MDR Musiksommer on the Wartburg

Wartburg Castle as a Concert Hall

Wartburg Castle above Eisenach is one of Germany's most important historical sites. Built in 1067, the setting for the Sängerkrieg (minstrels' contest, 1207), Martin Luther's refuge during his Bible translation in 1521/22, a symbol of the German Students' Association festival of 1817, and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999. Hearing a concert here means experiencing not only music but also eight centuries of history. The festival hall — the largest room in the castle, with Gothic arches and some of the best-preserved acoustics from the High Middle Ages in Germany — has been a world-class concert hall since the 1950s.

MDR Musiksommer — Central Germany's Concert Series

The MDR Musiksommer was founded in 1992 as a concert series by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk to bring classical music to historical sites in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. Castles, monasteries, castle churches, and medieval and Renaissance buildings are preferred venues. The concerts are recorded and broadcast by MDR — many listeners know them from radio or television without having been present in the hall. The annual concert cycle runs in August and September; in 2026, it will be spread over several weeks.

Tamara Stefanovich — The Pianist

The soloist for the Eisenach concert on August 29, 2026, is Tamara Stefanovich (* 1973 in Belgrade). The pianist, who lives in Cologne, is among the outstanding piano voices of her generation — a specialist for composers between Bach and the modern era (especially György Ligeti, Pierre Boulez, Charles Ives, but also the classical repertoire). She received the Echo Klassik award in 2017 and a Grammy in 2024. Her concerts combine virtuosic piano technique with intellectual depth, always linked to a programmatic idea. The program for the Wartburg Castle festival hall has not yet been publicly announced — she typically mixes Bach and modern works.

Eisenach — Wartburg, Bach, Luther

Eisenach (approx. 42,000 inhabitants) lies on the edge of the Thuringian Forest and is world-famous as the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685) and as a Luther site. Wartburg Castle above the city is open to visitors daily; the Bach House (Frauenplan 21) houses the world's largest Bach collection. Visitors to the MDR Musiksommer often combine their trip with a city and castle tour — and with the Rennsteig, the famous hiking trail that runs directly above Wartburg Castle.