Wartburg Castle

1 - Wartburg Castle is in Eisenach, in the German state of Thuringia. It stands on Wartberg, a hill at the north-western edge of the Thuringian Forest, at an altitude of about 400 metres.

2 - Count Ludwig of Schauenburg, known as Ludwig the Springer, is said to have built Wartburg Castle. In 1067, while out hunting, Ludwig is said to have discovered the site where the castle would later stand and exclaimed: “Wait, mountain, you shall bear a castle for me!” Since the hill did not belong to his territory, he had soil carried up onto it, and Wartburg Castle was then built there. He is said to have sworn with twelve loyal knights that this was rightfully his land.

3 - At the beginning of the 13th century, Elizabeth of Thuringia lived at Wartburg Castle for a time. She was a Hungarian princess who was brought to Thuringia at the age of just four. She was 14 when she married Ludwig IV, Landgrave of Thuringia. Elizabeth is said to have cared deeply for the poor. Together with her husband, she founded a hospital in Gotha. After her husband’s early death, she was no longer welcome at Wartburg Castle. She settled in Marburg, where she also founded a hospital. She died at the age of 23. Just a few years later, the Catholic Church declared her a saint. To this day, many hospitals and care facilities bear her name.

4 - The monk Martin Luther lived from 1483 to 1546. He criticized practices in the Catholic Church, especially the sale of indulgences. The Church promised that people would go to heaven after death if they donated a sum of money. In 1521, Luther was to recant his teachings at the Imperial Diet of Worms, which the emperor also attended. He refused and was outlawed; anyone could have killed him. But Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, had Luther taken to Wartburg Castle to protect him from persecution. During his stay, he called himself "Junker Jörg" and translated the New Testament from Greek into German.

5 - On October 17, 1817, about 500 students met at Wartburg Castle. They called for an end to Germany’s many small states and for them to unite. To protest against the conditions of the time, especially the rule of princes, they burned books, a pigtail, a uniform, and a corporal’s cane.

6 - Since 1922, Wartburg Castle has been owned by a foundation. Its task is to preserve the castle and its art treasures and make them accessible to the public. In 1999, it became the first castle in Germany to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2022, Wartburg Castle had about 420,000 visitors.