Martin Luther would still find his way around the old town center of Wittenberg - the alleyways, market square and town houses are still the same as 500 years ago. And the All Saints' Church, also known as the Castle Church, still towers above it all in this central German town on the river Elbe.

It is generally believed that on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the doors of All Saints' Church. That day is regarded as the beginning of the Reformation, which changed Europe. 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of this date, when even more visitors from around the world are expected to come to picturesque Wittenberg.

All Saints' Church presents itself - like many other Luther memorial sites - freshly renovated in time for the jubilee. The magnificent church nave is where you'll find not only Martin Luther's tomb, but also the final resting place of his friend and fellow campaigner Philipp Melanchthon.

The second port of call after the All Saints' Church is the former Augustinian monastery. Luther's supporter Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, gave the building to the Reformer as a gift. Luther lived here for 38 years. It offered plenty of space for his family and the many guests and students who traveled to see the famous reformer in Wittenberg.

While his wife Katharina von Bora took charge of catering and logistics, Martin Luther held lectures for students from all over Europe. 500 years ago Wittenberg, the cradle of the Reformation, was regarded as the spiritual center of Europe.

In the living quarters is where the so-called table discussion took place. Many guests made notes of Luther's adages and speeches, thereby preserving them for prosperity - like his statement "who does not love wine, wife and song will be a fool for his lifelong!"

Philipp Melanchthon moved to be close to Luther. The scholar came to Wittenberg to have Luther explain his revolutionary theses - and then he just stayed there. Along with Luther he became a driving force behind the Protestant Reformation. In Melanchthon's house, visitors can now see his study and the room where he died.

Another famous contemporary and friend of Martin Luther's lived on the market square. Lucas Cranach the Elder was an artist, apothecary, and sometime mayor. His estate counts 80 rooms, an art school, a pharmacy and a printing shop - which is where all the important Reformation leaflets were printed.

The market square is still the heart of the town, very much like it was back in Luther's day. St. Mary's is regarded as the mother church of the Reformation, as this is where the first holy mass in German was held. Here you can still admire the vestry from which Martin Luther himself used to preach.

It's a real eye-catcher in the interior of the St. Mary's town church. Lucas Cranach the Younger, by depicting them on the altar, immortalized the key players of the Reformation: Martin Luther as a Squire George - the name he assumed while in hiding at Wartburg Castle - along with Melanchthon and Lucas Cranach at the baptismal and Katharina von Bora as an attentive listener in the congregation.

In 1821, this memorial on the market square in Wittenberg was very much a sensation, as for the first time it was not a representation of a duke or king, but instead a statue of Martin Luther the Reformer. In one hand he's holding a bible which is opened on the pages where the Old Testament ends and the New Testament begins. This was to symbolize a new era, which had its beginnings in Wittenberg.