Eisenach is where Johann Sebastian Bach was born, in 1685, probably in the house that is now the excellent Bachhaus museum (although there are suggestions that this is not actually the right house). The town had grown in support of the iconic Wartburg castle, perched high on its rocky outcrop overlooking the Thuringian forest, and where – among other events in its rich history – Martin Luther translated the New Testament over a period of several weeks in 1521. And a bonus for me, on my day trip from Weimar, was the remarkable and unusual interior of the Georgenkirche in the market place... / more |
Bachhaus
The quite substantial Bach family house, where Johann Sebastian was born, is now attached to a large and strikingly modern building housing the reception area, shop, café, and the other necessities of a modern museum. Not everyone would agree with this approach, but I think it's been extremely well done, with minimal physical or visual disturbance to the original house. The new building is taller and perhaps larger than the house, yet tucked in the corner of the site it doesn't dominate it...
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The Wartburg
The Wartburg was founded in 1067 by Count Ludwig, being developed progressively over the next few hundred years, and restored with superbly redecorated palace rooms in the mid 19th century. It is unique among German castles in having its history marked almost entirely by peaceful events, including the charitable acts of St Elisabeth, and Martin Luther's translation of the New Testament in 1521. The best and most atmospheric way to approach it is to walk up the path through the woods...
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Georgenkirche
The Georgenkirche stands to one side of the Markt, with a statue of St George slaying the dragon in front. It is now the cathedral of the Lutheran diocese of Thuringia, and is a late Gothic successor to the church where St Elisabeth (as she became) married Ludwig IV. Martin Luther sang here as a choirboy, and JS Bach was baptised here. In the porch a statue of Bach, looking younger and leaner than the familiar figure outside the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, or outside the Bachhaus here in Eisenach...
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The Rough Guide advised avoiding the Wartburg at weekends and holidays because of the crowds, and a traveller's web report stressed the importance of arriving early in the day for the same reason, so I caught the earliest train I could for the 47-minute journey from Weimar – a busy IC (InterCity) on which I had to force my way into a seat.
After visiting the Wartburg and the Georgenkirche I had a late snack lunch sitting outside a cafe near the Markt. Many of the chairs had folded blankets on them, and I could see why: with the sun gone, the temperature was falling fast. I was pleased to have taken some photos of the outside of the Bachhaus in the morning as I passed it on my way to the Wartburg, when there was some brightness in the sky. |
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