In the 12th century, the Wartburg thrived as a setting for the fine arts and for a legendary minstrel's contest in which the Minnesingers, such as Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach, are said to have participated. St Elisabeth of Hungary also lived in the castle, while Martin Luther found refuge between May 1521 and March 1522 and translated the Bible into German here. In 1817, the first Wartburg Festival took place to celebrate victory over Napoleon four years earlier and 300 years of the Reformation. Students called for German unity and a constitution.