Eisenach

Capital of Thuringia in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, and the castle overlooking the city, the Wartburg, has played an important role in German history. Ruled by the Ludowingians and the Wettins in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period, as their fortunes changed, so too did the town.

Eisenach played a pivotal role in the Reformation. Luther attended school here (1498-1501) in preparation for university. He came back when under Imperial ban (more about this later). The town accepted the tenets of the Reformation in 1528, after being damaged in the Peasants' War in 1525.

Other important historical ties: it was the birthplace of JS Bach (1685), and home at one point or another to Pachelbel, JC Bach, and Telemann. The yellow house in one of the pictures is the house in which Bach was born.B

From the 1860s until 1938, Eisenach had a large and thriving Jewish community, and it was here that the Nazis founded the Institute for the Study and Elimination of Jewish Influence on German Church Life, run by the Reich Church. BMW had a factor here during the war, producing aircraft engines with both forced and free labor. After the war, the plant was socialized and renamed EMW, producing the Wartburg, sold as a luxury vehicle in the DDR.

Eisenach was one of the western-most cities in the DDR, which interfered with development and investment. The city suffered population loss, and overall deterioration of housing stock. The government demolished large swathes of historic homes to build Soviet-style apartment blocks to correct the problem. There are still a lot of very big, very impressive Jugendstil mansions, despite this. It's a very pretty town.

After reunification, Eisenach saw an increase in tourism, mainly due to the Wartburg being named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Personal connection: Eisenach is the city listed on my grandfather's papers as the place of departure when he entered the US. His place of birth on his naturalization papers is actually listed as Berteroda, which is a small suburb/ village right outside of the city. Didn't manage to get out there, but if we ever come back, we will.Read more