Wartburg Castle

Wartburg Castle stands on a cliff above Eisenach, about 55 kilometres from our guesthouse. Legend has it that Count Ludwig the Springer saw the hill in 1067 and called out: "Wart, Berg, du sollst mir eine Burg werden!" (Wait, mountain, you shall become my castle). That is where the castle got its name.

The heart of the castle is the Palas, built in the 12th century. It is considered one of the best-preserved Romanesque secular buildings north of the Alps. Inside you will find the Singers' Hall, where according to legend the Minstrels' Contest took place around 1206. Richard Wagner turned the story into his opera "Tannhäuser". The Elizabeth Bower is lined entirely with glass mosaics. They tell the life of Saint Elizabeth, who lived at the Wartburg as a young landgravine.

After the Diet of Worms in 1521, Martin Luther hid at the castle for ten months as "Junker Jörg", with a beard and without his monk's habit. During this time he translated the New Testament from Greek into German. You can still visit his plain room today. In 1817 around 500 students met here for the Wartburg Festival and called for a united Germany. The colours black, red and gold go back to this movement.

From the south tower you can see far across the Thuringian Forest. The castle courtyard is free to enter. The museum and the historic rooms need a ticket, and the rooms are shown on a guided tour.

After your visit, walk down into Eisenach's old town. On the market square stands St George's Church, where Johann Sebastian Bach was baptised in 1685. A few minutes' walk away is the Bachhaus, a museum about his life and music. Luther lived in the Lutherhaus as a schoolboy with the Cotta family. The Nikolaitor is the only surviving town gate and dates back to Romanesque times. If you like cars: the Wartburg car was built in Eisenach, and the Automobile Welt Eisenach museum tells the story of car making in the town.

South of the castle lies the Drachenschlucht (Dragon Gorge). The path runs through a narrow ravine in the Thuringian Forest. At its narrowest point it is barely more than a metre wide, with mossy rock walls rising several metres on either side. In places you walk on metal grates directly above the stream. The trail starts at the hikers' car park in the Mariental valley. Allow one to two hours for the gorge there and back. If you enjoy walking, continue to the Hohe Sonne on the Rennsteig trail or follow forest paths up to the Wartburg.