The Wartburg (German pronunciation: [ˈvaʁtbʊʁk]) is a castle built during the Middle Ages. It is located on a high cliff that is 410 meters (1,350 feet) above the town of Eisenach in the state of Thuringia, Germany. The castle was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament of the Bible into German, the site of the Wartburg festival in 1817, and the possible location of the legendary Sängerkrieg. It inspired Ludwig II of Bavaria when he decided to build Neuschwanstein Castle.
Wartburg is the most visited tourist attraction in Thuringia after Weimar. Although the castle still has many original buildings from the 12th to 15th centuries, much of the interior was added in the 19th century. In 1999, Wartburg Castle was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List because of its important medieval architecture and its historical and religious significance.
Etymology
The name of the castle likely comes from the German word "Warte," which means "watchtower." This is despite a tradition that says the castle's founder, when he first saw the location, said, "Warte, Berg—du sollst mir eine Burg tragen!" ("Wait, mountain—you shall bear my castle!"). This phrase uses a play on words in German, combining "Berg" (mountain) and "Burg" (fortress), as well as "Warte" (wait) and "Warte" (watchtower).
Location
Wartburg is located on a 410-meter (1,350-foot) cliff to the southwest of the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. The hill is part of the Thuringian Forest and looks over Mariental to the southeast and the valley of the Hörsel to the north. The historical Via Regia passed through this valley. The Rennsteig path runs just south of the castle.
History
The castle's foundation was built around 1067 by Louis the Springer, a noble from Thuringia named Ludwig der Springer. He was related to the Counts of Rieneck in Franconia. Alongside its larger sister castle, Neuenburg, in the modern town of Freyburg, the Wartburg protected the farthest edges of Louis's lands. It is said that Louis had clay from his lands brought to the hilltop, which was not fully within his territory, so he could claim the castle was built on his land.
The castle was first written about in a document from 1080 by Bruno, Bishop of Merseburg, in his work De Bello Saxonico ("The Saxon War"), where it was called Wartberg.
During the Investiture Controversy, Louis's men attacked soldiers from King Henry IV of Germany. Louis remained a strong opponent of the Salian rulers. After his family line ended, his son, Louis I, was made a Landgrave of Thuringia by the new German king, Lothair of Supplinburg, in 1131.
From 1172 to 1211, the Wartburg was one of the most important courts in the German Reich. Hermann I supported poets like Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach, who wrote part of Parzival there in 1203.
The castle became the setting for the famous Sängerkrieg (Minstrels' Contest), where poets such as Walther von der Vogelweide, Wolfram von Eschenbach, and Albrecht von Halberstadt (Ovid's translator) are said to have participated in 1206 or 1207. This event later inspired Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser.
At age four, St. Elisabeth of Hungary was sent to the Wartburg by her mother to prepare for marriage to Landgrave Ludwig IV of Thuringia. She lived there from 1211 to 1228 and was known for her kindness. She married Ludwig in 1221, but he died in 1227 during a Crusade. Elisabeth followed her spiritual advisor to Marburg, where she died in 1231 at age 24. She was made a saint five years later.
In 1247, Heinrich Raspe, the last Landgrave of Thuringia from his family line and a claimant to the German throne, died at the Wartburg. He was succeeded by Henry III, Margrave of Meissen.
In 1320, the castle was rebuilt after a fire in 1317 or 1318. A chapel was added to the Palas.
The Wartburg remained the home of the Thuringian Landgraves until 1440.
From May 1521 to March 1522, Martin Luther lived at the castle under the name Junker Jörg (Knight George) after being protected by Frederick the Wise following his excommunication by Pope Leo X and refusal to recant at the Diet of Worms. During this time, Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German in ten weeks. Though not the first German Bible translation, it became the most famous.
From 1540 until his death in 1548, Fritz Erbe, an Anabaptist farmer, was imprisoned in the south tower for refusing to abandon his beliefs. After his death, he was buried near the chapel of St. Elisabeth. In 1925, his handwritten signature was found on the prison wall.
Over time, the castle fell into disrepair, especially after the Thirty Years' War, when it served as a refuge for the ruling family of Saxe-Weimar. While parts like the palace and the bailiwick's house remained intact, other areas, such as the keep, fell into complete ruin and had to be rebuilt.
In 1777, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited the Wartburg for five weeks and made drawings of the buildings.
On October 18, 1817, the first Wartburg Festival took place. About 500 students from newly formed German fraternities gathered to celebrate Germany's victory over Napoleon and the 300th anniversary of the Reformation. They called for German unity under the motto "Honour – Freedom – Fatherland." Speakers included a veteran, a philosophy student, and a writer. Books were burned in protest, including works by conservative authors. Karl Ludwig Sand, who later assassinated one of the authors, attended.
This event and a later gathering in 1848 are seen as important steps toward German unification.
During the rule of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Grand Duke Karl Alexander ordered the castle's reconstruction in 1838. He and his wife, Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, rebuilt it as a cultural monument in the Neo-Romanesque style. The lead architect, Hugo von Ritgen, completed the work a year after his death in 1889.
Inspired by Goethe's suggestion, Maria Pavlovna and her son Karl Alexander created an art collection that became the foundation of the museum.
The rule of the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach ended with the German Revolution in 1918. In 1922, the Wartburg Foundation was established to maintain the castle.
After World War II, Soviet forces took the castle's famous weapons and armor collection. Most of the items, including pieces from King Henry II of France and Frederick the Wise, were lost. A few items were later returned by the USSR.
Under communist rule in East Germany, the castle was rebuilt between 1952 and 1954, restoring parts of the Palas to its original Romanesque style. A new staircase was added near the Palas.
In 1967, the castle celebrated the 900th anniversary of its founding, the 450th anniversary of Luther's Reformation, and the 150th anniversary of the Wartburg Festival.
In 1983, the castle was the center of celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's birth.
Architecture
The largest building at Wartburg Castle is the Palas. It was first built in the late Romanesque style between 1157 and 1170. This structure is considered the best-preserved Romanesque building north of the Alps that is not related to religious buildings.
Inside the Palas are rooms such as the Rittersaal and the Speisesaal. These rooms were rebuilt to closely match the original Romanesque style and include original parts like pillars or roof pieces. Some rooms have wooden ceilings from the time the building was first constructed. However, many rooms reflect the styles of the 19th and 20th centuries and the popular image of the Middle Ages during that time. For example, the Elisabeth-Kemenate has mosaics showing the life of St. Elisabeth, created between 1902 and 1906 for Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Sängersaal has frescoes of the Sängerkrieg by Moritz von Schwind, and the Festssaal on the top floor also has frescoes by Schwind, which inspired the design of the Sängerhalle at Neuschwanstein Castle. The Wartburg's Sängersaal is where Act II of the opera Tannhäuser takes place. None of the wall paintings, including those in the Landgrafenzimmer or the Elisabethengalerie, are from the medieval period. They were all created in the 19th century.
The drawbridge and barbican are the only entrances to the castle. These structures have remained largely unchanged since medieval times.
The Vorburg is the area just inside the first gate. It dates to the 14th or 15th century and includes several half-timbered buildings: the Elisabethengang (a covered walkway), the Vogtei (the Bailiff’s lodge), the Margarethengang (another covered walkway), and the Ritterhaus (the Knights’ House).
The Lutherstube in the Vogtei is where Martin Luther stayed during his time at the castle. It also has paintings by Lucas Cranach.
The Bergfried, or donjon, was completed in 1859. It was built on the remains of a medieval keep and has a landmark three-meter-tall cross on top.
The Neue Kemenate (New Bower), built between 1853 and 1860, now displays art from the Wartburgsammlung collection. This includes paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and sculptures from the workshop of Tilman Riemenschneider.
The Romanesque Südturm, or South Tower, was built in 1318. Along with the Palas, it is the oldest part of the castle. A dungeon is located beneath it.
In 1999, UNESCO added Wartburg Castle to the World Heritage List as an "Outstanding Monument of the Feudal Period in Central Europe," recognizing its "Cultural Values of Universal Significance."
For a time, the castle’s status as a World Heritage site was at risk due to plans to build tall wind turbines on Milmesberg near Marksuhl. However, in November 2013, the investor agreed not to build the turbines. A new regional planning rule now bans such structures from being built within sight of Wartburg in the future.
Today
Wartburg Castle is a well-known place for visitors, the most-visited spot in Thuringia after Weimar. It is easy for visitors to reach, and guided tours let visitors see inside the buildings. A museum is located within the castle. Children can ride donkeys up the hill to the castle. The Festsaal, which is a large hall, is often used for performances of the opera Tannhäuser, concerts, and other events. A hotel, built during the castle's rebuilding in the 1800s, is located next to the castle.
On May 14, 1998, Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, visited Wartburg Castle and the Bach House during his official trip to Germany.
Legacy
For many years, the Wartburg has been a special place where people from Germany and other countries visit because of its importance in German history and the growth of Christianity. Many places, including some U.S. towns started by Lutherans, and a car brand are named after the Wartburg. Wartburg College in Iowa, United States, was named to honor Martin Luther's time at the castle and because of the college's forest setting and its connection to Thuringian culture. Wartburg Theological Seminary, also in Iowa, was named to honor Wartburg Castle. The main building at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary looks similar to the Wartburg.
The Wartburgkreis is named after the castle, even though the castle is not inside the district. Eisenach, which was once part of the district, became "district-free" in 1998.
Image gallery
- Wartburg around 1890 to 1900, viewed from the south-west
- The South Tower
- View of the courtyard from the South Tower. The Palas, built around 1160 (on the right), is one of the best-preserved non-religious Romanesque buildings north of the Alps.
- Main gate viewed from the first courtyard