Wartburg, The

The, a castle of Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the summit of a huge rock, half an hour's climb, near the town of Eisenach. It is the ancient seat of the dukes of Saxe-Weimar. It was built in the latter half of the eleventh century. The hall of the Wartburg was noted for the poetic contests of the Minnesingers. In 1206 a famous trial of poets, known as the War of the Minnesingers, was held here. A German poem of the name describes the events of the great contest. In 1521 Frederick the Wise of Saxony pretended to capture Martin Luther on his return from the Diet of Worms and sheltered him in the Wartburg for nearly a year. Luther's room, table, chair, and footstool are still shown the tourist. See Saxony; Luther; Minnesingers