UNESCO Themes - Churches & Abbeys   Sacred buildings have long been viewed as cultural monuments and placed under special protection. Outstanding buildings such as the Wieskirche Pilgrimage Church, the cathedrals of Aachen, Cologne, Speyer, Trier and Hildesheim, as well as unique abbey complexes such as the Cistercian Abbey of Maulbronn, the Benedictine Abbey of Lorsch and the Monastic Island of Reichenau bear grand testimony to the cultural achievements of earlier periods. Wittenberg, Eisleben and Eisenach are closely associated with Martin Luther.