Cowl, Blob, Devil and the Music
- Bernd
- Oct 1
- 5 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
2025
Eisenach today has about 40 thousand inhabitants – the city that not only hosted Martin Luther, but where Johann Sebastian Bach was also born.
Eisenach, the large Thuringian district town, lies north of the Thuringian Forest.
The city impresses with its picturesque and historic old town. She is surrounded by forests with extensive hiking and mountain bike trails.
The nearby Hainich Nature Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The famous Wartburg was built in Eisenach during the GDR era – the car so robust it's probably still running today... somewhere.
Tourism, with approximately 10 million overnight stays annually, is increasingly an important source of income for Eisenach.
Here, in the Thuringian Forest, the Wartburg Castle towers over the city. Here, you can burn more calories while hiking than you could ever burn with a Thuringian bratwurst.
Anyone who visits Eisenach will immerse themselves in a city where history meets you with a wink, with music, castles and Thuringian bratwurst.
Enormous amounts of money were invested here to restore the old town and its many cultural monuments.
In Eisenach, everything is a little smaller, quieter, more tranquil. How comforting.
Let´s go!
Can someone translate the Bible?
The monk and theology professor Martin Luther (*10.11.1483 - +18.02.1546), the first influencer of the 16th century, actually just wanted to clarify a few things.
With his outrageously rebellious 95 theses, he rocked the entire Roman Catholic Church. Instead of likes, there was outrage. The Pope was not amused.
In 1517, Luther simply nailed his criticism to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg because there was no (a)social media at that time.
When Emperor Charles V condemned him in Worms in 1521, he said something like: “Here I stand, I can do no other.”
Escape to the Wartburg
My raiting: *****
The Wartburg has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
Now Luther had no desire to be executed at the age of 38. His sovereign, Elector Frederick of Saxony, took pity on him and had him brought to the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach under the name Junker Jörg.
He lived there for a year. Because he had nothing else to do, he translated the New Testament from Greek into German.
A great achievement, because now ordinary people could also read the New Testament and were no longer dependent on the fake news of the Catholic Church.
Be that as it may, you can visit the Wartburg on your own. All the essential information can be found in the exhibition rooms.
Alternatively, you can take a guided tour.
At the end of the tour, you'll see Luther's historic room.
Here, in this room, worked Martin Luther, who suffered from depression and self-doubt throughout his life. Since childhood, he felt persecuted by the devil, a common delusion throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, which continues to this day and in all world religions.
According to legend, the devil himself harassed Martin Luther one winter night in 1521/1522. Perhaps he was cold.
Luther then grabbed his inkwell and hurled it at the devil's terrible face, which even then was reminiscent of various monarchs and later dictators. The ink stain can supposedly still be seen on the wall today.
A tour guide assured me with a wink that the stain below the figure (top left in the picture) is still clearly visible today.
Martin Luther, with his reform movement, founded the Protestant Church, better known as the Evangelical Church.
Amen
What this indulgence trade is all about remains a mystery to me. You can purchase the broad-spectrum Theologicum pictured below for a few euros in any gift shop, completely over the counter. It is not known whether it also works against radical Muslims, Jews and crazy dictators and presidents.
More information about the Wartburg, as well as tickets and guided tours, can be found at:
Impressions of the Wartburg
"Come and see for yourself:
Here, the deaf can suddenly see,
the blind can hear, and
the lame can sit!"
Bernd
Audio sample with Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was the rock star of Baroque music! Born on March 31, 1685, in Eisenach, he was laid to rest in Leipzig in 1750. What does one do in such a long composer's life? Of course, he plays the organ pipes, bangs the piano keys, and writes countless cantatas. Cantatas are multi-movement works for voice and instruments. Bach's influence on the world of music was enormous.
Listen:
I'm not sure if the feet belong to Johann Sebastian Bach, but...
...his shoes are relatively fashionable.
The leather of the shoes is perfectly matched to the floor. Apparently, he lives a life of large feet.
Bach House
My raiting: ****
Frauenplan 21, 99817 Eisenach
Johann Sebastian Bach grew up here. Today, the Bach House houses a music museum with 300 exhibits. Small concerts take place hourly in the Instrument Hall. The adjacent new building offers additional exhibits, multimedia art, and individual listening opportunities to Bach's works.
From left to right: Image 1: Garden of the Bach House; 2: Kitchen; 3: Bedroom; 4: Music room; 5: New Bach Museum building; 6: Historical photo of the Bach House.
The Thuringian Bratwurst
My raiting: **
This spicy bratwurst can be found throughout Thuringia and Eisenach. It's a regional sausage specialty. Its minimum length is 15 cm and its weight is between 100 and 150 grams. Enjoy it with ketchup or mustard.
As you walk up the path to Wartburg Castle, you'll pass a snack stand at the old donkey farm. Try it and: Enjoy!
Anyone out on foot will often discover something curious, like this Microlino. The car races through the city at 45 km/h and fits into almost any parking space.
Fraternity monument
My raiting: ***
An der Göpelskupp1 1, 99817 Eisenach
The memorial commemorates the fraternity members who died in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871. It was erected in 1902 as a national monument to commemorate the founding of the German Empire.
Tip: The climb from the valley is somewhat strenuous. For those who are lazy on foot, there are parking spaces nearby.
Just a hundred meters further, you'll find the Mountain Hotel with a restaurant and outdoor terrace. From there, you can overlook the entire valley, all the way to Wartburg Castle.
I ordered a refreshing strawberry carpaccio here.
But for heaven's sake, what's that staring at me? I don't eat seafood!
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