Creuzburg

Creuzburg
Creuzburg Castle
Coat of arms
Creuzburg
Location of Creuzburg within Wartburgkreis district
Coordinates: 51°3′5″N 10°14′41″E / 51.05139°N 10.24472°E / 51.05139; 10.24472Coordinates: 51°3′5″N 10°14′41″E / 51.05139°N 10.24472°E / 51.05139; 10.24472
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Wartburgkreis
Municipal assoc.	Mihla
Government
• Mayor	Arndt Breustedt
Area
• Total	35.33 km2 (13.64 sq mi)
Elevation	200 m (700 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	2,373
• Density	67/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	99831
Dialling codes	036926
Vehicle registration	WAK
Website	www.creuzburg-online.de

Creuzburg is a town on the Werra river in the Wartburgkreis in Thuringia, Germany.

Creuzburg is in the area known as the Muschelkalk. Three mountains, Wisch, Wallstieg and Ebenauer Köpfe are near the town.

Nearby towns include Treffurt and Eisenach.

With a history going back over 1,000 years, Creuzburg is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia. Hill graves in the area of the city demonstrate a settlement beginning at least as early as Carolingian times. The beginnings of the settlement on what became the site of the castle are a result of its position on a major crossroads. The old West-East trade route met at the Werra with the trade route from the south. In the 10th and 11th Centuries, the region was under control of the Fulda Abbey.

In 1137, the city came under control of the Thuringian Ludowinger dynasty. Landgrave Ludwig I acquired it in exchange for a portion of the lands he held in Hesse. Recognizing the strategic and economic importance of the area, his successors made improvements to the area. Landgrave Hermann I began the construction of the castle on the mountain and allowed the many farmers in the area to build the settlement at the base of the mountain. In 1213, Creuzburg was established as a city. A coat of arms was established and a defensive wall was built. The nearby town of Scherbda, which now is part of Creuzburg, was first mentioned as a settlement around a feif in 1229.

The most prosperous time in Creuzburg was during the reign of Landgrave Ludwig IV, the Holy, and his son Hermann II. After the wedding of Ludwig with the daughter of the King of Hungary, Elisabeth, who is now known as St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the Castle Creuzburg became the second residence of the Thuringian Landgraves (after the Wartburg). Many festivals were celebrated during this time, and the children of the couple were born in the castle. Ludwig redecorated the castle and built the first stone bridge across the Werra to secure the trade route. Before he left for the Crusades in 1227, he bid farewell to his subjects in a major assembly of the Thuringian nobles in the castle.