This staircase is the crown jewel of the "Schloss Torgau"—the Castle Torgau.

Let me tell you about the castle itself. The foundations can be traced back to the 900s. It sits 50 feet above the River Elbe. Elector Frederick the Wise had a magnificent residence built here. It is a fabulous example of Northern German Renaissance architecture and art and it was one of the most important castles in its time. Let's be even clearer: This is a truly Lutheran castle in just about every way you can imagine.

Frederick the Wise's brother, John the Steadfast, had this magnificent staircase built. It is one of the most beautiful creations of the German Renaissance. The "Grossen Wendelstein" or "Great Spiral Staircase" is amazing. On the columns that that flank the main doorway of the staircase are portraits in clay of Luther and Melanchthon. The snail-shaped staircase is replete with biblical scenes. In Lutheran art, you see a dramatic shift away from depictions of saint legends and a move toward biblical scenes. This staircase is a great example. There is no center column on this staircase. I climbed as high as I could go. The stairs are well worn. It was a thrill imagining that John the Steadfast and his son John Frederick the Magnanimous did as well.

The second story of the castle houses a huge banquet hall, once decorated with the paintings of Lucas Cranach. A beautiful chapel was constructed at the castle. Martin Luther consecrated the new church on October 5, 1544. Inside the church is a large bronze plaque that was installed in 1545. It celebrates the donor, John Frederick the Magnanimous, the most heroic of the Lutheran laymen of the Reformation. It proclaims the Gospel clearly and celebrates the construction of the church as a stronghold of the Gospel. A portrait of the Elector is at the top of the plaque and the pillars on either side have symbols for his sons. The base has a portrait of Luther. Frederick the Magnanimous chose to construct a church as his legacy and contribution; his father, a staircase; and his uncle, the castle. Interesting contrasts indeed.