Wartburg Castle: Romantic Vestige of Feudal Europe

The Wartburg Castle in Thuringia (Germany)

Perched on a rocky spur and surrounded by a thick forest, the Wartburg fortress is, in a way, "the ideal castle". Although it retains elements dating back to the 11th century, its present appearance is due to the romantic reconstruction carried out in the 19th century, which evokes what the fortress must have looked like in the feudal period of Central Europe.

The legendary creation of Wartburg Castle dates back to 1067 when Count Ludwig der Springer ordered its construction. It was first cited as a strategic base in 1080. Towards the end of the 12th century, the court was surrounded by poets and musicians, whose brilliant society life was described in the verses of Walther von der Vogelweide. In the history of the castle, two singular episodes should be noted that have made it a place of pilgrimage. In 1221, Ludwig IV married Elisabeth of Hungary, who was widowed six years later. She refused to leave the castle with her three children and founded a hospital, living the rest of her days dedicated to Christian charity according to her Franciscan ideal. She was canonized in 1235, 4 years after her death. 

Luther's room in Wartburg Castle

The other important event was Martin Luther's clandestine stay in the castle, protected by the Elector of Saxony. There he devoted himself to a considerable literary work, including the German translation of the New Testament. His exile ended in March 1522 and from the end of the 16th century onwards his memory attracted numerous pilgrims. From the 16th century, the fortress was practically abandoned. Goethe visited it in 1777 and after making a drawing showing the ruinous state of the complex, he proposed the creation of a museum, but its restoration would not come until the first half of the 19th century on the initiative of the Grand Duke of Saxony.

The plan of Wartburg Castle corresponds essentially to that of the original Romanesque fortress, especially with regard to the palace, the walls, and the South Tower. After its Romanesque reconstruction, the rocky spur is accessed from its north side, which is occupied by the tower and the drawbridge. After crossing a series of service rooms, one arrives at the low courtyard or corral, whose main elements, the keep and the palace, are on the east side. The South Tower marks the end of the spur. A cistern occupies the center of the lower courtyard.

Wartburg South Tower

The fortress is composed of the following elements: the advanced fortifications, of which only archaeological remains are preserved, some foundations and the moat of the Fishermen's Tower..., the external defenses consisting of the potern and the drawbridge, the knights' quarters, and the quartermaster's buildings, the patrol roads of Margarita and Santa Isabel...

Finally, the castle itself consists of the watchtower (Bergfried), the new apartments with fireplace, the new monumental staircase, the palace, the knights' bath attached to it, the South Tower, the south and west defense walls, the courtyard, the garden... 

Due to its profound religious content, its historical and cultural background, and its significance in the history of art, the Wartburg Fortress, which receives more than half a million visitors every year, has become a powerful symbol of German integration and unity.