We took a day trip to Eisenach which is about two hours drive north east of Frankfurt. We visited the Warburg Castle and Bachhaus in Eisenach.
The Warburg Castle

This castle is amazing because it captures nearly 1000 years of German history. The first wooden castle structure was originally built in 1067 by Ludwig der Springer, and was a fortress for the Wartburg family, until nearly 1500, and since then has passed through numerous families and had many famous visitors. For example, during a period when the castle was in disrepair, and not being used, the duke offered Martin Luther exile there when he was hiding from the Roman Catholic Church, and this is where he translated the New Testament into German. This act was a significant part of the protestant reformation, and also helped to Provide a foundation for the German language to have significant longevity. The castle went through significant periods of abandonment and lack of maintenance but in 1817, significant reconstruction was performed, and the castle is currently one of the best preserved castles from this era.






The Interior of the Castle
The statue on the left is the architect of the castle. And the on the right is the king who built the castle.

The baptismal font was for babies to receive baptism by water. There were also many Christians during that time who opposed what they believed to be a non-biblical practice of the mandatory baptism of babies and were referred to as anabaptists who believed in adult baptisms.

There were fireplaces and windows in every room in the castle. During that time period, it was a symbol of supreme wealth as it was uncommon to have windows or fireplaces in any home.

Statues of animals such as eagles and lions were carved on poles, ceiling, and places where wealth and power of the family in the castle can be reminded.

This is the dining room in the castle. The windows were made of glass which was extremely rare during that time. The little room by the window is the bathroom, the close proximity allowed conversations to be continued while dining and during potty breaks for some.

The castle was also the home of Elizabeth, who was married to the son of the Duke, when she was four, and he was 11. Her husband later died in the crusades, and she died at a young age, but she is still revered to this day for her saintly sacrifices, charitable acts, and dedication to the poor, for which she received sainthood and is known as Saint Elizabeth.
Murals in this room showed the life of Elizabeth since birth. This room was destroyed during the war and was rebuilt much to preserve the history of Germany.

This picture shows the symbolical wedding of Elizabeth (4) and the prince (11).

This is the chapel where the family members and guests would hold private mass. The mural in the back is painting of 6 of the 12 apostles ( from the 14th century), the other 6 on the next wall was badly destroyed and was painted over.

This is the concert hall for the royal family. The flag on the left was believed to represent one of the original precursor flags of Germany with black representing the darkness of the dark ages through which the red of blood sacrifices brought forth a rich German future represented by gold leaves and borders.

This is the room where Martin Luther stayed and translated the New Testament into German while in exile after his excommunication from the Catholic Church for drawing attention to certain theological errors and abuses when he issued his 95 theses.

It was fascinating to hear about so many of these crucial points in German history, and to tour this mighty Fortress, and learn about how it was a significant part of German history, culture, music, religion, and art.
Bachaus
While we were in Eisenach, we visited the Bachhaus, which is where Johan Sebastian, Bach spent 10 years of his childhood, including where he received his first music lessons, and where he sang in the school choir.





This house has been turned into a museum, with the original home, restored to its somewhat original condition, attached to a larger part of the building, which includes Bach’s musical memorabilia, and over 300 other original Bach music and art pieces, as well as his considerable theological library.



While we were there, we also had a private concert given by one of the local musicians who played Bach pieces on five different baroque keyboard instruments from that same time period, including an organ, and harpsichord, clavichord, spinet, house organ. That last instrument required two people to operate, one to foot pump the bellows and one to play the keys. Kevan offered to play the piece but unfortunately was relegated to the foot bellows, where he performed admirably!😂



