UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Thuringia
The federal state of Thuringia is home to numerous culturally important sights. Some of these have been internationally recognised for their historical significance by UNESCO. Wartburg Castle near Eisenach and no less than 16 unique historical sights and objects in the classical city of Weimar were chosen to be part of the prestigious list of World Heritage sites.
Classical Weimar (1998)
Weimar is a small town of 65.500 people in the east of Thuringia. It is best known for its outstanding economic flourishing as well as its remarkable density of grand German intellectuals and writers, most notably Goethe (1749–1832) and Schiller (1759–1805).
Weimar’s classical period commenced during the lifetime of Duchess Anna Amalia when she appointed the poet Christoph Martin Wieland as tutor to her sons in 1772. It was after Carl August had succeeded to the Duchy that Johann Wolfgang Goethe settled in the town in 1775. Johann Gottfried Herder came to Weimar in the following year.
Weimar was on the apex of its cultural influence during the time of creative interaction between Goethe and Schiller, beginning in 1794 and intensifying when the latter moved to Weimar in 1799.
Classical Weimar was announced UNESCO World Heritage in 1998 and comprises twelve separate buildings or ensembles, including Goethe’s House, Schiller’s House and Herder Church.
Wartburg (1999)
Just outside the Thuringian town of Eisenach, Wartburg Castle dominates the beautiful landscape. It functioned both as a mighty fortress and an imposing residence, witnessing some of the greatest figures in German history. While the magnificent Romanesque palas (great hall) was erected in 12th century, the castle’s (unconfirmed) origins date back to as early as 1067. Its cultural and artistic heritage is next to unprecedented. It once echoed to the songs of Walther von der Vogelweide, inspired a number of epic poems by Wolfram von Eschenbach, and is the setting of the Battle of Bards which Richard Wagner integrated in his opera Tannhäuser.
Wartburg castle was also home to Saint Elisabeth until 1228. About 300 years later, it became refuge to one of the most important religious thinkers in German history, Martin Luther, who fled prosecution, hiding under the alias of „Junker Jörg“. During his stay, Luther translated the New Testament from Latin to German language to make it accessible to the less educated.
In 1817, it then hosted the infamous Wartburg Festival which was organised by student fraternities to celebrate the achievements of Luther, the Reformation and the Leipzig Wars. It was the first instance of a proclamation of a sentiment for an independent and unified nation state.
UNESCO honoured the castle’s impeccable curriculum vitae and inscribed it to its list of World Heritage sites in 1999.
