Louis the Springer laid the foundation around 1067, and Bruno, Bishop of Merseburg, first mentioned the castle in writing in 1080. The Palas, the largest structure, was built in late Romanesque style between 1157 and 1170. The article calls it the best-preserved non-ecclesial Romanesque building north of the Alps. The castle stands at 1,350 feet (410 m) on a precipice.
Martin Luther stayed here from May 1521 to March 1522 under the name Junker Jörg. Grand Duke Karl Alexander ordered a Neo-Romanesque reconstruction in 1838, led by Hugo von Ritgen, whose work was finished a year after his death in 1889. The keep was completed in 1859.
The Singers' Hall holds Moritz von Schwind's frescoes of the Sängerkrieg. Most of the castle's wall paintings are 19th-century work, not medieval. UNESCO inscribed Wartburg in 1999, and guided tours give access to the interiors.
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