Wartburg Castle, Eisenach

This was the scene of the famous Sängerkrieg ("Singers' War"), a contest between the minnesingers of the High Middle Ages, including Wolfram von Eschenbach, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, Heinrich von Veldecke and Walther von der Vogelweide, which provided the theme of Wagner's "Tannhäuser".In 1235 the Landgravine Elizabeth, a Hungarian princess who cared for the sick and the poor in the Wartburg, was canonized as St Elizabeth (St Erzsébet) of Hungary. Martin Luther, under the name of "Junker Jörg", lived in the Wartburg in 1521-22 under the protection of the Elector. While staying here he translated the New Testament from the original Greek, making a major contribution to the development of modern German.The castleThe only means of access to the Wartburg is by the drawbridge (Zugbrücke) and gatehouse (Torhaus) near the north end. There are several arched gateways (some of them with fragments of Romanesque and Gothic pillars), the outer ward (Erster Burghof), with half-timbered buildings of the 15th and 16th centuries (restored) - wall-walks, the Ritterhaus (Knights' House), the Vogtei (Governor's Residence), with a fine oriel window. Between the outer and inner wards is an imposing complex, consisting of the Torhalle (gatehouse), the Dirnitz (winter residence), the Neue Kemenate (the Landgravine's quarters) and the Berchfrit (keep), all in neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic style.The inner ward (Zweiter Burghof), with the Gaden (Hall), the castle cistern (Zisterne), the south tower (Südturm; 13th c.) and the Late Romanesque Palace (Palais), is the oldest and finest part of the whole castle. Other buildings which formerly stood in this area have disappeared.