German Castles

Wartburg - Eisenach

This medieval castle was built mainly between the 12th and 13th centuries on a rocky crag more than 1300 feet high. For many years it served as a seat of the Langraves of Thuringia before passing into the hands of the Wettin family.

The structure fell into disrepair during the 1700s, but since has been extensively renovated. This national monument boasts one of the best-preserved Romanesque great halls of its kind from the Hohenstaufen period.

Between 1854 and 1855 Moritz von Schwind painted the frescoes "Bard's Contest at the Wartburg," "From the Life of St. Elizabeth," and scenes illustrating the lives of the castle owners.