Landmark Europe
Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle sits on top of a hill in the middle of a green forest in Germany. It has a tall tower and old stone walls!
Wartburg Castle stands high on a forested hill south of the town of Eisenach in central Germany. It was first written about in 1080, and its stone palace was built in the 1100s. In the 1800s, new buildings were added, giving the castle the shape it has today.
The Wartburg, first recorded in a document in 1080, stands above Eisenach in Thuringia. Its 12th-century palace is, its foundation says, one of the finest and best-preserved Romanesque non-religious buildings north of the Alps, and a renewal from 1838 to 1890 gave the castle its present form. UNESCO calls it in many ways 'the ideal castle' and listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1999.
Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle is in Germany, a country in Europe. It sits high on a hill.
All around it, green trees cover the hills.
Wartburg Castle is perched on a hill above the countryside, south of the town of Eisenach in Thuringia, a state in the middle of Germany. Forest covers the hills all around it.
UNESCO says the castle blends superbly into the forest and is in many ways 'the ideal castle'. About half a million people from all over the world visit every year.
UNESCO places Wartburg Castle at a height of some 400 m, south of Eisenach in Thuringia, and says it blends superbly into its forest surroundings and is in many ways 'the ideal castle'. It attracts around half a million visitors a year.
The castle's own foundation describes it as one of the best-known hilltop castles of the feudal age in central Europe and calls it a 'history book in stone', linked to historical events, people and cultural values over a long span of time.
- Where
- south of Eisenach, Thuringia, central Germany
- First recorded
- 1080
- Visitors
- around half a million a year
- World Heritage
- inscribed 1999
A castle with a long story
The castle is more than 900 years old!
Long ago, art-loving rulers called landgraves lived here.
The Wartburg is first mentioned in a written record in 1080. In the Middle Ages it was the home of the Landgraves of Thuringia, rulers who loved the arts. Their court is remembered through the names of poets such as Walther von der Vogelweide.
In 1521 and 1522, Martin Luther stayed at the castle and translated the New Testament into German. His translation helped create one shared written German language.
The Wartburg Foundation dates the first documentary mention to 1080. In the High Middle Ages the castle was the residence of the art-loving Landgraves of Thuringia, and UNESCO says the patronage of Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia, holds an extraordinary place in creating a national literary tradition, through poets such as Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach.
In 1521/22 Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German here, which the foundation says laid the foundations of a unified written German language.
A palace from the 1100s
The castle's stone palace was built more than 800 years ago.
Much later, builders added new parts to the castle.
The castle's palace was built in the 1100s as a home and residence. The castle's foundation calls it one of the finest and best-preserved Romanesque non-religious buildings north of the Alps.
In 1838, Grand Duke Carl Alexander decided to renew the castle of his ancestors. The architect Hugo von Ritgen designed new buildings that, by 1890, gave the castle the shape it has today.
UNESCO dates the palace to the second half of the 12th century and calls it one of the best-preserved secular buildings of the late Norman period in Germany; the lower sections of the stone palace, masonry sections of the rampart and the South Tower are original, while the rest is a reconstruction.
In 1838 Grand Duke Carl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach decided on the architectural and artistic renewal of his ancestors' residence. The architect Hugo von Ritgen added new buildings that, by 1890, completed the palace, the Knights' House, the bailiff's house and the wall walks into the castle's present form.
Old stones, new buildings
Some parts of the castle are very old. Other parts were built about 150 years ago.
UNESCO calls it 'the ideal castle'.
Wartburg Castle mixes old and new. The lower parts of the stone palace, some of the walls and the South Tower are from the Middle Ages. The rest is a reconstruction from the 1800s.
UNESCO says the castle today gives a good idea of what this fortress might have looked like when it was at its most powerful.
UNESCO explains that, although the castle keeps some very old sections, it gained its current layout through 19th-century reconstructions inspired by romantic ideas. It describes two kinds of authenticity: archaeological authenticity, found mainly in the palace and fortifications, and a symbolic one, where the form matters less than the idea it stands for.
UNESCO calls the result a splendid example of what the fortress might have been at the peak of its military and lordly power.
- Palace built
- 12th century
- Renewal
- decided 1838, new buildings by 1890
- Architect of the renewal
- Hugo von Ritgen
Above the forest
In this photo, the castle stands high above green trees under a cloudy sky. Can you find the tall square tower?
This photo was taken on 25 May 2017 from below the castle's east side. You can see the tall square tower, a stone palace with rows of arched windows, a long white wall with a timber-framed top, and red roofs.
On the right is the building with the castle gate, and green trees cover the slope below.
The photograph (25 May 2017, by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas) shows the castle from the east: the stone palace with rows of round-arched windows at the left, the square tower with battlements, the long whitewashed wall with a timber-framed upper story and red-tiled roofs, and the gate building at the right, above a wooded slope.
UNESCO describes the castle's varied appearance and the sense of harmony it gives as two of its attractions for visitors.
Amazing facts
-
UNESCO calls this 'the ideal castle'!
UNESCO says Wartburg Castle is in many ways 'the ideal castle', blending superbly into the forest around it.
UNESCO describes the Wartburg as in many ways 'the ideal castle', blending superbly into its forest surroundings.
-
Martin Luther translated a book into German right here!
In 1521 and 1522, Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German at the castle, helping to create one shared written German language.
Luther's 1521/22 German translation of the New Testament, made at the Wartburg, laid the foundations of a unified written German language, the castle's foundation says.
-
The castle's foundation calls it a history book made of stone!
The castle's foundation says it is seen as a 'history book in stone', a place linked to history and culture over a long time.
The Wartburg Foundation calls it a 'history book in stone', a place linked to historical and cultural developments over long spans of time.
Words to know
- landgrave
- a title for a ruler of a region in medieval Germany
- Romanesque
- a style of building from the Middle Ages, with thick walls and round arches
- palace
- a large, grand home for a ruler
- restore
- to repair something old so it looks as it once did
- translate
- to change words from one language into another
- timber-framed
- built with a frame of wooden beams, with the gaps filled in
Discovery challenge
-
Where does Wartburg Castle sit?
Where does Wartburg Castle stand?
UNESCO says Wartburg Castle blends superbly into what kind of surroundings?
- On a hill in a forest
- On a beach
- In a desert
Show the answer
On a hill in a forest
On a hill, with forest all around!
On a forested hill above Eisenach.
Its forest surroundings, on a hill south of Eisenach.
-
Which country is the castle in?
In which country does Wartburg Castle stand?
In which country is Thuringia, the state where the Wartburg stands?
- Germany
- Italy
- Canada
Show the answer
Germany
Germany!
Germany.
Germany.
-
When did people first write about the castle?
In which year is the Wartburg first mentioned in a written record?
In which year does the first documentary mention of the Wartburg date?
- 1080
- 1999
- 1838
Show the answer
1080
In 1080, long, long ago!
1080.
1080.
-
What did Martin Luther do at the castle?
What did Martin Luther do at the Wartburg in 1521 and 1522?
What work did Martin Luther complete at the Wartburg in 1521/22?
- Translated a book into German
- Built a tower
- Painted the walls
Show the answer
Translated a book into German
He turned a book into German!
He translated the New Testament into German.
His German translation of the New Testament.
-
When were new buildings added to make the castle grand again?
In which century was the castle renewed with new buildings?
In which century did Hugo von Ritgen's renewal give the castle its present form?
- The 1800s
- The 1000s
- The 2000s
Show the answer
The 1800s
In the 1800s!
The 1800s, from 1838 to 1890.
The 19th century (1838–1890).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Explain how a castle can have very old parts and much newer parts.
- Describe what 'restoring' a castle means, using the Wartburg's renewal from 1838 to 1890.
- Find Eisenach and Thuringia on a map of Germany.
Recommended ages: 4 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Some of the castle is 800 years old and some is about 150 years old. Does that make it less real? Why or why not?
- Why might a hilltop be a good place for a castle?
- Martin Luther translated a book into German here. Why does it help people when books are in their own language?
Try at home or in class
- Draw the castle on its hill and color the old parts and the newer parts differently.
- Make a castle on a hill from a paper cup and cardboard, then add trees around it.
Key vocabulary: landgrave, Romanesque, palace, restore, translate, timber-framed
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Wartburg Castle (World Heritage List) , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Welterbe Wartburg , Wartburg-Stiftung
- File:Eisenach Germany Wartburg-Castle-00.jpg (CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, 25 May 2017) , Wikimedia Commons
- UNESCO World Heritage List , UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Linked as a reference; site facts come from Wikidata)
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.