Eisenach - The Town of Luther and Bach
The final stop on our Martin Luther pilgrimage was the town of Eisenach in the geographic center of modern Germany. Although we were both slightly numbed by the numerous Luther sites by the time we arrived at Eisenach, I was quickly jolted by the understated charm of this town of forty thousand. Most visitors are drawn here by the association with the Protestant reformer, notably the famous Wartburg Castle, one of Germany’s fifty-five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I admit that Eisenach first caught my attention during trip planning because of my unhealthy habit of “collecting” world heritage sites. But I am happy to report that Eisenach turned out to be my favorite on this trip
Approximately a forty-minute drive west of Erfurt, this town of forty thousand is set in the rolling hills of Thuringia. In hindsight, I would have loved to spend a night in Eisenach to do the town justice. Based on my observations, most visitors make a beeline for the Wartburg Castle and barely visit the town center. Eisenach has enough interesting sites to fill a whole-day itinerary for most travelers. With so many great towns in the region, trip planning can be quite a challenging task.
The Bachhaus
The weather was not great when we first arrived at Eisenach. We used this opportunity to visit the town’s most popular museum: the Bachhaus. The childhood home of the famed Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach, this house museum is the preeminent institution dedicated to the life of Eisenach’s most famous native. Situated on a charming square a short walk from the town center, the museum is anchored by a massive half-timbered house that was home to the Bach family for generations. Dated to the mid-fifteenth century, this is actually the oldest surviving residential building in Eisenach.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 and spent the first ten years of his childhood here. The Bach family had already been a multi-generational musical family in Eisenach and was well-known for their musical talents in town. The young Bach was particularly influenced by his uncles, who were the town church’s organists and the court musician of the Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach. Bach also attended the local Latin School, which also claimed Martin Luther as an alum. The young Bach lost his father at the age of nine and his mother a year later. He moved to nearby Ohrdruf to stay with his oldest brother, a celebrated organist in his own right.
From what I understand, Bach did not spend much time in Eisenach after he left. Today, the composer is most closely associated with Weimar and Leipzig. But that did not prevent the town from claiming him as its most famous son. The Bachhaus was owned by the headmaster of the Latin School at the time, and was occupied by Bach’s relatives until 1779. Roughly a century after Bach’s death, there is a resurgence in interest in all things Bach. In the nineteenth century, a group of musicians and cultural figures in Leipzig founded the Bach Society to publish the complete works of Bach and conduct research on his life. Among the founders of the society was the celebrated composer, Robert Schumann.
The Bach Society later reorganized into the New Bach Society in 1900. Among the new missions of the reconstituted society was to create a Bach museum. Their preferred venue was the Saint Thomas’s school in Leizpieg, where Bach lived and worked for 27 years. However, the city decided to demolish the building in 1902, forcing them to look for an alternative site. Thankfully, the original door to Bach’s room was saved and now features prominently at the entrance of today’s museum's permanent exhibit. As it turns out, the Bachhaus was up for possible demolition by the owners. With broad support from the local ruler and cultural figure, the society was quick to rescue the building from the wrecking balls.
This Thuringian bird cage commemorates Bach’s gift of a songbird to his second wife, Anna Magdalena.
Bach was a deeply religious man and devoted to Martin Luther’s teaching. His interests in Lutheranism stemmed from his education at the local Latin School, where Luther’s influences loomed large. The emphasis on music in Lutheran worship must have been a driving force behind his works and passions. In one of the rooms entitled "Bach's Inner World," the exhibit reconstituted a section of Bach’s private theological library. Although he learned to play the violin and sing from an early age, he was foremost a composer and an organist. He spent much of his career in the service of the church.
The Bachhaus opened as a museum in 1907 and was the world’s first Bach museum, attracting generations of music lovers ever since. Sadly, the building suffered from severe damage during the Allies’ air raids in 1945. Luckily, the American commander occupying Eisenach recognized the historical significance of the house and ordered its immediate restoration. The museum received financial support from the GDR government during the Cold War. In 2007, the museum annex adjacent to the Bauhaus was rebuilt into a state-of-the-art facility with the assistance of the federal, state, and European Union governments. The avant-garde design by Berthold Penkhues was not without controversy.
Over the centuries, the building had settled significantly, and it has a slight fun-house effect. That said, the size of the house also speaks to the prosperity of the Bach family. Although the furnishings on display were only period pieces and not original to the Bach family, they offer visitors a glimpse into how the family might have used the house. That said, the museum contains numerous personal objects by Bach, including his eyeglasses and drinking vessels. Obviously, the precious items are Bach’s musical manuscripts.
Being a music museum, there are several rooms with listening booths. Music lovers could easily spend hours here to immerse themselves in Bach’s world. In the first section of the modern annex, there are half a dozen bubble chairs by Eero Aarnio. These iconic chairs may be transparent, but they offer visitors a cocoon feel. It was a great place to lose yourself in the music. The section adjacent includes numerous kiosks featuring musical videos that narrate and annotate some of Bach’s most famous works. They were beautifully executed, but given our limited time, I can’t help wishing the museum could make them available online so everyone could enjoy them virtually.
Brian was actually a trumpet performance major in college, so he was keen to see numerous wacky antique instruments on display. The most interesting instrument on display was the glass harmonica and a curious “trumpet violin,” a trumpet concealed within the body of a violin. Much to my surprise, Brian actually considered the Bachhaus as his favorite experience on this trip. The most exciting part of the visit was undoubtedly the hourly live demonstration of Baroque instruments. Among the instruments we got to hear are a positive organ, a seven-stringed viola da gamba, and a five-stringed violoncello piccolo. The little concert is true to the spirit of a music museum.
The garden of the Bachhaus is a tranquil oasis. It would have been amazing if the museum had Bach music played in the background. For those who don’t wish to pay the € 14 admission fee, it would still be worthwhile to admire the building's exterior and the Bach Monument out front. This handsome sculpture by Adolf von Donndorf initially stood in front of Saint George’s Church on the town square and was only moved here after the opening of the Bachhaus. Among the financial benefactors of the statue are notable figures such as Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Based on our visit, Bachmania is still thriving into the 21st century.
Lutherhaus & Central Eisenach
A short walk away from the Bachhaus is Eisenach’s other landmark historical home: the Lutherhaus.
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Wartburg Castle
Eisenach’s main draw is Warburg Castle, which is Thuringia’s second most visited site after Weimar. Located on the mountain top to the south of Eisenach, the castle was a 10-minute drive from the city center. Due to the castle's popularity, visitors must park their cars in the paid parking lot below and then hike up to the castle entrance. Since we were running behind schedule, we chose to take a shuttle to the top for just €2 each, and it was well worth it. Luckily, the weather had cleared up by the time we arrived, so we were treated to the perfect postcard view of the castle. Although scaffolding was on the castle keep, we were in awe of its architectural majesty. It may not be flamboyant like Karlštejn Castle or Château de Saumur, but it somehow feels more authentic.
Much to my surprise, visitors could roam Wartburg’s castle without paying for the hefty admission charge. The castle was built on a mountain ridge, giving it an elongated appearance. I have visited enough castles to be able to estimate their age based on the type of defense used in contemporary warfare. Without concentric defensive walls, it is squarely a medieval fortress. From the exterior, one could make out three distinct sections. The father's section is the oldest part of the castle and is attributed to Ludwig the Springer, the 11th-century count of Thuringia. Legends had it that Ludwig stumbled on this spot while on a hunting excursion and was captivated by the beauty of the landscape. He proclaimed on this spot that he would build his castle here. Because the land is outside of his personal realm, he staked a claim to this area by transporting earth from his dukedom.
This oldest section is anchored by the massive “palace.” Much of its architecture was unaltered throughout the centuries, thus making it the best-preserved late-Romanesque residence north of the Alps. This was the official residence of the Landgraves of Thuringia and also the starting point of the guided tours. Although there is a daily English-language tour at 1:40 pm, we had to join a German tour with a complimentary audio guide due to our schedule. If you can’t sign up for the English tour, we recommend waiting for the self-guided tour, which is available from 3:30 to 5:00 pm. The self-guided tour actually offers the best flexibility.
The tour began at the lower level, where numerous archaeological artifacts recovered during the most recent restoration are on display. The most interesting item is actually a funerary effigy of Ledwig the Jumper. Interestingly, he supposedly earned his nickname “the Springer” after escaping from a three-year prison sentence by jumping off a prison tower into the River Saale. However, many historians believe that this legend was fabricated after his death, and “Springer” was actually a mistranslation of the Salian dynasty, to which he belonged. However, the guides definitely prefer the legend more. Sadly, Ludwig later participated in a failed revolt against the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V. He had to relinquish control of the castle in exchange for his release.
Besides Martin Luther, Wartburg’s claim to fame is its association with Saint Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a Hungarian princess who arrived at Wartburg in 1211 at the age of four to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, who was seven years her senior. They got married when she turned fourteen, but were only married for six years until Louis passed away on the way to the Sixth Crusade. As a window, Elizabeth was committed to celibacy against her family’s pressure to remarry. She lived a monastic-like life, embodying the utmost Christian virtues, akin to the Beguines. From an early age, Elizabeth already expressed her distaste for the materialist life of the Therigian court. She dressed plainly and regularly gave away her worldly possessions to the poor. She withdrew from court life and went on to found a hospital for the poor with her dowry, actively working to serve those in need or in sickness.
The most splendid room inside the castle was undoubtedly the Bower of Saint Elizabeth. This room, which was supposedly the private domain of Saint Elizabeth, is covered with dazzling mosaics illustrating the life of
Wartburg Festival of Democracy
I was a little confused when our guide concluded the tour at the Festival Hall. Where are the Martin Luther rooms and artifacts that we came here to see?
The Luther Room is
For Germans, this room’s cultural significance goes beyond the translation of the Bible; it also signifies the emergence of a unified German language.
