would the genitive not cover all possibilities?

or "native city of Luther"
or simply, "Eisleben, the city of Luther".

It appears to be part of the city's name. Here's some info I found about it:

"Eisleben, like most cities associated with Luther and the Reformation period of the 16th century, is located in the former German Democratic Republic behind the Iron Curtain. Since the city is very important in the life of the great Reformer, being the site of Luther’s birth and death, it was known in the GDR as Lutherstadt-Eisleben, or Luther-City-Eisleben. A few other cities have been designated as Luther cities. They include Lutherstadt-Wittenberg where Luther spent most of his life; Lutherstadt-Eisenach, where Mrs. Cotta took Martin into her home, and where he later translated the New Testament into German at the Wartburg Castle overlooking the city; Lutherstadt-Mansfeld, where Luther’s parents lived and where Martin attended school as a boy; and Lutherstadt-Erfurt, where Luther attended the university and entered the Augustinian monastery to please God. There is a statue of Luther in every Lutherstadt, some of which have plaques depicting scenes significant in the Reformer’s life.
This article concentrates on Lutherstadt-Eisleben. It describes the Luther statue erected in the middle of the 19th century, the events surrounding his birth on November 10, 1483, his baptism on the following day, his frequent visits to the city, and his death in a home of a friend adjacent to St. Andrews Church on February 18, 1546.

Erwin Weber

April, 1997"

Despite the strongly religious character/background of your source text, I would leave the name "as is". This is at least how Lutherstadt Wittenberg has it in the English version of its website.

Another option would be to translate "Eisleben, Town of (Martin) Luther" but I'd prefer the first solution. The (German) website of Eisleben itself also uses the proper name "Lutherstadt Eisleben".

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Note added at 2002-08-20 13:08:58 (GMT)
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As a compromise, you could surely, as writeaway said, use \"Lutherstadt Eisleben\" and make an addition in brackets (or insertion after a comma) saying \"birthplace/hometown of Martin Luther\" (if it fits with your sentence).

My suggestion. Elegant, refined? no.


.. He died in Eisleben (only in german), the town of his birth, in February 1546. ... With his translation of the Bible into German Martin Luther attained ...
Description: Biography, pictures and articles on people and places in his life, articles on related
subjects, and...
Category: Society > Religion and Spirituality > ... > Lutheran Reformation > Luther, Martin
www.wittenberg.de/e/seiten/personen/luther.html - 10k - 19 Aug 2002

. In 1521 Martin Luther rode away from his home town ... Luther's heresy had become a major public issue by the ... But would the execution of Martin Luther in any ...
www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/ classroom/alevel/luther.htm - 13k

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Note added at 2002-08-20 12:41:13 (GMT)
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Why not leave it as Lutherstadt and in () put Luther\'s home town. That could calm the storm. I am not sure that I myself would give a translation and not include the original, since it is one of a few cities that call themselves Lutherstadt. You could start an inter-city war by calling it the cradle of Lutheranism.

or: the town of Luther's birth and death

Helfta is today a suburb of Eisleben, a city with strong Luther connections..