Martin Eberle becomes the new captain of the Wartburg - departure after the crisis!

Martin Eberle becomes the new captain of the Wartburg - departure after the crisis!

On September 1st, Martin Eberle will be officially introduced into office as the new captain of the Wartburg. This decision by the Wartburg Foundation Board followed a recommendation from a selection committee. An interesting detail: Eberle's predecessor, Franziska Nentwig, had to resign from her position due to health problems. Culture Minister Christian Tischner describes Eberle as an experienced cultural manager who impressed with his ideas and expertise in the areas of management, monument preservation and construction projects. The board of trustees received a total of almost 20 applications, from which four applicants were shortlisted. Eberle was born in 1968 and has experience as a former director of the Friedenstein Castle Foundation in Gotha, where he worked from 2007 to 2018.

Eberle's path is particularly interesting because his appointment after the public controversy surrounding his dismissal as director of the Hessen Kassel Heritage museum association in 2023 shows that he was not written off despite a racist remark for which he apologized. The Thuringian Ministry of Culture describes his time in Kassel as productive, even if it was overshadowed by scandals. This shows that he can deal with setbacks and still wants to develop further.

The Wartburg: An Important Heritage

The Wartburg is one of the most famous sights in Thuringia and is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also closely linked to the history of Saints Elisabeth and Martin Luther. The foundation responsible for the Wartburg was founded in 1922 with the aim of preserving the cultural heritage and making it accessible to the public. Now, under Eberle's leadership, we are hoping for a breath of fresh air and innovative concepts for the further development and maintenance of this national treasure.

Alena Bienz: A talent in football

In another corner of Cologne's cultural life, Alena Bienz, an up-and-coming talent, plays 1. FC Cologne. This 19-21 year old player is showing remarkable performances in the 1st Bundesliga despite only scoring three goals in recent seasons. Her statistics speak for themselves: in the 2024-2025 season she was able to score 1 goal and 2 assists in 21 games. You can see that she is slowly but surely developing into an important player. Her passing accuracy is 60.5 percent and she manages to regularly make an impact on the offensive.

Bienz's statistics are an expression of their commitment and development. She averages 1.64 shots per 90 minutes, 0.58 of which find their way onto goal. This shows that she not only acts defensively, but also always tries to stay in the game and create chances when attacking.

At a time when cultural and sporting achievements go hand in hand, it is exciting to see personalities like Martin Eberle and Alena Bienz causing a stir in their respective fields. While Eberle wants to enrich the cultural heritage of the Wartburg with fresh ideas, Bienz is pursuing her career with ambition and talent, which has the potential to put Cologne even further on the map of German football. Both show impressively that you can achieve a lot with passion and commitment.