Magical! The Wartburg Castle built in the Middle Ages is situated on a precipice of 1,350 ft overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was once the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, and the place where Martin Luther hid under false name and translated the New Testament of the Bible into German. Parking is located on the foot of the hill. It takes about 15 min to walk up to the castle. Once you reach the top you are transported into medieval time. The Wartburg castle is absolutely stunning and very well preserved. We took a English speaking tour and where so glad we did. The tour takes - bit over an hour and is very informative if you are into history. Afterward we climbed the tower, strolled around on castle ground and enjoyed the views, and coffee and cake at the German castle cafe. read more

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World class Tannhäuser performance yesterday 09/23/2015 in the castle`s great Festival hall. Organized for years now by Mr. Andreas Volkert (Wartburg-Stiftung) - BRAVO!!! (Next year`s performances are reserved/sold out - all Wagnerians be persistent in getting those returned/unused tickets!) read more

Wartburg - The Meiningen orchestra preparing for Act 2 of the Tannhäuser performance 09/23/2015 - Castles Near Me - Eisenach, TH

The Wartburg was of course our must-see in Eisenach. Since the city busses didn't run very often on a Saturday, we took a quick taxi ride from our hotel all the way to the main entrance above the town. We managed to get tickets to the last tour of the day and were able to pay with credit card - in contrast to still too many other tourist attractions in Germany. Unfortunately for my brother the tour was only in German, but he received an informative flyer in English to read along the way. And right from the start the charming and witty tour guide captivated the large group with anecdotes and concrete details that helped us imagine what life was like in this monument. She mentioned just enough of the famous names whose very footsteps we were following to awe us - from "hit" composers and performers of the Middle High German era like Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach to the biggie of German literature Goethe but also including Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who was beatified for her generosity in the 13th century, and Martin Luther, who translated the Bible into German in a small room here, taking refuge from the Pope's guards sent out to find him. Our guide reminded us both of the richness of the interior and of the lack of creature comforts that the masses take for granted today: most of the rooms being ice cold in winter and dark due to the lack of window panes. We heard about East German renovations carried on after World War II and about the masses of tourists the place attracts in spring and summer. And because she continually pointed out what we could see, we were able to make sense of the combination of history and much later renovations and artwork along with the mix of very different architectural styles with examples from Romanesque to Gothic to Renaissance to Historicism, which otherwise could've been confusing. We had also saw and heard evidence of the current use of the monument - from both Catholic and Lutheran church services in the Chapel to concerts in the Banquet Hall, which we entered accompanied by appropriate music from Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser, a Hall so impressive that the Fairy Tale King Ludwig of Bavaria had it copied for his Neuschwanstein Castle. Along the way we heard anecdotes about the name of the original founder, the name of the castle itself, the origin of German proverbs, the miracle of the roses, how to escape death for coming in last in a musical competition... And all too soon, the tour was over. We still had time to do a quick look at the museum with paintings by Lucas Cranach but barely had time to appreciate the cutlery on exhibit. We managed to climb the South Tower for a panoramic view of the entire area just before the Wartburg closed for the evening. We decided to take a leisurely 30-minute walk back to town. Those who come in more popular times than January will of course have more tourists but also have the chance to take a donkey ride up to the castle in addition to the city bus. We'll be taking the tour again on our next trip to this UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site (and maybe even staying in the hotel there) - just to see if the tour's really as good as we remember. read more

Wartburg - Wartburg at dusk - Castles Near Me - Eisenach, TH

Must see in Eisenach. There is so much history here - from the life of St. Elizabeth to the room where Martin Luther began his German translation of the Bible. There's a gift shop and small cafe, and the views will have you thinking you're in a Bob Ross painting. Bring sturdy shoes; the climb up the hill by trail or stairs is a big one. There's a small shuttle that runs but it is 2€ each way - and there's always a line to go back down. Inexpensive bratwurst can be had at the base of the climb near the parking lot. 2.50€ will get you an excellent lunch. Allow a few hours to park, ascend, tour, photograph, and descend. There are limited English tours so be sure to research the time beforehand. read more

Wartburg - Castles Near Me - Eisenach, TH

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