After we left Berlin, we headed toward Eisenach.
When we got into Eisenach, I looked at Ken and said, "Now this is more like it!" Cobblestone streets, pedestrian streets, a lot of history, and quaint little shops were in this town of about 43,000. I talked about this town already a little bit: This is the town where St. Elisabeth of Hungary's miracle took place, where Wartburg Castle sits on top of a mountain, and where Bach & Luther lived, It's also home to GeorgenKirche, the church where St. Elisabeth was married, Bach was baptised, and Luther was a choirboy and later preached.
Eisenach is also home to the narrowest house in Germany. Our guide said that sometimes the owner of the house will stand at the window and wave, but no such luck that day.
I did find out yesterday that Harry Lange was born in Eisenach, and, since Eisenach is in what was once East Germany, escaped to the USA after WWII. Mr. Lange worked on the set design of 2001: A Space Odyssey. He also worked on Moonraker and 2 of the Star Wars films.
We had our first "true" street bratwurst in Eisenach. Yep, it was pretty good!
There is a "former Dominican Monestary" in Eisenach that was erected following the canonization of St. Elisabeth. In the picture below, one of our students is whispering something to another student on the other side. As I looked up information on this (because I can't remember what the guide told us!), I found that this is actually a museum that boasts the largest medieval collection of woodcraft in the state of Thuringia. I'll have to remember that for my next visit!
The monastery is part of a complex that includes the Martin Luther Gymnasium:
Martin Luther attended school on this site (but not the actual building) when it was the Latin School of St. George. That building ceased to exist in 1507, and the present school was built in 1544. Bach, however, did attend school here.
YS & I in front of the Bach statue in the plaza next to the BachHaus:
The view from the plaza:
We had to walk by the Nicolai Church to get to/from the train station. The church was built circa 1180. Right beside the church (it may actually be adjacent...we didn't get close enough to see) is one of the 5 city gates. Unfortunately, they are doing some renovations on it, so we didn't get to see it in its splendor:
This is another place I'll need to go back and see since we didn't have the chance to go inside and look around. I can only imagine how beautiful it is.
In the plaza across the street from the church, there is another statue of Luther:
Across a small plaza from where we were staying, there was a school. It seemed like they were constantly having recess, but I'm sure it was just different groups at different times.
The buildings in the town just fascinated me. They were unbelievable beautiful:
Even though some of them weren't "straight" anymore!
Even some of the doors were beautiful:
I absolutely loved the atmosphere as we walked through the streets:
Our tour guide pointed out a plaque that made us feel at home:
Apparently Clinton visited Eisenach in 1992 when the 750,000 Opel was manufactured there. Cars have been made in the area for over 100 years, beginning with military vehicles and bicycles. The "Wartburg" car was manufactured here, then the BMW, followed by the Russian EMWs. Then, after the fall of the Wall, Opel came in.
One night, we went to a Medieval Dinner. It wasn't exactly what we thought it was going to be, but we all had a pretty good time.
In this next picture, if you look on the hill just past the building, you'll see a monument that "is dedicated to all those who stood up for the unity and freedom of Germany in the 19th century and especially the fraternity members who lost their lives during this period.
As with many of the monuments in the former East Germany, it was in need of repair. Renovations began in 1991. The official name of this monument is Burschenschaftsdenkmal.
For photo credit, click on the picture
The train station was just as pretty as the town:
One cool thing about Eisenach is that we discovered several of these:
Yep, more Stolpersteine! But, I can't talk about that yet. Hopefully next week!
After 2 full days in Eisenach, it was time to say goodbye. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to live for at least 1 year in that town!
That's what I think of when I think of old Germany.
ReplyDeleteNow this is a town I would love to visit. It is charming and I love all the quaint shops. Enjoyed all the pictures but your photo with YS is priceless!
ReplyDeleteI can hardly wait tio hear more or see more of Stolpersteine. Thanks for sharing so much already!!
ReplyDeleteI love that narrow house! I don't know why, because it seems like it would be very claustrophobic to live in.
ReplyDeleteFraternities used to be a very serious business in Germany -- kind of like guilds -- with dueling scars and the whole 9 yards...so the connection between those on the monument would have been very deep.
ReplyDeleteYou really captured the town!
I had an Opel Kadett was I was stationed there. It was the worst car I've ever owned...but it got me from point A to B. It had a tendency to do a fuel lock and not start. I replaced it with an BMW...a GOOD German car. I still mourn its loss when the 2nd kid came along and we needed something bigger. Sigh.