan for details on pricing and coverage.

More information

Download the tour brochure (PDF) for complete itinerary and full tour details. If you'd like us to mail you a print copy of this brochure, drop us a note at alumni@calvin.edu with your address and we'll send one out.

Register online via Witte Travel; all registrations are accepted on a first-come basis as received by Witte. The tour is planned for 28-30 participants.

More information

Calvin tours are open to any friends of CALL and the Calvin Alumni Association who wish to travel with us. Explore other Calvin-sponsored tours, too.

Registration

Please register by Monday, February 3, 2025.