Wartburg Castle
The Wartburg sits on a narrow, steep rock ridge above the town of Eisenach, at about 411 metres, looking out over the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest. Its name probably comes from "Warte" (watch, lookout) — a watchtower castle — and first appears in 1080 in Bruno's account of the Saxon War. The castle is woven through with key figures and events of German history: St. Elizabeth lived here, Martin Luther hid here under the alias "Junker Jörg" and translated the New Testament, and the legendary minstrels' contest is set within its walls. The Wartburg Festival of 1817 turned it into a symbol of German national identity, and in 1999 it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cross the drawbridge and pass through the gatehouse, and every hall, tower and gallery holds a story that has been walked past but seldom told.
Germany · 3 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
The Wartburg Bastion (Wartburgschanze)
You stand on the slightly raised platform that opens to the northeast in front of the drawbridge, with the carriage road cut into the rock beneath your feet and a few cannon and a small tower beside you — this is the Wartburg Bastion, the first place visitors gather and photograph the castle's eastern facade. It looks like nothing more than an entrance square, but it is in fact a much-rebuilt part of the whole castle's defensive system, its original task being to guard the main approach to the Wartburg. The Wartburg is a classic sectioned castle, originally made up of four sections; today only the forecastle and the main castle survive, and you are standing on the site of the outermost section of all.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
The Palas (Landgrave's House)
This main building, known as the "Palas" or the "Landgrave's House," is the one place in the Wartburg most worth slowing down for. Its outer walls look plain at first, but a closer look reveals techniques borrowed from Roman palace architecture — something extremely rare in the German-speaking lands of the mid-12th century. It was built in the mid-12th century, and the beams of its lower level have been dated by tree rings to wood felled in 1157–1158. It is the only princely residence from that age of building still standing today — reason enough to look up and study this stone wall a while longer.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
The Other Buildings (Drawbridge, Forecastle and Towers)
Before you enter the Wartburg, you first cross its only entrance — the drawbridge and the barbican, both almost untouched since the Middle Ages. Pass through the first gate and you are in the "forecastle" (Vorburg): a group of 14th- and 15th-century half-timbered buildings including the Elizabeth Gallery, the Vogtei (the bailiff's residence), the Margaret Gallery and the Knights' House. Within the Vogtei is the "Luther Room," the very quarters where Martin Luther lived during his stay at the castle, still hung with paintings by Lucas Cranach. These galleries and houses may look like supporting players, but each carries a story behind its name.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Wartburg Castle?
The Wartburg Bastion (Wartburgschanze), The Palas (Landgrave's House), The Other Buildings (Drawbridge, Forecastle and Towers) and more — 3 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Wartburg Castle guide free?
All 3 guides are free.