Day 75: Die Wartburg, Eisenach

Disclaimer: All voyages in this blog are being taken safely in the comfort of our imaginations - based on our plans and intentions for travel in 2020. What is reality after all? 

Last visits please! There's a real sense now of seeing the final things in the area before we fly out tomorrow and end this voyage of discovery. 

So it's off on a slightly longer drive (a little over an hour) to see another nearby castle/schloss.  We headed west from Bad Berka, and eventually came off the #4 highway and bypassed the very quiet town of Eisenach:

We followed the signs to Wartburg, which loomed above us on the ridge as we drove in:

This was apparently the first of Germany's UNESCO World Heritage listed sites. 

We stopped at the parking lot, and declined the offer of the 'traditional' donkey ride up to the castle:

choosing rather to walk up from and through the small village:

The castle loomed over us as we huffed and puffed our way up (not displaying our newly found fitness!):

We arrived eventually at the sentry box guarding the entrance:

and then entered through the drawbridge. What a stereotypical arrival!

The castle is very picturesque from many exterior angles:

A tour introduced us to many of the equally picturesque rooms inside:

including the great ceremonial hall (now set up for a concert):

the library:

throne rooms:

and perhaps the kitchen or dungeon:

There was no sign of a carved "Martin Luther woz 'ere" sign.

We found out some history from the guided tour:

"According to legend, the castle's origins date back to 1067. The surviving main castle building, the 12th century palas (great hall), a gem of late Romanesque architecture, still bears traces of its former glory. As the main seat of the landgraves, the castle was a pre-eminent centre of artistic endeavour where all of the fine arts were celebrated. It once echoed to the songs of Walther von der Vogelweide and inspired a number of epic poems by Wolfram von Eschenbach. This was the setting of the fabled Battle of the Bards, a tale immortalised in Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser. Wartburg Castle was also the home of Saint Elisabeth, still revered to this day, and it provided a refuge for the exiled Martin Luther, who translated the New Testament into German here. The Wartburg Festival of 1817, organised by the student fraternities, celebrated the achievements of Luther, the Reformation and the Battle of Leipzig. It was the first popular declaration of sentiment for a unified and independent nation state.

"Wartburg Castle was the setting for all of these crucial points in German history – as a mighty fortress and splendid residence and as a place of safety, shelter and retreat for its inhabitants through centuries past. Throughout its history the castle has always remained relevant.

"However, the buildings were only renovated and redecorated in the 19th century, when the medieval architecture was restored and supplemented in parts by new additions. The outstanding example illustrating the concept of art in the 19th century is without doubt the ceremonial hall in the main castle building (palas), which now provides an amazing backdrop for the famous Wartburg concerts during the summer season as well as a number of other events.

"The Wartburg Castle art collection with its treasures spanning eight centuries was created at the recommendation of Goethe nearly 200 years ago.

"On a guided tour of the castle's rooms or a visit to the museum – with its famous paintings by Lucas Cranach, priceless tapestries and furniture, Tilman Riemenschneider sculptures and Renaissance arts and crafts – you are surrounded at every step by history, culture and the arts. The many events, from the Summer Nights festival to theatre and the historical Christmas market, attract visitors from around the world and bring the ancient walls to life."

With our minds reeling from all this information, we lurched our way back to the car, back to Bad Berka, and began packing for a departure the next day ... to Frankfurt, and then to home!