Eisenach () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, west of

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

, southeast of

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

and northeast of

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia, and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, is near the former

Inner German border The inner German border ( or ''deutsch–deutsche Grenze''; initially also , zonal boundary) was the frontier between the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West ...

. A major attraction is

Wartburg The Wartburg () is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the ...

castle, which has been a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

since 1999. Eisenach was an early capital of Thuringia in the 12th and 13th centuries. St. Elizabeth lived at the court of the

Ludowingians The Ludovingians or Ludowingians () were the ruling dynasty of Thuringia and Hesse during the 11th to 13th centuries. Their progenitor was Louis the Bearded who was descended from a noble family whose genealogy cannot be precisely determined ...

here between 1211 and 1228. Later

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

came to Eisenach and translated the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

into German. In 1685

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

was born here. During the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

Eisenach was a residence of the Ernestine Wettins and was visited by numerous representatives of

Weimar classicism Weimar Classicism () was a German literary and cultural movement, whose practitioners established a new humanism from the synthesis of ideas from Romanticism, Classicism, and the Age of Enlightenment. It was named after the city of Weimar in th ...

Johann Wolfgang Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on literary, political, and philosoph ...

. In 1869 the SDAP, one of the two precursors of the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...

(SPD), was founded in Eisenach. Car production is an important industry in Eisenach. The ''

Automobilwerk Eisenach The Automobilwerk Eisenach (AWE) was an automobile manufacturer in Eisenach, Germany. History Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach Heinrich Ehrhardt founded the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach (FFE) in Eisenach on 3 December 1896 as a stock company. Init ...

'' was founded in 1896. In the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

the

was produced here, before the factory was acquired by

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...

in 1990. Eisenach is on the

Hörsel The Hörsel () is a long river in Thuringia, Germany, right tributary of the Werra. It is formed by the confluence of two smaller rivers in Leinatal, at the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest. The Hörsel flows generally northwest through th ...

river, a tributary of the

Werra The Werra (), a river in central Germany, is the right-bank headwater of the Weser. "Weser" is a synonym in an old dialect of German. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After the Werra joins the river Fulda in the to ...

between the

Thuringian Forest The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German language, German ) is a mountain range in the southern parts of the Germany, German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorg ...

in the south, the Hainich mountains in the north-east, and the

East Hesse Highlands The East Hesse Highlands () describes a heavily wooded range of hills lying mainly in the German state of Hesse, but also extending a little way into Lower Saxony to the north, Thuringia to the east and Bavaria to the southeast. The region is sandwi ...

in the north-west. Since January 2021 it has been part of the

Wartburgkreis Wartburgkreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Gotha, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda, Hersfeld-Rotenburg and ...

History

Middle Ages

Eisenach's origin and early history is unknown. An 8th-century Frankish settlement near Petersberg hill is regarded as the nucleus of Eisenach; but there are no written sources about that early period. According to legend,

Louis the Springer Louis the Springer (), sometimes called Louis the Jumper or Louis the Leaper, was a German nobleman and count in Thuringia from the death of his father until his own death on 8 May 1123. Little is known about him, although he is mentioned in many ...

began in 1067 to establish

castle above the settlement. In 1080 the castle was first mentioned in a Saxon chronicle. Eisenach itself followed in a document dating to 1150, where it was referred to as "Isinacha". During the 1180s the town was established by the construction of three independent market settlements around the Saturday market (today's Karlsplatz), the Wednesday market (today's Frauenplan), and the Monday market (today's Marktplatz). Due to its convenient location at a cross-roads between the Thuringian Forest in the south and the Hainich mountains in the north, Eisenach benefited from substantial east–west trade along

Via Regia The Via Regia (Royal Highway) is a European Cultural Route following the route of the Historic roads, historic road of the Middle Ages. There were many such ''viae regiae'' associated with the king in the medieval Holy Roman Empire. History ...

from

and

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, and became a rich merchant town. During the second half of the 12th century, the town walls were erected (the Nikolaitor is an important relict of this wall) and Eisenach got a planned grid of streets and alleys. In the late 12th century the Wartburg became the main residence of the

, making Eisenach a leading place in today's western Thuringia and northern Hesse, which also belonged to the Ludowingian landgraviate. In 1207 the legendary

Sängerkrieg The ''Sängerkrieg'' (minstrel contest), also known as the ''Wartburgkrieg'' (Wartburg contest), was a contest among minstrels ('' Minnesänger'') at the Wartburg, a castle in Thuringia, Germany, in 1207. Whether the contest was purely legend or ...

supposedly took place at Wartburg castle. In 1221 St Elizabeth married Landgrave Louis' IV and lived in Eisenach or at Wartburg castle until 1228. Later she became the patroness of Thuringia and Hesse. In 1247 the Ludowingians died out, which led to the

War of the Thuringian Succession The War of the Thuringian Succession (German: ''Thüringisch-hessischer Erbfolgekrieg'') (1247–1264) was a military conflict over a successor to the last Landgrave of Thuringia for control of the state of Thuringia (now in modern-day Germany). ...

between the Wettins and Duchess

Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...

of Brabant. As a consequence the landgraviate was divided. Eisenach and the eastern parts went to the Wettins (later becoming Thuringia) and

Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...

, and the western parts went to Sophie (later becoming Hesse). Eisenach kept a leading position among the Wettin's Thuringian cities by becoming their ''Oberhof'' (leading court), so that their law had to be derived from Eisenach's municipal law and disputes had to be resolved here. The confident citizens of Eisenach fought against the Wettin's rule to become a free imperial city between 1306 and 1308, but lost. In the 14th century various crises followed: in 1342 a big fire destroyed nearly all the buildings, and the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

killed many inhabitants in 1349 and 1393. Since 1406 Eisenach was no longer a Wettin residence, which led to a decline in urban development. In 1485, in the " division of Leipzig", the town fell to the Ernestine line of the Wettins.

Early-modern period

Between 1498 and 1501, the young

attended the St. George's Latin school in Eisenach in preparation for his following studies at the Universit of Erfurt. In 1521/22 he was hidden by Frederick the Wise at Wartburg castle to protect him from the

Imperial ban The imperial ban () was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or the '' Reichskammerg ...

. During that time Luther translated the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

from Greek into German, in what was an important step both for the German Reformation and the development of a consistent German standard language. Luther referred to Eisenach as ''ein Pfaffennest'' ("a clerical backwater"), since during his time there were 300 monks and nuns per 1,000 inhabitants. In 1525 there was heavy fighting in the area during the '' Bauernkrieg''. In 1528 the Lutheran Reformation was implemented in Eisenach. In 1596 Eisenach became a ducal residence again for the house of Saxe-Eisenach.

was born in Eisenach in 1685, when it was a part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, worked there as a musician at that time. Other famous composers and musicians associated with Eisenach during that period were

Johann Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and ...

, Johann Christoph Bach and

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

. As the Eisenach dukes died out in 1741, the town and the state became part of

Saxe-Weimar Saxe-Weimar () was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia. The chief town and capital was Weimar. The Weimar branch was the most genealogically senior extant branch of the House of W ...

. Nevertheless, the cultural life remained unimpaired. The coterie around the poet met up with famous personalities like

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

and

Christoph Martin Wieland Christoph Martin Wieland (; ; 5 September 1733 – 20 January 1813) was a German poet and writer, representative of literary Rococo. He is best-remembered for having written the first ''Bildungsroman'' (''Geschichte des Agathon''), as well as the ...

in Eisenach. From 1809 to 1918 Eisenach was part of the Duchy (after 1815 Grand Duchy) of

Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach () was a German state, created as a duchy in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been in personal union since 1741. It was raised to a grand duchy in 1815 by resolutio ...

After 1815

In 1817 the Wartburg Festival took place in Eisenach, a meeting of students advocating moves toward a more liberal, constitutional state and a

unification of Germany The unification of Germany (, ) was a process of building the first nation-state for Germans with federalism, federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without Habsburgs' multi-ethnic Austria or its German-speaking part). I ...

. The industrial revolution started relatively early in Eisenach. As early as the first half of the 19th century the first factories were founded. In 1847 Eisenach was connected by the

Thuringian Railway Thuringian is an East Central German dialect group spoken in much of the modern German Free State of Thuringia north of the Rennsteig ridge, southwestern Saxony-Anhalt and adjacent territories of Hesse and Bavaria. It is close to Upper Saxon s ...

and Halle/

in the east and in 1849 to

and

in the west. In 1858 the Werra Railway to Lichtenfels (and further to

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

) was opened. In August 1869 the leading socialists

August Bebel Ferdinand August Bebel (; 22 February 1840 – 13 August 1913) was a German socialist activist and politician. He was one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Bebel, a woodworker by trade, co-founded the Sa ...

and

Wilhelm Liebknecht Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht (; 29 March 1826 – 7 August 1900) was a German socialist activist and politician. He was one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).SDAP, one of the two predecessors of today's SPD in Eisenach. The Eisenach Program remained the party's main manifesto for the following years. The late 19th and early 20th century was the period with the fastest urban growth in Eisenach. The ''Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach'' (FFE), later ''

'', the basis of car production in Eisenach, was founded in 1896, the first trams ran in 1897, the ' ("fraternity monument") was erected in 1902, and the J. S. Bach museum opened in 1907. Tourists also started to arrive in this period, drawn by the pleasing landscape and the various sights within the town. Between the 1860s and 1938 Eisenach hosted one of the largest Jewish communities in Thuringia, with nearly 500 members at the beginning of the 20th century. Many Jews migrated from the Rhön area around

Stadtlengsfeld Stadtlengsfeld is a town and a former municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the municipality Dermbach. It is situated in the Rhön Mountains, 8 km southwest of Bad Salzungen. Hi ...

to Eisenach after their

emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...

in the early 19th century. The new synagogue was built in 1885 and destroyed by the Nazis during ''

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

'' in November 1938. Most Jews emigrated at that time; others were deported to concentration camps and murdered. During

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

the Institute for the Study and Elimination of Jewish Influence on German Church Life, an antisemitic propaganda institute, was set up in Eisenach by 11 German Protestant churches, founded at the instigation of the German Christian movement. Before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG had produced motorcycles in the town. In preparation for World War II, new barracks were established in Eisenach and the car industry started the production of military equipment. After 1940 some 4000 forced labourers (most of them from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) were pressed to work in the town's factories, where some of them died due to the bad working conditions. Postwar, the managing director of the

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...

works, Dr Schaaf, told the Fedden Mission there were as many as 11,000 working in the town, 4,500 in a plant inside a hillside turning out BMW 132 engines and parts for the 801, the rest in town. The bombings during the war destroyed about 2,000 housing units and big parts of the car factories, as well as some historic buildings in the town centre, which were rebuilt soon after the war. The US Army arrived in Eisenach on 6 April 1945, but the Soviets took over control of the town on 1 July 1945, making it Communism's westernmost major town. Eisenach was part of the GDR after 1949. The

ran only ten kilometres west of Eisenach and was closed in 1952, cutting off parts of Eisenach's traditional hinterland. The location near the border inhibited the further development during the next 40 years and the population declined through that period. Nevertheless, Eisenach remained an important industrial location. The

car factory was socialized and under the new name EMW produced the

, the so-called "Mercedes of the East". The deteriorating condition of many historic houses led to a housing shortage during the 1970s. The government fought this by demolishing some historic quarters (e.g. at Jakobstraße) and rebuilding them with '' Plattenbau'' settlements. The biggest ''Plattenbau'' district was built at the northern periphery of Eisenach between 1978 and 1985, with nearly 4,000 housing units. In 1975 the tramway system was discontinued. After

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

in 1990 the economic situation changed. The car factory was taken over by

, whereas many other factories were closed. On the other hand Eisenach moved from the inner German border to the centre of the reunified country. Tourism saw significant growth and the Wartburg castle was designated a

in 1999. Nevertheless the financial situation of Eisenach remained difficult, unemployment stayed above average, and car production suffered from the business problems of Opel.

Geography and climate

Topography

Eisenach is at the northern edge of the

, at an elevation of about 220 m. The terrain is hilly, and to the south also mountainous (up to 460 m of elevation), with the central

valley crossing the town in east–west direction. The Nesse river enters the Hörsel river in Eisenach after forming a valley through the spur of the Hörselberg mountains in the eastern municipal territory. The northern territory around the Neunkirchen, Stregda, and Hötzelsroda districts is relatively flat and in agricultural use. About west of the town centre runs the wide

valley, where the Hörsel river enters this bigger river near Hörschel district. The southern municipal territory is covered with forest, as are some smaller parts north of the Hörsel river. The Hainich mountains begin north-east of Eisenach.

Administrative division

Eisenach abuts the municipalities Krauthausen, Mihla, Lauterbach, Bischofroda and Berka vor dem Hainich in the north,

Hörselberg-Hainich Hörselberg-Hainich is a municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany. It was formed on 1 December 2007 combining the former municipalities of Behringen Behringen is a former municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thurin ...

and Wutha-Farnroda in the east, and Marksuhl, Wolfsburg-Unkeroda, and

Gerstungen Gerstungen is a Municipalities in Germany, municipality in the Wartburgkreis Districts of Germany, district of Thuringia, Germany. It is 42 kilometers southwest of the geographic center of Germany, located in Niederdorla. In July 2018 the former m ...

in the south (all in the district

) and

Werra-Meißner-Kreis Werra-Meißner is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Göttingen, Eichsfeld, Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Wartburgkreis, district-free Eisenach, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Kassel. History The di ...

(

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

, municipality of

Herleshausen Herleshausen () is a municipality in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Herleshausen lies north of a section of the boundary with Thuringia in the thickly wooded area between the Ringgau and the Thuringian Forest (ran ...

in the west). The municipal border between Eisenach and Herleshausen was part of the

inner German border The inner German border ( or ''deutsch–deutsche Grenze''; initially also , zonal boundary) was the frontier between the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West ...

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

from 1949 to 1990. The municipality of Eisenach includes the following rural districts (all of them incorporated in 1994), aside from the old town: * Berteroda * Göringen * Hörschel * Hötzelsroda * Madelungen * Neuenhof * Neukirchen * Stedtfeld * Stockhausen * Stregda * Wartha The village of Fischbach was incorporated in 1922 and is part of the inner town today.

Climate

Eisenach has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Dfb) or an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(''Cfb''), according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system. ''(direct
Final Revised Paper
'' Summers are warm and sometimes humid, and winters are relatively cold. The town's topography creates a microclimate with mostly adequate air circulation along the west-eastern valley, which made Eisenach a resort at the end of the 19th century. Annual precipitation is with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Light snowfall mainly occurs from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long in the inner town valley.

Demographics

Eisenach has always been one of the larger towns in Thuringia, with 4,000 to 5,000 inhabitants during the Middle Ages. By 1800 the population rose to 8000 and further to 10,000 as industrialisation started around 1850. In 1875 the town had 16,000 inhabitants, and 30,000 in 1900, 43,000 in 1925, and more than 50,000 in 1940, the peak. Like most other east German mid-sized towns, Eisenach has had a shrinking population since 1950. It declined to 48,000 in 1990, 44,000 in 2000, and 42,000 in 2012. During 2009–2012 the annual change was −0.12%. Suburbanization played only a small role in Eisenach. It occurred after reunification for a short time in the 1990s, but most of the suburban areas are within the administrative town borders. The birth deficit was 240 in 2012, or −5.7 per 1000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: −4.5; national average: −2.4). The net migration rate was +6.5 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 (Thuringian average: −0.8; national average: +4.6). The most important regions of origin of people who have moved to Eisenach are rural areas of Thuringia, as well as foreign countries like Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Like other eastern German cities, only a small share of Eisenach's population is foreign: circa 2.3% are non-Germans by citizenship and overall 4.9% are classified as "migrants" (according to the 2011 EU census). Differing from the national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Eisenach are

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

and

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

. Due to the official atheism of the former

, most of the population is non-religious: 23.0% are members of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany and 4.4% are Catholics (according to the 2011 EU census).

Economy

Agriculture, industry and services

The region around Eisenach is the part of Thuringia with the strongest economic base. Agriculture is not very important in Eisenach, because of the hilly terrain, the less fertile soil, and the relatively humid climate, compared with central Thuringia further east. But 43% of the total municipal territory is in agricultural use, mostly as maize and

rapeseed Rapeseed (''Brassica napus'' subsp. ''napus''), also known as rape and oilseed rape and canola, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturall ...

fields, or as cattle pasture. The industrial structure is relatively focused on car production. The German auto manufacturer Opel built an entirely new plant in the northwest of the town, after the

car plant had ceased production in 1991. The new plant opened in 1992. Most other large manufacturers in Eisenach serve as suppliers for Opel, the largest among them is Bosch.

runs a factory in the neighbouring municipality of Krauthausen that supplies car parts. Another component supplier is "Truck-Lite Europe". In 2012 there were a total of 19 industrial companies with more than 20 workers in Eisenach, employing 5,600 people and generating a turnover of more than 1.8 billion euros. Of those employees, 3,000 work for just two companies (Opel and Bosch), underlining the dependence of Eisenach on the

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...

. Services in Eisenach are focused on tourism, with 166,000 overnight visitors spending a total of 311,000 nights in hotels in 2012. In addition, there are large numbers of (mostly German) one-day visitors. Eisenach also provides services to the region (retail, hospitals, theatres, cinemas etc.). During recent years the economic situation of the town improved: the unemployment rate declined from 17% in 2005 to 9% in 2013.

Attractions

The

castle is, aside from

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

, the most-visited tourist attraction in Thuringia. Further sights are:

Museums

Eisenach hosts a number of museums: * The '' Bachhaus'' at Frauenplan was the first museum worldwide to be dedicated to the life and work of

, in 1906. It was established through the

Neue Bachgesellschaft The Neue Bachgesellschaft, or New Bach Society, is an organisation based in Leipzig, Germany, devoted to the music of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It was founded in 1900 as the successor to the Bach Gesellschaft, which between 1850 and 19 ...

. The house is over 600 years old and stands near the site of the house in the Rittergasse, which is directly at the back of the museum, where Bach was probably born on 31 March 1685. Today a 2007 expansion has been added to the museum and it holds several artifacts and a variety of 18th and 19th century musical instruments. * The '' Lutherhaus'' at Lutherplatz is one of the oldest

half-timbered Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

buildings remaining in Eisenach.

is said to have lived here as a pupil during his school days in Eisenach from 1498 to 1501 as a guest of the Cotta family. The building was destroyed in a fire in 1944 but had been completely rebuilt by 1966. Currently this house is a museum featuring multimedia exhibits relating to the period. The museum is split into five parts illustrating Luther's life and times as well as his teachings. * ''Automobile Welt'' at Friedrich-Naumann-Straße exhibits the tradition of car production in Eisenach since 1898. It includes the Wartburg cars of 1899–1991, AWE racing cars from 1956 and classic BMW cars. * The ''Thüringer Museum'' inside the palace at Marktplatz is the art-historical museum of Eisenach and has a collection focusing on

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

and art handicrafts. * The ''Reuter-Wagner-Museum'' at Reuterweg hosts an exhibition on the poet Fritz Reuter and the composer

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

. Built by Ludwig Bohnstedt between 1866 and 1868, this

neo-renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

house was the home of Fritz Reuter, a well-known poet of the Low German dialect, from 1868 until his death in 1874. Reuter's home was acquired by the town in 1895 and turned into a memorial. That same year the collection of Nicolaus Oesterlein containing several thousand books on Richard Wagner (virtually the complete primary and secondary literature on Wagner of the 19th century) was added. Since 1997, this collection—the second largest in the world after

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

—has been presented in a new exhibit on the ground floor, which also includes all the material on ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; ), often stylized "The Tannhäuser", was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1265. His name ...

'', an opera set at the Wartburg. * The museum inside the ''Predigerkirche'' at Predigerplatz hosts the medieval art division of the ''Thüringer Museum''. * The ''Goldener Löwe'' at Marienstraße shows an historical exhibition of German social democracy. On 7 August 1869 the Social Democratic Worker's Party (later to become the '' Social-Democratic Party of Germany'') was founded at this site. The "August Bebel Society" offers lectures and seminars on topics of historical and current political interest. File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img14 Bach Museum.jpg, Bachhaus File:Lutherhaus DSCN3667.jpg, Lutherhaus File:ESA AWE.JPG, "Automobile Welt" File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img29 Market Square.jpg, ''Thüringer Museum'' inside the palace File:Eisenach Reuterhaus 2009.jpg, Reuter-Wagner-Museum File:ESA PREDIGERKL14.jpg, Predigerkirche File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img01 Goldener Löwe.jpg, ''Goldener Löwe''

Townscape

The town of Eisenach developed during the Middle Ages at the exit of ''Mariental'' valley, opening to the Hörsel valley around Marktplatz, Karlsplatz and Frauenplan in a triangle structure. The early-modern period brought extensions to the west (Katharinenstraße), to the north (Jakobstraße) and to the east (in front of Nikolaitor gate). The construction boom between 1850 and 1914 led to a strict division in urban development. South of the historic centre, mansion districts were established on the hillsides of Mariental valley, where the rich factory owners, rentiers and other upper-class people lived. These districts are among the most important examples of this urban type in Germany, and one of the largest in Europe. North of the historic centre, next to the railway and Hörsel river, factories and worker quarters were established. These also host some examples of interesting

Gründerzeit The (; ) was a period of Economic history of Europe (1000 AD–present), European economic history in mid- and late-19th century German Empire, Germany and Austria-Hungary between Industrialization in Germany, industrialization and the great P ...

architecture. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the town extended further to the north on the other bank of Hörsel river, where some new residential areas were developed before 1990.

Square ensembles

* ''Karlsplatz'': adjoins the Nikolaikirche (Church of St. Nicholas) and the Romanesque Nikolaitor (St. Nicholas Gate), the only surviving town gate (out of five). The square is seen as the nucleus of the town, it was first mentioned in 1368. * ''Marktplatz'': the market square with the Georgenkirche (Church of St. George), the town hall, the Baroque ''Stadtschloss'', as well as a number of highly decorative administration buildings and merchants' houses. It also features the gilded market fountain designed by Hans Leonardt in 1549, showing St. George, the patron saint of Eisenach. * ''Jakobsplan'': named after a chapel destroyed by fire in the Middle Ages. Jakobsplan comprises a monument to St. George in the centre of the square, part of the old town walls (including one of the watch towers), and the Goethe Garden. * ''Frauenplan'': a small courtyard-type square that takes its name from the "Church of Our Lady". The church was demolished for defence purposes in 1306. Today Frauenplan is the location of the ''Bachhaus'' and the Bach monument in front of it.

Sights and architectural heritage

Churches

* ''St. George's Church'' (Lutheran) at the market square was first built in the 12th century. The church in which St. Elisabeth was married was demolished in 1515 and replaced by a new structure. Martin Luther held a sermon there on 2 May 1521. In 1525, the church was heavily damaged during the ''Bauernkrieg'' and during the Reformation it served as a stables. It was rededicated in 1558. On 23 March 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach was baptized in the church (the 16th century baptismal font still remains). The tower was added in 1898–1902. * ''St. Nicholas' Church'' (Lutheran), located on the Karlsplatz, served the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

convent once located in the area. This triple-naved basilica was built in 1180. It is considered the latest example of

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

in Thuringia. * ''Preachers' Church'' (secularized) at Predigerplatz was part of a former Dominican monastery (founded in 1240 and the only monastery buildings of which remain in the town), today used as a museum for medieval art. * ''St. Elizabeth's Church'' (Roman Catholic) at Sophienstraße is the Catholic parish church of Eisenach, built in neo-Gothic style in the 1880s. * ''St. Anne's Church'' (Lutheran) at Georgenstraße was founded together with a hospital by St. Elizabeth in 1226. * ''St. Clement's Chapel'' (Lutheran) at Clemensstraße is a small 13th century Romanesque chapel. * ''Holy Cross Church'' (secularized) at the old cemetery was built in the 1690s. File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img18 StGeorge Church.jpg, St. George's Church File:ESA Nikolaikirche.jpg, St. Nicholas' Church File:ESA Predigerkloster.jpg, Preachers' Church File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img07 StElisabeth Church.jpg, St. Elizabeth's Church File:ESA Annenkirche.jpg, St. Anne's Church File:Clemenskapelle2.JPG, St. Clement's Chapel File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img31 Cross Church.jpg, Holy Cross Church

Castles and palaces

* The most important castle is the Wartburg above the town. For further information, see:

. * The ''Stadtschloss'' (town palace) is situated at the north end of the Marktplatz and was built between 1742 and 1745. This palace was constructed to the plans of Gottfried Heinrich Krohne, architect of Duke Ernst August I of

. After 1777

frequently stayed here in his capacity as the duke's prime minister. Today the Stadtschloss acts as a venue for special exhibitions and as a museum for artistic and historical artifacts from Thuringia. * ''Hellgrevenhof'' at Georgenstraße is part of a former inner-town castle, named after Heinrich Hellgreve, a rich citizen who lived here in the late 13th century. It consists of five buildings, the oldest dating to around 1200, although it has been modified several times over the centuries. * ''Bechtolsheim Palace'' at Jakobsplan is a neoclassical palace, built in the late 18th century. * ''Schloss Fischbach'' in Fischbach district is a small 17th-century castle. * ''Jagdschloss Hohe Sonne'' is a hunting lodge south of the city in the Thuringian Forest. It was built in the mid-18th century in the Baroque style. * ''Alte Residenz'' at Esplanade is the relic of the former ducal residence, rebuilt in the Renaissance style after older predecessors. File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img23 Wartburg Castle.jpg, Wartburg File:City castle of Eisenach (3).jpg, ''Stadtschloss'' File:ESA Bechtholzheim.jpg, Bechtolsheim Palace File:ESA FISCHBACH.jpg, ''Schloss Fischbach'' File:ESA HOHESONNE2.JPG, ''Jagdschloss Hohe Sonne'' File:ESA RESIDENZHS2.jpg, ''Alte Residenz''

Memorials

* The ''Bach monument'' was constructed in 1884 by Adolf von Donndorf. Financed by other well-known musicians, the more-than-life-size figure portrays Johann Sebastian Bach in his St. Thomas's choir-master's clothes and wig. It is situated on the Frauenplan next to the ''Bachhaus''. * The ''Martin Luther monument'' at Karlsplatz was designed by Adolf von Donndorf and was dedicated on 4 May 1895 on the 374th anniversary of Luther's arrival at Wartburg castle. The more-than-life-size statue of Martin Luther on a pedestal also has reliefs depicting events of his life leading up to and including his stay in Eisenach as well as the title of one of his most famous hymns, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" ("

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (originally written in German with the title "") is one of the best known hymns by the Protestant Reformers, Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymnwriter. Luther wrote the words and composed the hymn ...

"). * The ''Burschenschaftsdenkmal'' (literally: "Monument to Student Fraternities") on Göpelskuppe hill was built in 1902. The monument stands on a hill opposite the Wartburg in memory of the members of the liberal and nationalistic student movement and others who were killed in the struggle for a united Germany between 1864 and 1871. The monument that reaches a height of 33 meters and proclaims "Honour, Freedom, and Fatherland", was dedicated on 22 May 1902 and was extended in 1933 to honour those who fell in World War I. Since reunification, fraternities again have been meeting in Eisenach in memory of the demonstrations held at the Wartburg in the past. * '' The "Dejudaization Institute" Memorial'' was unveiled on May 6, 2019 at the beginning of Bornstrasse. A plaque with text, which is integrated in the memorial, acknowledges the churches’ guilt, summarizes the " Dejudaization Institute’s" work and impact, and remembers the victims of the church's

anti-Judaism Anti-Judaism denotes a spectrum of historical and contemporary ideologies that are fundamentally or partially rooted in opposition to Judaism. It encompasses the rejection or abrogation of the Mosaic covenant and advocates for the superse ...

and

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

. File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img15 Monument to Bach.jpg, Bach monument File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img11 Monument to Luther.jpg, Luther monument File:Burschenschaftsdenkmal 07.jpg, ''Burschenschaftsdenkmal'' File:Eisenach Entjudungsinstitut Gedenktafel Ecke.jpg, "Dejudaization Institute" Memorial

Other sights

* The town walls were built during the 13th century and demolished in the 19th century. Remains visible today are the ''Nikolaitor'' and the ''Glockenturm''. * The ''Kartausgarten'' is all that remains of the original

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...

monastery, consecrated to St. Elizabeth in 1380. In 1700 it became a royal kitchen garden and around 1800 was changed into a park. The "Wandelhalle" (covered walk and foyer), built in 1906, was originally intended as a pump room to a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

planned for Eisenach that never materialised. * The ''town hall'' at Marktplatz was a former wine cellar and became the townhall of Eisenach in 1596. The building, having been destroyed by fire in 1636, was rebuilt in 1641. The southern part of the complex suffered considerable damage in a bombing raid in 1945 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was renovated in 1996 and it now houses the municipal administration offices. * The ''Landestheater'' (state theatre) was established in 1879 by Julius von Eichel-Streiber and constructed to the design of the

architect Karl Weichardt. It was later renovated in 1993. The theatre holds an audience of 600 and has two balconies. * The ''narrow house'' may be the narrowest half-timbered house in Germany. It was built before 1750 and is only 2.05 meters wide. Inside visitors can view a small exhibition. Notably, Bach composed several sonnets here as he liked the acoustics of the house. File:Nikolaitor Eisenach.jpg, Town gate ''Nikolaitor'' File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img05 Wandelhalle.jpg, The ''Wandelhalle'' at Kartausgarten File:Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img06 Old Town Hall.jpg, Town hall File:Landestheater Eisenach.jpg, Theatre File:Eisenach Schmales Haus.jpg, Narrow House

Politics

Mayor and city council

The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was Hans-Peter Brodhun of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who served from 1990 to 2000. He was succeeded by fellow CDU member Gerhard Schneider from 2000 and 2006. Matthias Doht of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(SPD) was elected mayor in 2006. In 2012, Katja Wolf of The Left won the mayoralty, becoming the first female mayor in Eisenach's history. After defecting to the

Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice ( , BSW) is a List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany founded on 8 January 2024. It has been described as a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-le ...

in 2023, she retired as mayor to run for the 2024 Thuringian state election. The most recent mayoral election was held on 26 May 2024, with a runoff held on 9 June, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jonny Kraft , align=left,

, 5,727 , 30.5 , 7,039 , 42.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christoph Ihling , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 7,608 , 40.5 , 9,437 , 57.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Stephan Müller , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

, 5,460 , 29.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 18,795 ! 98.0 ! 16,476 ! 91.7 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 379 ! 2.0 ! 1,482 ! 8.3 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 19,174 ! 100.0 ! 17,958 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 33,161 ! 57.8 ! 33,138 ! 54.2 , - , colspan=7, Source
Wahlen in Thüringen
The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2024, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , align=left, Christoph Ihling , 14,955 , 27.1 , 6.4 , 10 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , align=left, Tim Schnitger , 10,839 , 19.6 , 7.8 , 7 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , align=left, Jonny Kraft , 7,259 , 13.1 , 1.3 , 5 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , align=left, Christiane Leischner , 5,022 , 9.1 , 12.6 , 3 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Homeland (HEIMAT) , align=left, Patrick Wieschke , 4,399 , 8.0 , 2.2 , 3 , 1 , - , , align=left, Citizens for Eisenach (BfE) , align=left, Heike Apel-Spengler , 4,249 , 7.7 , 0.7 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

(Grüne) , align=left, Nele Marie Bär , 4,084 , 7.4 , 2.9 , 3 , 1 , - , , align=left, Voter Group Firefighter (WGF) , align=left, Dieter Suck , 2,143 , 3.9 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , align=left, Gisela Rexrodt , 1,275 , 2.3 , 2.2 , 1 , 1 , - , , align=left, Eisenacher Awakening (EA) , align=left, Katrin Huber , 1,008 , 1.8 , 0.4 , 0 , 1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 55,233 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=3, Invalid ballots ! 479 ! 2.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=3, Total ballots ! 19,059 ! 100.0 ! ! 36 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 33,162 ! 57.5 ! 0.4 ! ! , - , colspan=8, Source
Wahlen in Thüringen

Twin towns – sister cities

Eisenach is twinned with: *

, Germany (1988) * Sedan, France (1991) * Waverly, Iowa, United States (1992) *

Skanderborg Skanderborg is a town in Skanderborg Municipality, Denmark. It is situated on the north and north eastern brinks of Skanderborg Lake and there are several smaller ponds and bodies of water within the city itself, like Lillesø, Sortesø, Døj S ...

, Denmark (1993) *

Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...

, Belarus (1996) *

Sárospatak Sárospatak (; ; Serbian language, Serbian: Муд Стреам; Slovak language, Slovakian: ''Šarišský Potok, Blatný Potok)'' History The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Sárospatak was granted town status in 1201 by Emeric ...

, Hungary (2008)

Infrastructure

Transport

Thuringia Eisenach asv2020-07 img32 Railway station

Eisenach is connected by the

and Halle/

to the east and to

and

to the west. Furthermore, there is the Werra Railway, a former main-line railway between north and south Germany from Eisenach via

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 26,000 (2024).

Eisfeld Eisfeld is a town and a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...

, which since the division of Germany after World War II has served only for regional transport. At the former inner German border, it is still interrupted between Eisfeld and

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

, but rebuilding is in discussion. Eisenach Hauptbahnhof is a stop of all long-distance trains from Frankfurt to Leipzig/

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, running once an hour. Local trains, also once an hour, start in Eisenach to Halle via Erfurt, to

Sonneberg Sonneberg () in Thuringia, Germany, is the seat of the Sonneberg district. It is in the Franconian south of Thuringia, neighboring its Upper Franconian twin town Neustadt bei Coburg. Sonneberg became known as the "world toy city", and is home ...

via Meiningen and Eisfeld and to

Bebra Bebra () is a small town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Bebra lies some south of Kassel on the Fulda River, Fulda. The town is easy to find on most maps thanks to its prominent location on the ' ...

via

. Freight transport is important at Eisenach's Opel factory which has its own terminal. Further local passenger stations are Eisenach-West, Eisenach-Opelwerk and Hörschel. Eisenach is located on the

Bundesautobahn 4 is an autobahn in two discontinuous segments that crosses Germany in a west–east direction. The western segment has a length of , while the part in the east is long. Route The western A 4 starts north-west of Aachen, where the A ...

from Frankfurt in the west to Erfurt and Dresden in the east. Since 2010, the Autobahn has been moved to a new route farther away from the town to protect the residents from noise and air pollution. Moreover, it was not possible to expand the old route because of the mountainous topography. After 2010, parts of the old route became a town highway, whereas other parts were renaturalized. A second Autobahn between Eisenach and Kassel is in construction (

Bundesautobahn 44 is a German Autobahn. It consists of three main sections and a few smaller sections. It begins in Aachen at the German–Belgian border (A3 motorway (Belgium), Belgian motorway A3) and ends near Kassel (Bundesautobahn 7). Before German unificat ...

). There are four

Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' are labelled with re ...

n connecting Eisenach: The Bundesstraße 7 runs to Kassel in the north-west, whereas its eastern branch to

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

was annulled in 2010. The Bundesstraße 19 leads to Meiningen in the south, the

Bundesstraße 84 Bundesstraße 84 or B84 is a federal road in Lower Saxony, Germany. It connects Hünfeld in Hesse via Eisenach with Ebeleben in Thuringia. It comes off of the B4, which is located west of Dedelstorf towards the east. It then goes through: Wi ...

Bad Langensalza Bad Langensalza (; until 1956: Langensalza) is a spa town of 17,500 inhabitants in the Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Unstrut-Hainich district, Thuringia, central Germany. Geography Location Bad Langensalza is located in the Thuringian Basin, the fe ...

in the north-east and to

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

via Vacha in the south-west and the Bundesstraße 88 is a connection to

Ilmenau Ilmenau () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany. It is the largest town within the Ilm district with a population of 38,600, while the district capital is Arnstadt. Ilmenau is located approximately south of Erfurt and north of Nuremberg w ...

in the south-east. Furthermore, there are two important secondary roads to

Mühlhausen Mühlhausen () is a town in the north-west of Thuringia, Germany, north of Niederdorla, the country's Central Germany (geography)#Geographical centre, geographical centre, north-west of Erfurt, east of Kassel and south-east of Göttingen ...

via Mihla in the north and to

in the west through the Hörsel valley. Downtown traffic is concentrated on Rennbahn street, which often leads to congestion due to a large number of commuters and the town's narrow topography. The next local airports are the Erfurt-Weimar Airport, about to the east and the

Kassel Calden Airport Kassel Airport (formerly ''Kassel-Calden Airport'', German ''Flughafen Kassel'') is a minor international airport serving the German city of Kassel in the state of Hesse. It is located west of Calden, northwest of Kassel and is mainly used for b ...

, roughly to the north-west. Both offer service to tourist destinations. The next major international airport is

Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt Airport ( ) , is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airpor ...

, circa to the south-west. Kindel Airfield, east of Eisenach, is a former Soviet military base, today used for private aviation. Biking is getting more and more popular since the construction of quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. Long distance trails include the ''Werra trail'', the ''

Rennsteig The () is a ridge walk as well as a historical boundary path in the Thuringian Forest, Thuringian Highland and Franconian Forest in Central Germany. The long-distance trail runs for about from and the valley in the northwest to and the ...

trail'' and the ''Radweg Thüringer Städtekette'' ("Thuringian town string trail"). These all connect points of touristic interest, the first along the

valley from the

to the

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

river in Hann. Münden, the second through the Thuringian Forest along its crest to the

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale ( ) and Thuringian Saale (), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fränkische Saale, Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the M ...

river near Hof and the third follows near the medieval

from the Werra valley/Eisenach via Gotha, Erfurt and

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...

. Public transport in Eisenach is by a bus network servicing the downtown areas as well as the neighbouring towns and villages. The three-line tramway system of Eisenach was in operation between 1897 and 1975.

Education

After reunification, the educational system was reformed. Eisenach currently has six state-run and one Protestant primary schools. There are two types of secondary school in Germany. The gymnasium prepares students for higher education at a university and students graduate after a total of 12 or 13 years of education with an

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

. There are two public and one evangelical gymnasium in Eisenach named after personalities of the cities history: * ''Elisabeth Gymnasium'' (named after St. Elisabeth. This public gymnasium is partner school for the handball project of the local ThSV Eisenach handball club which is one of clubs playing in Germany's first league ('' Handball Bundesliga''). Students can specialise in science, languages or music & art and are offered an intense course in economics & law in year 11 and 12). * ''Ernst Abbe Gymnasium'' (named after

Ernst Abbe Ernst Karl Abbe (23 January 1840 – 14 January 1905) was a German businessman, optical engineer, physicist, and social reformer. Together with Otto Schott and Carl Zeiss, he developed numerous optical instruments. He was also a co-owner of Ca ...

. This public gymnasium offers specialisations in science and languages and offers its student a ''MINT'' – math, IT, science, technology – certificate, similar to a degree in

STEM fields Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context o ...

. * ''Luther Gymnasium'' (named after

. In addition to its religious focus, this Protestant gymnasium offers specialisations in science and languages. Career guidance and a diaconal internship are part of year 11 and 12). Another form of secondary school is the ''

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

'' where students graduate after a total of ten years of education. There are four public and one free sponsored ''Realschulen'' in Eisenach. In addition, there is one Waldorf school where education spans from primary school to gymnasium. In 1998, the '' Berufsakademie Eisenach'' was founded. The roughly 600 students can obtain a bachelor's degree there, either in economics or in technics.

Sport

ThSV Eisenach is a professional

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

club that plays in the second division.

Notable people

(1840–1905), physicist and entrepreneur *

(1685–1750), composer of the baroque, organist and harpsichordist * Eleonore Heerwart (1835–1911), educator * St. Elisabeth (1207–1231), princess of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

and Catholic saint * Ingedore Grünfeld Villaça Koch (1933–2018), German-Brazilian linguist * Harry Lange (film designer) (1930–2008) * Heinrich Liebe (1908–1997), navy officer *

(1483–1546), professor of theology, reformer *

Christian Franz Paullini Christian Franz Paullini (25 February 1643 – 10 June 1712) was a German physician, theologian, and writer. Biography Paullini was born in Eisenach to a family of merchants and scholars. His parents wanted him to become a priest and his initia ...

(1643–1712), physician and polymath *

Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben __NOTOC__ Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben (30 October 1894 – 18 June 1964) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. Biography Schlieben joined the Prussian Army in August 1914 and served during World War I. He served as a regimen ...

(1894–1964), German general * Hermann Wislicenus (1825–1899), painter

Sons and daughters of the town

* Johann Ernst Bach (1722–1777), composer, court and municipal organist at the Church of St. Georg in Eisenach * Charlotte von Stein (1742–1827), close friend of Goethe * Johann Georg Bach (1751–1797), court and municipal organist at the Church of St. Georg in Eisenach *

Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz (27 December 1796 – 2 August 1877) was a Prussian '' Generalfeldmarschall''. He was born at Eisenach and joined the army of Prussia during the War of Liberation. Over the Seven Weeks' War he led the V Corp ...

(1796–1877), Prussian field marshall * Hermann Hahn (born 1841), architect * Walter Flex (1887–1917), World War I poet *

Hans Severus Ziegler Hans Severus Ziegler (13 October 1893 – 1 May 1978) was a German publicist, theater manager, teacher and Nazi Party official. A leading cultural director under the Nazis, he was closely associated with the censorship and cultural co-ordination of ...

(1893–1978), writer and director * Eugen Glückauf (1906–1981), chemist and expert on nuclear power * Botho Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein (1927–2008), politician and resistance fighter *

Sabine Bergmann-Pohl Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (née Schulz; ; born 20 April 1946) is a German doctor and politician. A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), she was president of the People's Chamber of East Germany from April to October 1990. Dur ...

(born 1946), doctor and politician ( CDU) * Thomas C. Breuer (born 1952), writer and comedian * Thomas Reuter (born 1952), composer * Oliver Schwerdt (born 1979), jazz pianist and musicologist *

Johannes Voigtmann Johannes "Jo" Voigtmann (born 30 September 1992) is a German professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He is also a member of the senior German national team. He is 2.11 m ta ...

(born 1992), basketball player

References

External links

*
Info-Portal EisenachOnline

Burschenschaftsdenkmal

Lokalradio Wartburg-Radio 96,5

Landestheater Eisenach
{{Authority control Burial sites of the House of Leiningen Burial sites of the Ludovingians Holocaust locations in Germany Martin Luther Opel