Wartburg World Heritage Site

A place with an aura: perched high above Eisenach on a rocky outcrop: the thousand-year-old Wartburg Castle. The awe that may have filled our ancestors in the face of this symbol of rule and power has long since been replaced by the fascinating view and admiration of medieval architecture. And it is not just a castle, it is the most important castle in Germany - a place with a special aura and dignity. Wartburg Castle is beautifully situated high above the town of Eisenach, visible from afar. It is well worth taking a walk up the Luther Trail - and enjoying completely new perspectives of the famous castle. In 1521, Martin Luther translated the New Testament from Greek and Latin into German in eleven weeks at Wartburg Castle as Junker Jörg.

The castle is also home to one of the most beautiful concert halls in Thuringia - equipped with marvellous acoustics. It is an impressive experience to attend one of the numerous concerts here, including Richard Wagner's opera ‘Tannhäuser’ - at the original venue - or the Bach Weeks.

Luther House

Historic half-timbered house & award-winning museum: In the Lutherhaus Eisenach, where Martin Luther is said to have lived as a Latin student from 1498 to 1501, you are greeted today by an exciting permanent exhibition with a unique historical ambience in one of the oldest and most beautiful half-timbered houses in Thuringia. Here you can follow in the footsteps of the young Luther and experience the famous ‘Lutherstuben’ (Luther parlours) dating back to 1356.

Bach House

The top address for Bach admirers from all over the world: the Bach House with its Bach monument is dedicated to the world's most famous composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, who was born in Eisenach in 1685 and grew up here for ten years. Today you can discover original artefacts relating to Bach's life and music in the Bach House, e.g. Bach autographs and early prints, several musical instruments from Bach's time, the cast of his skull and the original documents relating to the excavation of Bach's bones, paintings, sculptures and much more.

Our tip: The Thuringian Bach Weeks, which celebrate Bach's genius every year for three weeks around Easter with numerous concerts and events at original locations and places of activity.

AWE - Automobile World Eisenach

The museum dedicated to Wartburg, BMW & Co.: cars have been built in Eisenach for over 120 years. Where the famous Wartburg once rolled off the production line, today a lovingly maintained exhibition presents the eventful history of automobile construction - with historic vehicles, prototypes, body studies and much more.

Thuringian Museum Eisenach

City Palace, Reuter Villa, Preacher Church & Tea Room: Behind the ornate façade of Eisenach's city palace, built in the mid-18th century, is the Thuringian Museum, which also includes the Reuer-Wagner Museum, the Preacher Church and the Tea Room. The city palace houses valuable collections of Thuringian porcelain, glassware, prints, traditional costumes, paintings and much more.

The Reuter Villa, built between 1866 and 1868, reflects the bourgeois living culture of the 19th century through the largely preserved furnishings of the living rooms. The villa houses the largest collection on the life and work of the composer Richard Wagner outside Bayreuth.

In the more than 700-year-old walls and vaults of Eisenach's Predigerkirche church, an exhibition of sacred carved sculptures bears moving witness to the faith and piety of the people of the Middle Ages.

St George's Church

Life, music and stories around Bach's baptismal font: St George's Church is the main church in the centre of Eisenach. It is the largest and, as the church where Johann Sebastian Bach was baptised, also the most famous of the churches and is full of stories. For example, Martin Luther sang here as a pupil in the Kurrende and later preached several times in this church.

A space to be still, to look and marvel, to pray and listen - this is how St George's Church welcomes its visitors. Works of art allow the eyes to wander. The acoustics of the church interior are a special treat for the ears.

Fraternity monument

The Göppelskuppe in Eisenach: The 33-metre-high fraternity monument, which towers on a hill above the rooftops of Eisenach's villa district, is dedicated to those who risked their lives to fight for unity and freedom in Germany in the 19th century. The structure is modelled on a Greek tholos combined with Germanic elements. The fully restored monument to unity and freedom has an exhibition inside that deals with the history of the fraternity initiative.

Situated opposite Wartburg Castle on the Göppelskuppe, the reopened balconies offer an exhilarating panoramic view of the Thuringian Forest, the Hörselberge mountains, Eisenach and the recognised best view of Wartburg Castle.

Other churches, museums & monuments

Nikolaikirche and Nikolaitor, Elisabethkirche, ‘Goldener Löwe’ memorial, Point Alpha memorial, Opfermoor - museum at the centre of Germany (approx. 30 km from Eisenach), Südviertel area monument - the largest contiguous villa district, Schwarzer Brunnen and much more.

Towns worth seeing in the surrounding area

Arnstadt is the oldest town in Thuringia and is famous for Johann Sebastian Bach.

The largely preserved medieval old town centre of Erfurt (Thuringia's state capital) is one of the largest and most interesting in Germany and Europe.

Gotha is the fifth largest city in Thuringia and is considered an impressive residential city on the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest.

The classical and Bauhaus city of Weimar offers numerous sights that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Goethe, Schiller and Liszt are probably Weimar's most famous personalities.

Bad Langensalza is a Thuringian spa and rose town with many themed gardens, including a Japanese garden.

The small Werra town of Creuzburg, the birthplace of Michael Praetorius, with its medieval castle complex of the Thuringian landgraves, offers interesting castle and town tours as well as numerous circular hiking trails or tours on the Werra.

Mühlhausen, the medieval imperial town with picturesque alleyways, an old town worth seeing and an unmistakable historical appearance.

Narrow house

The narrowest inhabited half-timbered house in Germany, probably only 2.05 metres wide, is located on Johannisplatz in Eisenach. Saved from planned demolition in the 1970s thanks to a private initiative, it delights visitors from near and far with its lovingly renovated half-timbered façade.

Point Alpha memorial

The historic US observation base is a reminder of the time when the start of a third world war was expected at any time in the so-called ‘Fulda Gap’ and Point Alpha was NATO's most important outpost. The authentic buildings tell the story of the Americans' service for peace and freedom.

Hainich National Park World Heritage Site with treetop trail

As part of the ‘Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Ancient Beech Forests of Germany’ World Heritage Site, the Hainich National Park is an inviting place for excursions between nature and culture. The treetop path leads visitors into an otherwise inaccessible area of the national park and offers a marvellous view over the entire Hainich. An absolute adventure tip!

TIP: The Hainichbus

This bus connects the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites Wartburg and Hainich. Nature lovers and those interested in culture can travel between Eisenach and the Hainich National Park by bus. It is also possible to explore the wild cat village of Hütscheroda and the spa and rose town of Bad Langensalza by bus.