In 2020, there were only two smaller windows when I had the money to travel, the time to travel and the possibility to travel with the Covid-19 restrictions in place. I managed to visit four UNESCO WHS sites before even harsher restrictions came in place and tourist attractions were closed. Wartburg Castle was the last one of them in October 2020.

Wartburg Castle is a beautiful castle of medieval origin, located on a rock above the city of Eisenach. Although its 19th century preservation measure were not always historically correct, it is in a very good state and a popular tourist attraction. The inner court with a restaurant can be visited for free, the south tower can be climbed by throwing a 1 Euro coin into an automatic turnstile. For the castle itself, you need a ticket which can be bought in the visitors' centre.

Inside, the history of the castle is explained together with possible purposes of the rooms as you go through. The castle is connected to several historical figures or events in German history. That includes Elizabeth of Thuringia (Countess Consort who lived in the castle, later canonized as saint), Martin Luther (who hid in the castle and translated the new testament into German there), student rallies in the early 19th century (which finally led to an unified Germany sixty years later) and Kaiser Wilhelm II (who did not live in the castle but sponsored the restoration and renovation of several rooms, including some monumental paintings, mosaics and frescoes). According to a legend, which first appeared in the early 13th century, a singing competition took place (Sängerkrieg auf der Wartburg) there which made its way into several German medieval literary works. Of course, also the “Sängerkrieg” is mentioned in the exhibition.

The visit was formerly only by guided tour, but this was replaced by a self-guided tour to load onto your smartphone in order to cope with Covid-19 measures (distance of 1,5 metres between visitors). Due to the latter, also the queue to get into the castle goes into the uncovered inner court. Depending on waiting time (which can be hours on busy days) and weather conditions, this can be an unpleasant experience. Although the castle staff says that a castle visit takes about an hour, it is actually closer to 1 ½. Information of the exhibits is in German and English. Taking pictures inside the castle is prohibited. I can't say if there are any changes expected once Covid-19 is under control. All info as of October 2020.

I enjoyed my visit to Wartburg Castle and would recommend it to those who like such places. If you like hiking as well, there are several paths leading through the woods or along a road from Eisenach up to the castle. For those restricted in mobility or don't like to walk, there are hourly buses (line 3) calling at several stops in the city centre and running up to the Wartburg. A paid parking lot is also available next to the castle.