For history fans

In Thuringia, fascinating stories are waiting at every corner, an exciting mix of culture and nature. Only very special places can send pleasant shivers down your spine: the Luther Room at the famed Wartburg Castle, the medieval Erfurt Treasure, the legendary Rennsteig Trail and Weimar’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Meet historic personalities and embark on a journey between an impressive past and a lively present.

Which historical heritage places do you want to discover?

World Heritage in Weimar
A German Classic?
Weimar boasts a wealth of UNESCO World Heritage, with a total of 19 individual sites. The Classical Weimar ensemble comprises 16 locations, while ‘Bauhaus and its sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau’ includes three sites in Weimar. Weimar is ...
St. Mary’s Museum and Müntzer Memorial
A Gothic stage for medieval prominence
The radical Reformer Thomas Müntzer, one of the best known protagonists of the German Peasant’s War of 1525, preached in Mühlhausen’s historic St. Mary’s Church, now a museum and a memorial to Müntzer, in the early modern era. The city’s aldermen ...
Peasants’ War Museum in the Corn Market Church
The eventful life of a church
The skyline of the medieval Imperial City of Mühlhausen is defined by the innumerable towers of its historic buildings – too many for a visitor to count easily. Amidst all these attractions stands the secularised Corn Market Church. Its name ...
Museum of Cultural History Mühlhausen
Treasures of history, archaeology and art
In the southern section of Mühlhausen’s historic city wall, a striking building in a Neo-Renaissance style rises up out of the old town, which is dominated largely by half-timbered buildings. This is the Museum of Cultural History – a wonderful ...
Translating the Bible at Wartburg Castle
A history of powerful words
Many colourful expressions in the German language that remain in common usage – such as Lästermaul (scandalmonger), nicht jedes Wort auf die Goldwaage legen (to take something with a pinch of salt), die Zähne zusammenbeissen (to grit your teeth) ...
Expeditions into Jewish life in a city
Gems of Jewish culture in Erfurt
Exciting city history, found treasure, and a medieval community: expeditions into jewish life in Erfurt
Tiefurt House and Park
Inspirational setting for the Weimar court
Our plan had been to spend a day in the park of Tiefurt House – picnicking, chatting and enjoying the fresh country air. According to the weather forecast, we were due to have cloudless blue skies and a pleasant temperature. But that’s not quite ...
A five-part walking tour
Exploring Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle is located pretty much exactly in the geographical centre of Germany – as befits its historical significance. Allow at least half a day to visit one of Germany’s most famous castles – and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site ...
Martin Luther’s Thuringian towns and cities
Words and places
Martin Luther’s longest trip took him all the way to Rome, but he was generally more likely to be found travelling around the towns and cities of Thuringia, where he filled the churches with his sermons, met friends, debated with religious ...
The Ekhof Theatre in Gotha
Travelling through time to the Baroque period
The enchanting moment lasts just under seven seconds. A bell rings - and the curtains move with a gentle rattle as if moved by magic. The cliffs rise up, and the forest approaches. Afterwards the opera begins without interruption. Welcome to the ...
Weimar’s green spaces
Garden design on the river Ilm
“Paths are silent guides,” says Andreas Pahl, quoting the great landscape gardener Prince Pückler and points to a romantic, moss-covered stone structure flanked by a curved bridge – a picture-perfect ruin. The spruce trees nearby were by no means ...
Fine wine, fine food and unmissable events
The Zahn vineyard
In the small village of Kaatschen, one timber-framed house follows another. The Saale river flows along one side, while on the other the hills are covered in vines. The entrance to the village is a glorious sight as you cross the Saale river on a ...
History lessons at the House of the Weimar Republic
A globetrotter on staycation
“Hi, my name is Anna. I’m from Thuringia in Germany.” I’ve lost track of how often I have said those words. I’m a youthful 35, unattached, carefree and always keen to learn new things. After finishing my degree and spending quite a bit of time ...
Martin Luther at Wartburg Castle
A journey into the Middle Ages
Late afternoon is the perfect time to visit Wartburg Castle and its plain, wood-panelled Luther Room. As the sun begins to set, it casts its rays through the medieval windows, bathing the ancient desk in a soft glow. Specks of dust dance in the ...
From Wartburg Castle to the Luther House in Eisenach
How words changed world history
A truly historical location: the legendary Luther Room at the mighty Wartburg Castle, which has towered majestically above the Thuringian town of Eisenach for nearly a thousand years and attracts almost half a million visitors every year. This is ...
Johann Sebastian Bach in Thuringia
A life of music
Throughout his life, the most famous scion of the Bach dynasty, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), proved that musicians are a restless sort … Bach was born in Eisenach, while Weimar, Ohrdruf, Arnstadt and Mühlhausen had the good fortune to ...
A conversation with curator Sabine Walter of the Museum Neues Weimar.
The Bauhaus didn’t come out of nowhere!
Around the turn of the 19th century, three major figures in Weimar were committed to establishing a glittering new era which they described as the ‘new Weimar’. A permanent exhibition dedicated to them opened at the Museum Neues Weimar in 2019. ...
Questions and answers on the Bauhaus
The Bauhaus concept
It originated in Weimar. And it went on to conquer the world – and our living rooms …

Wartburg Castle - Truly fascinating

 

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