Luther Trail: Section 04 – From Eisenach to Treffurt

Luther once referred to Eisenach as ‘my beloved town’. This was where the Reformer spent his school days, sang in the children’s choir at St George’s Church and learned to love music. Luther and Wartburg Castle are very closely linked. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was where Luther lived and worked from May 1521 to March 1522. Today, the castle and its museum keep the memory of its most famous inhabitant alive with a complete Bible annotated by Luther, items of his property and a remarkable series of paintings of himself, his wife, his parents and contemporaries painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder and his students in his workshop.

During his school days from 1498 until 1501, Martin Luther lived in the town house of the Cotta family. Today, this building is known as the Luther House and has been completely renovated. It houses a new permanent exhibition entitled ‘Luther and the Bible’ featuring exceptional exhibits, multi­media pre­sentations and sur­prising in­sights. Quite rightly, Eisenach is known as the ‘Reformation Town of Europe’.

On this section of the Luther Trail towards Treffurt, you will follow the highly elevated Rennsteig hiking trail from its beginnings at Hörschel, stop for a break at Stiftsgut Wilhelmsglücksbrunn with its café and organic shop until finally crossing the Werra Bridge of 1223 and passing the Liborius Chapel on the way to Creuzburg. Saint Elisabeth lived at Creuzburg Castle from 1223 until 1228 and even gave birth there to her two children, Hermann and Gertrud.

Normannstein Castle, towering above the town of Treffurt, can be seen from far away. The city centre of Treffurt is characterised by around 250 half-timbered houses built in the Hesse-Thuringian style. Stylistic elements can be seen on many houses. These include sun wheels, beam carvings and man figure strut work (also known as 'wild man', a traditional German timber framing method).