Classical Road Scholars

EISENACH, Germany —  “You are late!” bellowed the cashier in this former East German town.

“But the hotel manager promised an English-speaking tour guide would be waiting for us,” I said as we paid for entrance into the 900-year-old Wartburg castle. Her ruddy face grew redder. “Well, now he is gone.” We were six minutes late in a country where the national pastime is punctuality.

My two daughters and I were the only Americans on this castle-crowned mountaintop along the “Classical Road,” so called because the area was a wellspring of musical, artistic and intellectual innovation in the 17th century. English is a rare commodity in this section of the country w here, until the Wall came down in November 1989, the second language of choice was Russian. My halting German would have to suffice.

Snow had fallen the night before and the December air was so cold that ice froze onto every branch and twig, creating a crystal fantasy land so beautiful that we had lingered to take picture after picture on the steep pathway to the castle entrance. Marisa, then 14, and Talia, then 8, decided the upcoming tour of one of Germany’s best-preserved castles would pale in comparison to the experience of walking through this shimmering forest.

But Wartburg castle was equally awesome. In the 1300s it was a center for the poetry and music contests immortalized in Richard Wagner’s 1842 opera “Tannhauser.” In 1521-22 Martin Luther translated the Bible from Greek into vernacular there; his room and his library of ancient books are the highlights, as is the prison tower you can climb for spectacular views.

Eisenach is the beginning of the Classical Road, a 185-mile circle of medieval towns and villages nearly smack dab in the middle of the Germany. These were the hometowns of some of history’s most remarkable people--Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt, Johann von Goethe, Martin Luther, Friedrich von Schiller and Friedrich Nietzsche. The concentration of so much genius in such a small area of this hilly, green countryside in the German state of Thuringia was uncanny. If the Communists had been New Agers, they might have declared the area an energy vortex. Instead, in the decades before the reunification, they let it go to pot.

But slowly, with the influx of western Germany’s financial help, the centuries-old half-timbered houses are being restored and museums “are being relieved of the ideological burden of the pre-1989 era,” according to an official state guide. Now, about midway through the sweeping restorations planned for each town, freshly painted houses in colorful pastels stand next to bleak, dilapidated buildings that wait patiently for a face-lift.

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But that December trip was too cold. Erratic winter museum closures and heavy scaffolding on major sites on the Classical Road made touring frustrating.

So last April, a less frozen month, I went again with my friend Rolf, who speaks fluent German--and without the children. We thought we’d tackle the entire 185-mile circle in a weeklong trip. Local Germans, who commonly get at least six weeks of vacation a year, scolded us for trying to rush. They were right: It really was too much. There are about 200 castles in Thuringia alone. Like kids who had taken too many cookies, we had to put some back. We narrowed our touring list to the most history-dense portion of the road, from Eisenach to Weimar, a distance of 50 miles west to east.

We started our Classical Road trip driving our tiny rental car from Frankfurt to the Thuringia region (about 100 miles northeast) on a flawlessly smooth new autobahn, the A4.

With no reservations in hand, we used a rather haphazard method for finding lodging (easy any time of year except during the crowded summer).

“Pick the smallest town you can find on the map and let’s stay there,” Rolf suggested, wanting to avoid tourists. My criteria was that it had to have some history. We chose Nesselroden, just a speck (population 400) on the map and slightly off the Classical Road. The town’s only room was at the farmhouse of Werner Brack, a retired farmer who was a bit shocked to have anyone, especially Americans, knock on his door. His farmhouse, called Die Aumuhle (“meadow mill”), had an adorable double room that was cheap--$33 for two with breakfast in the farmer’s own kitchen. We stayed two nights, making it a base for touring the westernmost section of the Classical Road.

The next morning we set out to follow the footsteps of my favorite composer, Bach, by exploring Eisenach, site of his house and an attached museum. Though Eisenach includes a childhood home of Luther, it is Bach who reigns in this town.

Bach House director Claus Oefner is not sure Bach ever lived in the Bachhaus or in the house behind it, but the 16th century house is attributed to his family anyway. Bach family memorabilia fills the place, from original instruments of the era to a tiny frayed attendance list from 1693 of Bach and his schoolmates; 12 out of the 19 students were named Johann.

Bach’s music is piped in as you stroll through the museum, but a bonus was a live concert and lecture (given in German every two hours). I closed my eyes, traveling back in time as instruments of the period--a cembalo, clavichord and harpsichord--were played.

Bach House guides drew circles on our map of other nearby Bach sites: St. George’s church in the center of Eisenach, where his parents were married and baby Bach was baptized; and the town of Arnstadt 25 miles southeast of Eisenach, where he got his first “gig” playing organ for Sunday services at the Neuen Kirche (“New Church”), open only 45 minutes a day to tourists.

Bach was only 18 then, and like most teenagers was fond of loud, wild music. His experiments with counterpoint--which must have sounded like the John Cage of his day--twisted the ears of church elders who were already miffed that he asked for a month off to study in Lubeck, but took four. They complained about his music; he fussed over money, so he quit shortly after he returned. The organ in the church today is not the one he played. We had to take a quick run through the Arnstadt History Museum to see the original.

Then it was back to Eisenach for a meal at Alt Nurnberg of venison, red cabbage and potato dumplings, the best I’ve had anywhere in Germany. And like everywhere in former East Germany, the prices were moderate compared to the larger western cities. Bakery items were about 60 cents apiece, compared with $1.50 in the west. Restaurant meals never went over $25 for two with beer or wine. B&Bs; were especially inexpensive--$20 to $40 per person per night with full breakfast.

That evening, Farmer Brack told us that when the Wall first came down, the traffic in both directions was jammed. His rooms were full with German Ossies wanting to buy goods from the West and Wessies curious to explore the east. But some of the novelty has worn off and business has slowed. He mostly gets visitors from the Netherlands on their way to Prague. His farm is the halfway point. We were his first-ever Americans. The Classical Road is visited by 2.5 million tourists yearly; only 0.5% of them are American.

The next morning we headed for parts farther east on the trail. First was the medieval town of Erfurt, established in 742. It was so charming I wanted to hug each geranium-bedecked house and each sculpted doorway. This is a town of spires and steeples, the centerpiece of which is the 12th century Catholic Mariendom (Marien Cathedral) and the 14th century Severikirche (Church of St. Severus, now Lutheran), which stand side by side and share 48 stone steps to their entrances. Also appealing is the Kramerbrucke (“Tradesman’s Bridge”), lined with art and antique shops where merchant shops stood in the Middle Ages. It is the only bridge of its kind north of Italy.

Next it was off to cultural Weimar to see where writers Goethe and Schiller, master painter Lucas Cranach the Elder, Luther, composer Franz Liszt, philosopher Nietzsche and Bauhaus architecture pioneer Walter Gropius left their marks.

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But first things first. We needed to find a room. “OK, this time pick the town with the funniest-sounding name,” Rolf said. It was a tossup between the villages of Buttstadt and Buchfart. We chose Buchfart--it was closer--and snickered as we looked for a Zimmer frei (room vacancy) sign. We found a little place, Etap Hotel (actually outside Buchfart’s boundaries in the neighboring village of Nohra), dropped our bags and headed off to explore.

It didn’t matter which direction one turned, history was right underfoot. A castle ruin here, a medieval hotel where Goethe stayed overnight--it was almost too much to take in. We detoured to the medieval walled town of Schmalkalden; hiked up to see Muhlburg, one of the castles off the A-4 called the Drei Gleichen (“Three Alike”); but had no energy left for the picturesque town of Gotha. Indeed, by the time we arrived in Weimar, the castles, old churches and delicate wood houses were all looking pretty much the same. The enchantment was waning.

But we disciplined ourselves and took two days to explore Weimar anyway because it is considered the treasure of the Classical Road, its buildings mostly spared the destructive bombs of World War II. Much effort is being expended to restore it quickly since the European Union in Brussels has declared Weimar the Cultural Capital of Europe for 1999. This lovely town, which is nestled in the rolling, green Ilm River Valley, seems created for walking because much of it is pedestrian-only.

We waited in line to see Goethe’s House, admired the Schiller house, toured the Liszt house and saw his piano, stood for pictures by the statue of Goethe and Schiller at the German National Theater and visited philosopher Nietzsche’s last home. We passed by the Buchenwald Memorial, the concentration camp, five miles northeast of town (it was closed).

As it turns out, it wasn’t just the tourist sites that made the Classical Road memorable. It was all the serendipitous experiences along the way: the men’s choir singing Baroque hymns in the gorgeous Mariendom in Erfurt; the children’s festival in the marketplace in Weimar with costumed children performing folk dances; the Hungarian backpackers who gave us some “don’t miss” tips, saving us a lot of footsteps. And everywhere, lending an extra air of anticipation, were hammers knocking, buzz saws whirring and scaffolding hiding structures torn down to their Renaissance-era frames.

I stood in the center of Weimar surveying the scene, and imagined that in just a few more years the reconstruction would probably be finished, the hammers silenced, replaced by noisy tourists crowding the narrow cobblestone streets and jamming the quaint bistros.

We sat by the window in Cafe Brunnenbar on Schiller Street, ordered the famous Thuringer sausages and cabbage salad, and watched people strolling with ice cream cones through the town center. I tried to imagine what they were thinking as they stopped to watch construction workers rebuilding their town after 40 years of neglect. Their history was always here. Now it has a fresh coat of paint.

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GUIDEBOOK

Germany’s Circle of History

Getting there: Lufthansa, LTU, Delta and United fly nonstop from LAX to Frankfurt; lowest current fare is $970 round trip. From Frankfurt, it’s best to rent a car and drive about 100 miles to the start of the Classical Road in Eisenach. Train service is also available from the airport to Eisenach, Erfurt and Weimar but doesn’t connect to all the smaller towns.

Where to stay: Die Aumuhle (Badegasse 25, 37293 Herleshausen 2, OT Nesselroden; telephone 011-49-56-54-6398) is a little farmhouse. Double rooms are about $33 with breakfast.

Hotel Auf der Wartburg (Wartburg Castle, Eisenach; tel. 011-49-36-91-79-5111, fax 011-49-91-79-7100) has gorgeous rooms. Ask for room 212 on the castle side. Castle is lighted at night, and it’s wonderful to gaze at while in bed. Doubles $145-$225 with breakfast.

Etap Hotel (Steinbruchenstr. 5, 99428 Nohra; tel. 011-49-3643-505-881) is a cozy lodging; Doubles are $38 without breakfast.

Flamberg Hotel Elephant (Markt 19, 99423 Weimar; tel. 011-49-3643-8020, fax 011-49-3643-6-5310) has been a hotel since 1696 (refurbished in 1993). Bach, Goethe, Wagner slept here. Doubles $145-$210 with breakfast.

Where to eat: Hearty local fare such as sausages and dumplings are found in these restaurants: In Eisenach: Alt Nurnberg, Marienstrasse 7; local tel. 74-2177. In Weimar: Cafe Brunnenbar, Schillerstrasse 11.

For more information: German National Tourist Office, 11766 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025; tel. (310) 575-9799, fax (310) 575-1565.