millennium-protestants _ most german protestants spend little time in the pews , but the history of northern germany , the birthplace of the protestant reformation , can be traced through three churches : the palace church in wittenberg where luther nailed the theses that started the reformation ; the berliner dom , or great emperial cathedral , that survived the tremendous forces that shaped 20th century east berlin ; and , st. michael 's in hamburg , a city famous for its churches and its red-light district , where the rebuilding of st. michael 's after world war ii has become a major point of pride for the city .