Facts about Eisenach
*Inhabitans: 45,300
*Transportation connections:
Federal "Autobahn" 4,
State highways 7, 19, 84 and 98
Deutsche Bahn-Railway EC, IC, IR
Erfurt Airport (60 km away - ca. 35 miles)
Weimar with Goethe, Schiller, Liszt, Herder u.s.w. (80 km away -
ca. 45 miles)
*The international recognition of Eisenach comes above all from the
Wartburg Castle, the warks of Landgrave Elisabeth of Thuringia,
the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Martin Luther´s translation
of the New Testament and the auto industry. Rich in monuments
and memorials to its humanistic, historical and artistic tradition, the
Wartburg-city Eisenach is a magnet for domestic and international
tourists. The world-wide reputation of companies such as Opel,
Bosch and BMW belies the importance of Eisenach as an economic
center.
*Accommodations:
The best is our flat! Come and phone (00491713666051) tu us. Ok
17 hotels with 1558 beds
14 bed and breakfasts with 174 beds
2 youth hostels with 167 beds
The Hotel and the "Bürgerhaus" offer facilities for conferences,
seminars and events.
*Gastronomy:
Thuringian hospitality in fine restaurants and cafes:
traditional pubs,
Greek, Italian and Chinese restaurants and the historic wine
restaurant at the Nikolai Gate.
*Sports and hiking:
The sports and recreation center "Katzenaue" with the "Werner
Assmann Sporthalle" (multi-purpose-gymnasium), an outdoor
swimming pool, an indoor poolwith sauna and tanning salon, the
Wartburg stadium with track and field facilities, two hard courts,
a shooting range, a six-lane bowling alley, two facilities for
recreational sports, the tennis complex "Johannistal",
the golf complex "Wenigenlupnitz".
243 km (ca. 150 miles) of marked hiking trails.
Sights of Eisenach
*The Wartburg
Over is nearly thousend-year history, the Wartburg - one of the
best-known and most loved castles - has repeatedly been the site
of some very memorable events in German culture.
Founded according to legend in 1067, its history stretches back to
the Ludowingers, a noble dynasty who was elevated to the status
of landgraves in 1130.
From these early days of glory one can still see the 12th century
papace, which is a prime example of late Romanesque architecture.
In its architectural workmanship it can certainly hold its own against
the imperial German palaces which were built at this time. The
court held by the landgraves was famous as a center for bards and
poets. The songs of Walter von der Vogelweide were heard here
and Wolfram von Eschenbach composed poems within these walls.
The Warburg was also the home and workplace of the wife of
Landgrave Ludwig IV, Elisabeth, who is still revered today as a
saint. Latterday contemplation on this famous woman has
produced artistic tributes. Franz Liszt wrote an oratorium, "The
Legend of St. Elisabeth", and directed it in the castle in 1867.
Between 1902 and 1906 artists created a glass mosaic in the
palace chambers with scenes from the life of the famous saint.
With the death of King Heinrich Raspe IV in 1247, the last of the
Ludowingers, this dynasty of landgraves came to an end.
Thereafter it became quiet in and around the Wartburg, which was
used merely as a border stronghold for the new Wettiner territory.
Although still in good condition after 1500, the Wartburg seems to
have slipped into relative obscurity. Otherwise Martin Luther would
not have been able to refer to it as his "Patmos", his island. From
4 May 1521 until 1 March 1522 the castle offered refuge to this
religious outlaw, who assumed the alias "Junker JÖRG", an
adaptation of S: George, the patron saint of the city below the
castle. The unwanted imprisonment in this gentleman´s jail proved
to be a time of solitude for Luther.
For the Wartburg, however, it meant entry into
world history.
The authentic Luther Room has been maintained in ist original
state,like no other chambers within the castle walls. It was here
that he translated the New Testament in only ten weeks.
The Wartburg is still identified today with Luther´s name and his
work. The memory of this most famous Wartburg resident is
preserved in the Wartburg Museum, which has an important
collection of leaflets from the Reformation, Luther´s personal
possessions and the sole portraits of his parents.
Many buildings of the Wartburg, which Luther would have seen, fell
victim to collapse or destruction in the 17th and 18th centuries.
It was Grand Duke Carl Alexander from Weimar who first fully
renovated and refurbished the dilapidated Wartburg. The medieval
core was restored and supplemented with new buildings done in
historical styles. It was also at this time that a collection of
artworks was begun at Johann Wolfgang von Goethe´s
suggestion.
Today the Wartburg Museum houses a broad spectrum of works
from eight centuries - from tapestries, world-famous Cranach
paintings, gothic and renaissance work, to more recent high-quality
furniture done in a historical manner - all communicating a living
impression of the past. Visitors are often confronted with the
romanticism of the 19th century.
The imposing frescoes of Moritz von Schwind and the design of the
large palace festival hall are prime examples of the historical
approach to art.
Today the wellknown Wartburg Concerts are held in the summer
months in the impressive atmosphere of the festival hall. Alongside
this architectural creation, late romanticism also contributed to the
world-wide popularity of the Thuringian castle in the form of music.
The legends of the Wartburg had an effect on Richard Wagner.
He already knew of the romantic interpretations of the famed
medieval battle of the singers when he visited the Wartburg for the
first time on a journey from Paris to Dresden.
The image of the castle rising above the town of Eisenach proved
inspiration for Wagner´s opera "Tannhäuser or the Battle of the
Singers in the Wartburg".
This work, which he "loved tenderly", premiered in 1845 in Dresden,
but first achieved international acclaim with the help of Franz Liszt
in 1849.
*Luther House (15 meters from your flat)
The Luther House is one of the oldest remaining buildings in
Eisenach built in half-timber style. It was owned for quite some
time by the Cotta Family. According to tradition, Luther should live
in this house during his school days in Eisenach (1498 - 1501).
Starting in 1898, the cellar housed the "Luther Keller", a treditional
German restaurant. Even the it was possible to visit the two Luther
rooms.
After the repair of bomb damage from the Second World War, the
Lutheran Church of Thuringia opened a Luther memorial in this
house. In the exhibition rooms the life and work of the great
German church reformer is made understandable to visitors.
Special emphasis is placed on Luther´s traslation of the Bible and
his influence on the education of the German people.
In the upper floor of the house,an exhibit from the collection of
the Lutheran Archives can be viewed. Illustrated by selected
biographical examples, it shows the significance the Lutheran
parsonage has had on science and culture. Special exhibits are
created for the anniversaries of important events and on particular
themes. Those engaged in scholarly work can use the research
library and the collections of the archive.
*Luther Monument (7 minutes from your flat)
The initiative for the construction of a Luther monument started in
1882, when Eisenach began preparations for the celebration of the
Reformer´s 400th birthday. Julius von Eichel-Streiber first gave
form to this idea. Built on the Karlsplatz according to a design by
the Stuttgart professor Adolf von Donndorf, the monument was
dedicated on May 4th, 1895.
It shows the Reformer standing erect on a pedestal, twice life-
sized. The inscription on the monument reads "A Mighty Fortress is
our God".
The pedestal is adorned with reliefs showing Luther as the tranlator
of the holy scriptures, as a choir boy receiving an offering from the
widow Cotta, and as a prisoner (Junker Jörg) in the Wartburg
Castle.
*Bach House (150 meters from your flat)
Already the exterior of the magnificent, over 400-year-old
bourgeois house draws the attantionof those passing by. Since
1907 the house at Frauenplan 21, which according to oral tradition
is the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach, has been dedicated to
the care and recognition of Bach´s legacy. Once the visitor has
passed through the massive entrance door and into the impressive
foyer, he or shr will be captivated by the historic atmosphere of the
Bach house. Furnished with objects from around 1700, the rooms
give an impression of the lifestyle of a bourgeois family at this time.
Written documents and pictures depict the life of Johann Sebastian
Bach. During a music presentationin the instrument room of the
house, each guest will hear the sounds of original keyboard
instruments from Bach´s time. A path leads through a garden to a
second museum building that offers an exhibit dedicated to Bach´s
composer sons.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on 21 March 1685 to the
Eisenach town-musician Johann Ambrosius Bach and his wife
Elisabeth. According to church records he was baptized two days
later in St. George`s Church. Johann Ambrosius Bach had been
appointed Hausmann (the director of the group of town-musicians)
in 1671. Musical instruction for aspiring young musicians was
offered by the Hausmann in his home. In this way, Johann
Sebastian Bach was able to familiarize himself with a variety of
instruments at a very young age. In the local Latin school he
encountered a further important musician, the cantor Andreas
Christian Dedekind, who was reponsible for musical education at
the school and led the boys chor, which accompanied the services
at St. George´s Church. The choral pieces contained in the
Eisenach Cantor´s Book dating from 1540 formed part of the
repertoire. This enormous hand-written choir book has been
preserved to the present day and testifies to the high level of
cultivation of church music in Eisenach. Johann Sebastian Bach was
confronted early in life with the cruelty of fate. His older brother,
Johann Balthasar,who had been taught trumpet by his father, died
in 1691 at the age of 18. Three jears later his mother was buried.
His father died in late February 1695. As a result of these
tragedies, the familial home was broken up. Bach´s sister, Maria
Salome, went with their stepmother to Arnstadt. Johann Sebastian
Bach and his brother Johann Jacob were taken in by the oldest
brother Johann Christoph, who worked as an organist in Ohrdruf.
All of the members of the Bach family from Eisenach found their
final rest in the Old Cemetry.
*Georgen Church
The central, sity, and parish church St. Georgen was erected in
1180. After suffering heavy damages during the Peasants´War, it
was rebuilt in 1560, thereby becoming one of the earliest
Protestant churches. At that time it received its Renaissance
gallery.
In 1221, Count Louis IV married the future Countess Elisabeth in
the Georgen Church; Martin Luther sang here in the boys´choir
while studying Latin in 1498 - 1501, and, in 1521, after returning
from the Imperial Diet, he preached in the overcrowded Georgen
Church on his way to Worms. Johann Sebastian Bach was baptized
in the Georgen Church over 150 years later, on March 23rd, 1685.
In addition to regular church services, special emphasis is placed on
performing of religious music.