Wartburg, Illinois is a small unincorporated community in the historic New Design Precinct of Monroe County, Illinois

Monroe County, Illinois

Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 32,957, which is an increase of 19.3% from 27,619 in 2000. Its county seat is Waterloo...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Wartburg lies along the road from Waterloo

Waterloo, Illinois

Waterloo is a city in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,614 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County.-Geography:Waterloo is located at ....

 to Mayestown

Maeystown, Illinois

Maeystown is a village in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. The population was 148 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-History:...

, and Camp Wartburg, a Lutheran youth retreat, is nearby.

History

Wartburg grew up around the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross, organized in 1841, the small stone church being completed in 1844. Wartburg was originally to have been called Beaver Pond, however the area's residents, who were almost uniformly Lutherans, preferred to name their nascent community after a castle in Germany

Wartburg Castle

The Wartburg is a castle situated on a 1230-foot precipice to the southwest of, and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany...

 where Martin Luther

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...

 resided for some time and translated the Holy Bible into German

Luther Bible

The Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534. This translation became a force in shaping the Modern High German language. The project absorbed Luther's later years. The new translation was very widely disseminated thanks to the printing...

. The name and Post Office were established in 1881.