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The foundation of the Wartburg |
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Ludwig der Springer |
| 1067 - The foundation of the Wartburg | |||||
| According to legend, the Wartburg was founded in 1067 by Ludwig der Springer (Ludwig the Jumper). With him began the unprecedented development of the "Ludovinger" family, who ruled for more than 200 years as the most influential princes in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. | |||||
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| 1080 - The first documentation | |
| The Wartburg was first documented in 1080. Bruno, the bishop of Merseburg, described in his book of the Saxon War "De Bello Saxonico," the temporary military camp of King Heinrich IV by a castle called Wartberg. |
| 1130 - The time of the "Landgraves" | |
| Due to smart political moves, extensive forest clearances, acquisition of new land and a wise marriage policy, the influence of the family of the Thuringian counts grew quickly in central Germany. They were appointed as landgraves, and this promotion emphasized the Ludovingians' importance as powerful, territorial rulers. |
| 1155 - The construction of the Palas (Great Hall) | ||
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The construction of the main building, the Palas, began around 1155. It was the first of its kind, and it is currently considered to be the best preserved Romanesque secular building north of the Alps. | |
| 1206 - The Minnesingers' Contest at the Wartburg | ||
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The legendary Minnesingers' Contest or "Singers' War" dates back to 1206. Although it was only a legend, this courtly and knightly epic vividly depicts the rule of landgrave Hermann I and the Thuringian court as its centre. | |
| 1211-1228 - Saint Elizabeth | |||||
| During this time St. Elizabeth lived in the court of the Thuringian landgraves. In 1221 the Hungarian princess married the landgrave Ludwig IV. Her ascetic way of life was based on the principals of St. Francis of Assisi, and she was viewed by the court with suspicion. After the death of her husband in 1227, Elizabeth followed her father confessor to Marburg in order to live her life in poverty, chastity and humility. She was canonized by Pope Gregor IX only four years after her early death in 1231. | |||||
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| 1247 - Death of the last landgrave | ||
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Heinrich Raspe, the last landgrave of Thuringia and a German king, died at the Wartburg. | |
| 1317 - Reconstruction plans | |
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A disastrous fire struck the Wartburg in 1317. After the fire, the south tower was constructed and the new chapel was built into the Palas. For more information about the architecture of the Wartburg Castle, please click here. |
| 1521 - Martin Luther at the Wartburg | ||
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Martin Luther, who was excommunicated by the pope and outlawed by the emperor, sought refuge in the bailiff's lodge at the Wartburg. During the months of his protective custody, he lived and worked in a sparsely furnished room, today known as the Luther Room. In only 10 weeks he translated the New Testament from the original Greek texts into German. | |
| 1777 - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visits the Wartburg | ||
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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stayed at the Wartburg Castle for five weeks in 1777. His visit there is characterized by his enthusiasm for nature. Today the visual knowledge of the decayed buildings that Goethe preserved in his drawings is invaluable. | |
| 1817 - The Wartburgfest of the Students' Association | ||
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On October 18, 1817, 500 students gathered for the Wartburgfest, the first middle-class democratic public meeting in Germany. They met at the Wartburg for the 300th anniversary of the Reformation and the fourth anniversary of the Battle of Nations at Leipzig against Napoleon's rule. The students fought for a unified Germany under the motto, "Honour - Freedom - Fatherland." | |
| 1838-1890 - The reconstruction of the Wartburg | |||||
| The house of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach recalled the "golden age" of classical Weimar and decided to revive and continue it in the Wartburg Castle. After 1838 the artistically inclined Grand Duke Carl Alexander ordered the reconstruction of his ancestral castle in Thuringia. Hugo von Ritgen, the professor of architecture at the Giessen University, took on this task and it became his life's work. This work was accompanied by extensive artistic creativity, which was to culminate in Moritz von Schwind's fresco series in the first story of the Palas building and in the furnishing of the Festival Hall. | |||||
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| 1922 - The Wartburg Foundation | |
| The 1918 revolution and the proclamation of the Republic forced the German ruling houses to abdicate. In 1922 the Wartburg Foundation was created to take over the responsibility for the upkeep of the castle from then on. The Wartburg Foundation still exists, mostly uncontested. |
| 1952-1954 - Extensive reconstruction plans | |
| In the 50s extensive reconstruction took place inside the castle. The main building was partially "re-restored," back to the Romanesque style. |
| 1967 - The year of "National Jubilees" | |
| In 1967, the "National Jubilees" of the German Democratic Republic were celebrated in conjunction with the 900th anniversary of the Wartburg Castle, the 450th anniversary of the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation and the 150th anniversary of the Wartburgfest (the meeting of the German student association). |
| 1999 - Wartburg as part of the World's Heritage | ||
In December of 1999, the Wartburg was placed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.
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