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Eisenach

© John L. Hoh, Jr.

Nestling between the gently rolling hills of the Thuringian Forest Eisenach is located in Thüringen (Thuringia), the German state bordering Sachsen-Anhalt. Its history includes religious, political, and musical figures. The town is probably best known for the Wartburg Castle. The castle was the stomping grounds for feudal knights, the home of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and a hideout for Martin Luther after his excommunication.

Martin Luther went to school in Eisenach during part of his childhood. In an even earlier irony, Luther's mother, Margarethe, nee Ziegler, was born and raised in Eisenach. No doubt the presence of relatives weighed heavily in Hans and Margarethe Luther's decision to send their son to the school in 1498. The other factor may have been that ten percent of the population of 4000 belonged to the clergy. Here Luther learned advanced grammar, rhetoric (public speaking), and poetry for three years. Although this curriculum was to prepare Luther for the legal profession, it would serve him well in the ministry. It was in Eisenach that Luther stayed at the famed Frau Cotta home.

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach. The house where he was born is marked, and there is a memorial to him near the Fischmarkt. The birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach at the foot of the Wartburg is not just a charming place to visit, but was also the home of the Bach family for many years.

Eisenach was the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. The famous Wartburg Castle overlooks Eisenach from the top of the mountain (Luther translated the New Testament into German here). Bach visited the same Eisenacher Georgenschule (also called Eisenach's Lateinschule) as Luther did about 190 years before. Johan Sebastian's father, Johann Ambrosius Bach (1645-1695), twin brother of Johann Christoph, lived here since 1671 as string player, town piper and court trumpeter, that is as a higher ranking city musician. In 1668, he married Elisabeth Lämmerhirt (1644-1694) from Erfurt, who also grew up in a musical family. Johann Sebastian was born as their eight child on 21 March 1685. His two godfathers, who gave their name to the child, were Sebastian Nagel, town piper of Gotha, and Johann Georg Koch, a ducal forrester in Eisenach. Johann Sebastian was baptized in the Georgenkirche (St. George's church). The baptismal entry is dated 23 March 1685. The official Bachhaus at Frauenplan 21, now a museum, is no longer believed to be Johann Sebastian's birthplace. A more likely candidate is a place at Lutherstrasse, where most of the house from Bach's time disappeared.