When it comes to medieval castles and their importance in German history, Eisenach's Wartburg is the mother lode. This huge medieval castle is where Martin Luther went into hiding in 1521 after being excommunicated and placed under papal ban. During his 10-month stay, he translated the New Testament from Greek into German, contributing enormously to the development of the written German language. Allow at least two hours: one for the guided tour, the remainder for the museum and the views.
According to legend, the first buildings were put up in 1067 by the hilariously named local ruler Ludwig the Springer in an effort to protect his territory. In 1206 Europe’s best minstrels met for the medieval version of Pop Idol, a song contest later immortalised in Richard Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser . Shortly thereafter, Elisabeth, the most famous Wartburg woman, arrived. A Hungarian princess, she was married off to the local landgrave at age four and later chose to abandon court life for charitable work, earning canonisation quickly after her death in 1235.
To walk to the Wartburg from the Markt, head one block west to Wydenbrugkstrasse, then turn southwest along Schlossberg through the forest via Eselstation (this takes about 40 minutes, and some parts are rather steep). A more scenic route is via the Haintal (50 minutes).
From April to October, bus 10 runs hourly from 9am to 5pm from the Hauptbahnhof (with stops at Karlsplatz and Mariental) to the Eselstation, from where it’s a steep 10-minute walk up to the castle. In winter buses are available on demand; call 03691-228 822 for a pick-up.
