When you arrive on the grounds of the Wartburg, you will find an unexpected mix of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Historicism.
The present entrance leads you through one hall with three gates into the Vorburg (front castle). On the right of the Vorburg are the so-called Margareth Hallway, the castle bailiff's lodge and the Knights' Building, and on the left is the Elizabeth Hallway. The framework buildings and the parapet which were erected on the old surrounding wall date back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
The middle building complex was constructed in the 1850s and 60s in the historicist style and includes the Neue Kamenate, Torhalle (Porch) und Dirnitz (Heated Hall Building). The complex separates the front castle and the main castle. At the top of the main tower, the highest building of the castle, you can see a cross, a symbol for the religious significance of the castle. The main tower is the same age as the aforementioned buildings, and the tower and all the newer buildings stand on the foundation of previous structures.
In the main castle, you can find Romanesque style of the highest quality. The Palas (Great Hall) was erected between 1157 and 1170 as a status symbol and living area for the Thuringian counts. The dimensions and clarity of the design and the ornate decoration compare favourably with the palatial buildings of the empirical palatinates of the Hohenstaufens. This guaranteed a leading position among the preserved secular buildings north of the Alps.
The only reminder of the medieval structures on the outermost edge of the castle grounds is the historic Knights' Bathhouse (1889-1890). The bathhouse was added at the south wall of the Palas, and the so-called Gadem (guesthouse) was erected on old foundation in 1810. The south tower or gun powder tower, where the dungeon is located, dates back to the 14th century. It rewards its "conquerors" with a magnificent view of the Thuringian landscape.