Sunday in Eisenach

Today I rounded out my travels through Thuringia with a visit to Eisenach, the birthplace of Bach and location of the spectacular Wartburg castle.

I arrived after lunch due to an unexpected detour courtesy of the Deutsche Bahn, and decided to visit the Wartburg first. While the ascending road gives hints of what is to come, it does not really convey the steepness with which the castle is perched atop the cliff. The Wartburg amazed me with its forbidding remoteness and astonishingly precipitous location. Click here to read about the castle and its history. Founded in 1067... the place where the 13th century Sängerkrieg (Minstrels' Contest) that inspired Wagner's Tannhäuser was held... a 16th century refuge for Martin Luther... since 1999 on UNESCO World Heritage list... it really is an incredible sight. The views from all sides are awe-inspiring, and everything felt even more atmospheric as it was a windy, misty grey day, with leaves rustling all around and a moist sheen slickening the ancient stonework.

Feeling ambitious, I walked the steep descent back down to the town, passing the Gymnasium where Bach and Luther had both studied, and stopped to rest a bit in the Markt. I then walked over to the Bachhaus Museum, which was also very interesting. They are not sure whether Bach was actually born in this house, but there is evidence he may have been, and the house has been a shrine to Bach since 1906. In addition to the expected exhibits, the highlight was a demonstration given by museum personnel of period instruments, including a Swiss pedal-operated organ, a clavier, a spinet and a harpsichord. They closed the session out with a recorded excerpt from Bach's Magnificat, which was a glorious end to the visit.

I caught the 4:00pm Inter-City Express train back to Dresden, and made it home in time for dinner.