This simple wooden desk took part in an important event in this history of the Protestant Reformation. It is in fact the desk where Martin Luther translated the New Testament from Greek to German during his exile from the Catholic Church.
In 1521, Martin Luther was invited to stand before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, at the Diet of Wörms to respond to the charges of heresy following Luther's publication of his 95 Theses. At the meeting, Charles V, backed by Pope Leo X, declared Luther a heretic a banished him from the Holy Roman Empire. Following this, the Elector of Saxony, Friedrich the Wise, invited Luther to take refuge at the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany where he was confined to the castle walls for ten months. It was during this time that Martin Luther translated the New Testament in the vernacular within eleven weeks, affirming his belief that the bible should be accessible and understandable to everyone.
The room that is located the desk is called the "Lutherstube", literally "Luther's room" in German.
You can still visit the Castle and the room today.
"Martin Luther and the 95 Theses," History Channel, 2016. http://www.history.com/topics/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses.
"Martin Luther's Life: The Wartburg,"KDG Wittenberg, 1997. http://www.luther.de/en/wartburg.html.
