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82-591: The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (German: V ereinigte E vangelisch- L utherische K irche D eutschlands, VELKD) was founded on July 8, 1948, in Eisenach , Germany . Its total membership is 7.5 million people. All its member churches belong to the Protestant Church in Germany , with which it co-operates closely. In 2018 it has been reduced from an independent legal entity to an administrative unit within

164-414: A nun . These vows included celibacy , as well as complete obedience to Konrad as her confessor and spiritual director . Konrad's treatment of Elizabeth was extremely harsh, and he held her to standards of behavior which were almost impossible to meet. Among the punishments he is alleged to have ordered were physical beatings; he also ordered her to send away her three children. Her pledge to celibacy proved

246-511: A saint by the Catholic Church . She was an early member of the Third Order of St. Francis , and is today honored as its patroness . Elizabeth was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Merania . Her mother's sister was Hedwig of Andechs , wife of Duke Henry I of Silesia . Her ancestry included many notable figures of European royalty, going back as far as Vladimir

328-718: A Saint ), starring Sabrina Weckerlin as Elizabeth, Armin Kahn as Ludwig, and Chris Murray as Konrad, premiered in Eisenach in 2007. It was performed in Eisenach and Marburg for two years, and closed in Eisenach in July 2009. The entire Third Order of St. Francis, both the friars and sisters of the Third Order Regular and the Secular Franciscan Order , joined in this celebration through a two-year-long program of study of her life. This

410-458: A ducal residence again for the house of Saxe-Eisenach . Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685, when it was a part of the Holy Roman Empire . His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach worked here as a musician at that time. Other famous composers and musicians associated with Eisenach during that period were Johann Pachelbel , Johann Christoph Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann . As

492-480: A future union which would reinforce political alliances between the two families. She was raised by the Thuringian court and would have been familiar with the local language and culture. In 1221, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth married Louis; the same year he was enthroned as landgrave , and the marriage appears to have been happy. In 1223, Franciscan friars arrived, and the teenage Elizabeth not only learned about

574-439: A hindrance to her family's political ambitions. Elizabeth was more or less held hostage at Pottenstein , the castle of her uncle, Bishop Ekbert of Bamberg, in an effort to force her to remarry. Elizabeth, however, held fast to her vow, even threatening to cut off her own nose so that no man would find her attractive enough to marry. Elizabeth's second child Sophie of Thuringia (1224–1275) married Henry II, Duke of Brabant , and

656-410: 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 831 millimeters (32.7 in) 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. Eisenach has always been one of

738-427: 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 . 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

820-589: Is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 18 November and in the Episcopal Church on 19 November . After her death, Elizabeth was commonly associated with the Third Order of Saint Francis , the primarily lay branch of the Franciscan Order, which has helped propagate her cult. Whether she ever actually joined the order, only recently founded in 1221, the year when she married Louis at

902-481: Is in construction ( Bundesautobahn 44 ). There are four Bundesstraßen connecting Eisenach: The Bundesstraße 7 runs to Kassel in the north-west, whereas its eastern branch to Gotha was annulled in 2010. The Bundesstraße 19 leads to Meiningen in the south, the Bundesstraße 84 to Bad Langensalza in the north-east and to Fulda via Vacha in the south-west and the Bundesstraße 88 is a connection to Ilmenau in

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984-579: Is located on the Bundesautobahn 4 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

1066-465: Is now a Protestant church, but has spaces set aside for Catholic worship. Elizabeth's shrine became one of the main German centers of pilgrimage of the 14th century and early 15th century. During the course of the 15th century, the popularity of the cult of Saint Elizabeth slowly faded, though to some extent this was mitigated by an aristocratic devotion to St Elizabeth, since through her daughter Sophia she

1148-803: Is the Realschule 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. Elizabeth of Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary ( German : Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen , Hungarian : Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet , Slovak : Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská ; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Elisabeth of Thuringia ,

1230-508: Is the part of Thuringia with the strongest economic base. Agriculture is not very important in Eisenach, because of the hilly terrain, the—compared to central Thuringia further east—less fertile soil and the relatively humid climate. However, 43% of the total municipal territory are in agricultural use, mostly as maize and rapeseed 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

1312-459: Is unknown. An 8th century Frankish settlement near Petersberg hill is regarded as the nucleus of Eisenach. However, there are no written sources about that early period. According to legend, Louis the Springer began in 1067 to establish Wartburg 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

1394-534: The 2011 EU census ). Differing from the national average, the biggest groups of migrants in Eisenach are Vietnamese , Russians and Ukrainians . Due to the official atheism of the former German Democratic Republic , 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). The region around Eisenach

1476-682: The Bible into German. In 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach was born here. During the early modern period , Eisenach was a residence of the Ernestine Wettins and was visited by numerous representatives of Weimar classicism like Johann Wolfgang Goethe . In 1869, the SDAP , one of the two precursors of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) was founded in Eisenach. Car production is an important industry in Eisenach. The Automobilwerk Eisenach

1558-801: The Ernestine line of the Wettins. Between 1498 and 1501, the young Martin Luther attended the St. George's Latin school in Eisenach in preparation for his following studies at the University of Erfurt . In 1521/22 he was hidden by Frederick the Wise at Wartburg castle to protect him from the Imperial ban . In that time, Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German, in what

1640-526: The Ludowingians , 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 supposedly took place at Wartburg castle. In 1221, St. Elizabeth married Landgrave Louis' IV and she lived in Eisenach or at Wartburg castle until 1228. Later, she became the patroness of Thuringia and Hesse. In 1247,

1722-509: The Saale river near Hof and the third follows near the medieval Via Regia from the Werra valley/Eisenach via Gotha, Erfurt and Weimar to Altenburg . 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. After reunification, the educational system

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1804-543: The Second World War , 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, around 4,000 forced labourers (most of them from the Soviet Union ) were pressed to work in the town's factories, where some of them died due to the bad working conditions. Postwar,

1886-525: The Wartburg Festival took place in Eisenach, a meeting of students advocating moves towards a more liberal, constitutional state and a unification of Germany . 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 to Erfurt and Halle / Leipzig in

1968-607: The miracle of the roses to Elizabeth's childhood in Sárospatak and has her leave Hungary at the age of five. According to a different tradition she was born in Pozsony , Hungary (present-day Bratislava , Slovakia ), where she lived in the Castle of Posonium until the age of four. Elizabeth was brought to the court of the rulers of Thuringia in central Germany, to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia (also known as Ludwig IV),

2050-623: The 700-year anniversary of her death, Hungary issued a set of four stamps in her honor: on 21 April 1932; on 1 August 1944 one postage stamp was issued; on 16 July 1938 Czechoslovakia issued a stamp in her honor showing the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth in Košice . She was declared the patron saint of the same city in 2019. The hymn " Wenn das Brot, das wir teilen ", written for a pilgrimage to places in Thuringia connected to her life, refers to her Miracle of

2132-543: The Eisenach dukes died out in 1741, the town and the state became part of Saxe-Weimar . Nevertheless, the cultural life stayed unimpaired. The coterie around the poet Julie von Bechtolsheim  [ de ] met up with famous personalities like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Christoph Martin Wieland in Eisenach. From 1809 to 1918, Eisenach was part of the Duchy (after 1815 Grand Duchy) of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach . In 1817,

2214-655: The Great of the Kievan Rus' . According to tradition, she was born in Hungary , possibly in the castle of Sárospatak , on 7 July 1207. However, a sermon printed in 1497 by the Franciscan friar Osvaldus de Lasco , a church official in Hungary, is the first source to specifically name Sárospatak as Elizabeth's birthplace, potentially building on local tradition. Osvaldus also translates

2296-876: The Ludowingians died out which led to the War of the Thuringian Succession between the Wettins and Duchess Sophie of Brabant . As a consequence, the landgraviate was divided. Eisenach and the eastern parts went to the Wettins (later becoming Thuringia) and Kassel , Marburg 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

2378-687: The Nazis during Kristallnacht in November 1938. Most Jews emigrated at that time, others were deported to concentration camps and murdered there. During Nazi Germany the Institute for the Study and Elimination of Jewish Influence on German Church Life , an antisemitic propaganda institute, was set up in Eisenach by eleven German Protestant churches, founded at the instigation of the German Christian movement . Before

2460-541: The Wartburg castle was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Nevertheless, the financial situation of Eisenach remained difficult, unemployment stayed above average and car production suffered from the business problems of Opel. Eisenach is situated at the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest , at an elevation of about 220 m. The terrain is hilly, to the south also mountainous (up to 460 m of elevation), with

2542-458: 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 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

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2624-656: The abbey of Reinhardsbrunn . After Louis' death, his brother, Henry Raspe , assumed the regency during the minority of Elizabeth's eldest child, Hermann (1222–1241). After bitter arguments over the disposal of her dowry—a conflict in which Konrad was appointed as the official Defender of her case by Pope Gregory IX —Elizabeth left the court at Wartburg and moved to Marburg in Hesse . Her move seems to have been partly influenced by Konrad's strict dietary commands, which could not be met at Wartburg. Following her husband's death, Elizabeth made solemn vows to Konrad similar to those of

2706-514: The age of fourteen, is not proven to everyone's satisfaction. It must be kept in mind though that the Third Order was such a new development in the Franciscan movement, that no one official ritual had been established at that point. Elizabeth clearly had a ceremony of consecration in which she adopted a Franciscan religious habit in her new way of life, as noted above. Because of her support of

2788-555: The central Hörsel valley crossing the town in east-western 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. Approximately 7 km (4 mi) west of

2870-679: The church of the Carmelites in Brussels ; another in the magnificent chapel of La Roche-Guyon , and a considerable part in a precious shrine is in the electoral treasury of Hanover. Another part of her relics were taken to Bogotá , then the capital of the Spanish New Kingdom of Granada , by friar Luis Zapata de Cárdenas . The relics are today inside a chapel dedicated to the saint in the Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá . Elizabeth of Hungary

2952-737: The construction of quality cycle tracks began in the 1990s. Long distance trails include the Werra trail , the Rennsteig trail and the Radweg Thüringer Städtekette ("Thuringian town string trail"). These all connect points of touristic interest, the first along the Werra valley from the Thuringian Forest to the Weser river in Hann. Münden , the second through the Thuringian Forest along its crest to

3034-576: The crowned agate chalice in which her head rested, but returned it after being imprisoned by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor . The reliquary chalice was subsequently plundered by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War , and is now on display at the Swedish History Museum . Her skull and some of her bones can be seen at the convent in Vienna bearing her name. A portion of her relics were kept in

3116-485: The east and in 1849 to Kassel and Frankfurt in the west. In 1858, the Werra Railway to Lichtenfels (and further to Nuremberg ) was opened. In August 1869, the leading socialists August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht founded the 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

3198-484: The east and the Kassel Calden Airport , roughly 90 km (56 mi) to the north-west. Both offer service to tourist destinations. The next major international airport is Frankfurt Airport , circa 200 km (124 mi) to the south-west. Kindel Airfield, 12 km (7 mi) east of Eisenach, is a former Soviet military base, today used for private aviation. Biking is getting more and more popular since

3280-438: 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

3362-517: The eyes of his soul, and instead of a leper he saw the figure of Christ crucified stretched upon the bed." This story also appears in Franz Liszt 's oratorio about Elizabeth. Elizabeth died in Marburg at the age of twenty-four, on 17 November 1231. Very soon after the death of Elizabeth, miracles were reported that happened at her grave in the church of the hospital, especially those of healing. On

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3444-561: The former inner German border, it is still interrupted between Eisfeld and Coburg , but rebuilding is in discussion. Eisenach station is a stop of all long-distance trains from Frankfurt to Leipzig/ Dresden , running once an hour. Local trains, also once an hour, start in Eisenach to Halle via Erfurt, to Sonneberg via Meiningen and Eisfeld and to Bebra via Gerstungen . 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

3526-446: The friars sent to Thuringia, she was made known to the founder, St Francis of Assisi , who sent her a personal message of blessing shortly before his death in 1226. Upon her canonization, she was declared the patron saint of the Third Order of St Francis, an honor she shares with St Louis IX of France . Saint Elizabeth is often depicted holding a basket of bread, or some other sort of food or beverage, characteristic of her devotion to

3608-490: 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 architecture. After World War I ,

3690-485: The ideals of Francis of Assisi , but started to live them. Louis was not upset by his wife's charitable efforts, believing that the distribution of his wealth to the poor would bring eternal reward; he is venerated in Thuringia as a saint, though he was never canonized by the church. It was also about this time that the priest and later inquisitor Konrad von Marburg gained considerable influence over Elizabeth when he

3772-463: The inner town the following rural districts (all of them were incorporated in 1994): The village of Fischbach was incorporated in 1922 and is a part of the inner town today. Eisenach has a humid continental climate (Dfb) or an oceanic climate ( Cfb ) according to the Köppen climate classification system. Summers are warm and sometimes humid, winters are relatively cold. The town's topography creates

3854-588: The larger Protestant Church in Germany . The seat of the VELKD is in Hanover . The leading bishop (German: Leitender Bischof ) is Ralf Meister . This article relating to Lutheranism is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Eisenach Eisenach was an early capital of Thuringia in the 12th and 13th centuries. St.   Elizabeth lived at the court of the Ludowingians here between 1211 and 1228. Later, Martin Luther came to Eisenach and translated

3936-543: The larger towns in Thuringia with 4,000 to 5,000 inhabitants during the Middle Ages. By 1800, the population rose to 8,000 and further to 10,000 as industrialisation started around 1850. In 1875, the town had 16,000 inhabitants, 30,000 in 1900, 43,000 in 1925 and more than 50,000 in 1940, as the peak was reached. Like the 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

4018-406: The last few years (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 situated within the administrative town borders. The birth deficit was 240 in 2012, or -5.7 per 1,000 inhabitants (Thuringian average: -4.5; national average: -2.4). The net migration rate

4100-540: The managing director of the BMW aircraft engine 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

4182-508: The most tormented slaves under the sun." The year 2007 was proclaimed Elizabeth Year in Marburg. All year, events commemorating Elizabeth's life and works were held, culminating in a town-wide festival to celebrate the 800th anniversary of her birth on 7 July 2007. Pilgrims came from all over the world for the occasion, which ended with a special service in the Elisabeth Church that evening. A new musical based on Elizabeth's life, Elisabeth--die Legende einer Heiligen ( Elizabeth--Legend of

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4264-533: The next 40 years and the population declined through that period. Nevertheless, Eisenach remained an important industrial location. The BMW car factory was socialized and under the new name EMW produced the Wartburg , 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

4346-433: The north, Hörselberg-Hainich and Wutha-Farnroda in the east and Marksuhl , Wolfsburg-Unkeroda and Gerstungen in the south (all situated in the district Wartburgkreis ) and Werra-Meißner-Kreis ( Hesse , municipality of Herleshausen in the west). The municipal border between Eisenach and Herleshausen was part of the inner German border / Iron Curtain from 1949 to 1990. The municipality of Eisenach includes beside

4428-405: The north, Eisenach benefitted from substantial west-east trade along Via Regia from Frankfurt to Erfurt and Leipzig 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

4510-504: The northwest of the town, after the Wartburg 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 . BMW 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

4592-404: 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 to Eisenach after their emancipation in the early 19th century. The new synagogue was built in 1885 and destroyed by

4674-555: The poor and hungry. The "miracle of the roses" has also proved a popular theme for artists. Peter Janssens composed a musical play ("Musikspiel") Elisabeth von Thüringen in 1984 on a libretto by Hermann Schulze-Berndt  [ de ] . In Charlotte Brontë 's novel Villette , the Protestant narrator includes the story of Elizabeth's involvement with von Marburg as one of several Catholic stories of confessors "who had wickedly abused their office, trampling to deep degradation high-born ladies, making of countesses and princesses

4756-470: The poor in secret, she met her husband Louis on a hunting party (or in some versions Louis' brother Heinrich Raspe), to quell suspicions of the gentry that she was stealing treasure from the castle, asked her to reveal what was hidden under her cloak. In that moment, her cloak fell open and a vision of white and red roses could be seen, which proved to Louis that God's protecting hand was at work. However, this contradicts her vitae , which state that her husband

4838-444: The poor. Elizabeth's life changed irrevocably on 11 September 1227 when Louis, en route to join the Sixth Crusade , died of a fever in Otranto , Italy , just a few weeks before the birth of her daughter Gertrude. Upon hearing the news of her husband's death, the 20-year-old Elizabeth reportedly said, "He is dead. He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today." His remains were returned to Elizabeth in 1228 and entombed at

4920-404: 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. The Wartburg castle is, aside from Weimar , the most-visited tourist attraction in Thuringia. Further sights are: Eisenach hosts a number of museums: The town of Eisenach developed during the Middle Ages at

5002-430: The sick with the money from her dowry, where she and her companions cared for them. The popular legend of the miracle of the roses was originally attributed to Elizabeth of Portugal , is absent from Elizabeth of Thuringia's earliest hagiography and was only later attributed to the latter. It also appears in that of many other saints. The version attributing it to Elizabeth of Hungary states that, while taking bread to

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5084-416: The south-east. Furthermore, there are two important secondary roads to Mühlhausen via Mihla in the north and to Herleshausen 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 50 km (31 mi) to

5166-449: The suggestion of Konrad, and by papal command, examinations were held of those who had been healed between August 1232 and January 1235. The results of those examinations was supplemented by a brief vita of the saint-to-be, and together with the testimony of Elizabeth's handmaidens and companions (bound in a booklet called the Libellus de dictis quatuor ancillarum s. Elizabeth confectus ), proved sufficient reason for quick canonization. She

5248-424: The town centre runs the wide Werra valley, where the Hörsel river enters this bigger river near Hörschel district. The southern municipal territory is covered with forest, same as some smaller parts north of the Hörsel river. The Hainich mountains begin 10 km (6 mi) north-east of Eisenach. Eisenach abuts the municipalities Krauthausen , Mihla , Lauterbach , Bischofroda and Berka vor dem Hainich in

5330-425: The town extended further to the north on the other bank of Hörsel river, where some new residential areas were developed before 1990. 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 (SPD)

5412-427: 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 Inner German border 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

5494-495: Was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 24 May 1235. The papal bull declaring her a saint is on display in the Schatzkammer of the Deutschordenskirche in Vienna . Her body was laid in a magnificent golden shrine—still to be seen today—in the Elisabethkirche in Marburg. Marburg became a center of the Teutonic Order , which adopted Saint Elizabeth as its secondary patroness. The Order remained in Marburg until its official dissolution by Napoleon in 1803. The Elisabethkirche

5576-489: 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 in 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

5658-403: Was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary and the landgravine of Thuringia . Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. After her husband's death, she regained her dowry , using the money to build a hospital where she herself served the sick. She became a symbol of Christian charity after her death in 1231 at the age of 24 and was canonized on 25 May 1235. She is venerated as

5740-425: Was an ancestor of many leading aristocratic German families. Three hundred years after her death, one of Elizabeth's many descendants, Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse , a leader of the Protestant Reformation , raided the church in Marburg. He demanded that the Teutonic Order hand over Elizabeth's bones, in order to disperse her relics and thus put an end to the already declining pilgrimages to Marburg. Philip took away

5822-437: 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

5904-587: Was appointed as her confessor . In the spring of 1226, when floods, famine and plague wrought havoc in Thuringia, Louis, a staunch supporter of the Hohenstaufen Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor , represented Frederick II at the Imperial Diet held in Cremona . Elizabeth assumed control of affairs at home and distributed alms in all parts of their territory, even giving away state robes and ornaments to

5986-442: 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 in 1990, the economic situation changed. The car factory was taken over by Opel , 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

6068-584: Was conducted throughout the Order, across the globe. There were also religious ceremonies held worldwide during that period. The yearlong observance of the centennial which began on her feast day in 2007 was closed at the General Chapter of the Order, held in Budapest in 2008. The New York region of the Order produced a movie of her life, produced by a sister of the Order, Lori Pieper. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary: On

6150-496: 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 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: The most recent city council election

6232-779: Was founded in 1896. In the German Democratic Republic , the Wartburg was produced here, before the factory was acquired by Opel in 1990. Eisenach is situated on the Hörsel river, a tributary of the Werra between the Thuringian Forest in the south, the Hainich mountains in the north-east and the East Hesse Highlands in the north-west. Since January 2021, it is part of the Wartburgkreis . Eisenach's origin and early history

6314-475: Was held on 26 May 2024, and the results were as follows: Eisenach is twinned with: Eisenach is connected by the Thuringian Railway to Erfurt and Halle / Leipzig to the east and to Kassel and Frankfurt to the west. Furthermore, there is the Werra Railway , a former main-line railway between north and south Germany from Eisenach via Meiningen to Eisfeld , which since the division of Germany after World War II has served only for regional transport. At

6396-457: Was never troubled by her charity and always supported it. Another story told of Elizabeth, also found in Dietrich of Apolda's Vita , relates how she laid the leper Helias of Eisenach in the bed she shared with her husband. Her mother-in-law, who was horrified, told this immediately to Louis on his return. When Louis removed the bedclothes in great indignation, at that instant "Almighty God opened

6478-551: Was referred to as "Isinacha". During the 1180s, the town was established by the construction of three independent market settlements around the Saturday's market (today's Karlsplatz), the Wednesday's market (today's Frauenplan) and the Monday's market (today's Marktplatz). Due to its convenient location at a bottleneck between the Thuringian Forest in the south and the Hainich mountains in

6560-445: 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 . There are two public and one evangelical gymnasium in Eisenach named after personalities of the cities history: Another form of secondary school

6642-512: Was the ancestress of the Landgraves of Hesse, since in the War of the Thuringian Succession she won Hesse for her son Heinrich I , called the Child . Elizabeth's third child, Gertrude of Altenberg (1227–1297), was born several weeks after the death of her father; she became abbess of the monastery of Altenberg Abbey, Hesse near Wetzlar . Elizabeth built a hospital at Marburg for the poor and

6724-476: Was the period with the fastest urban growth in Eisenach. The Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach (FFE), later Automobilwerk Eisenach , basis of car production in Eisenach, was founded in 1896, the first trams ran in 1897, the Burschenschaftsdenkmal  [ de ] ("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

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