Limburg an der Lahn Travel Guide
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Limburg Overview
Limburg an der Lahn (officially: Limburg a. d. Lahn) is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.
Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn.The town lies roughly centrally in a basin within the Rhenish Slate Mountains which is surrounded by the low ranges of the Taunus and Westerwald and called the Limburg Basin (Limburger Becken). Owing to the favourable soil and climate, the Limburg Basin stands as one of Hesse's most bountiful agricultural regions and moreover, with its convenient Lahn crossing, it has had great importance to transport since the Middle Ages. Within the basin, the Lahn's otherwise rather narrow lower valley broadens out noticeably, making Limburg's mean elevation only 117 m above sea level.
Limburg forms together with the town of Diez (Diez vacation rentals | Diez travel guide) a middle centre (in terms of Central place theory) but with partial functions of an upper centre in western Middle Hesse.
Limburg's residential neighbourhoods reach beyond town limits; the neighbouring centres of Elz and Diez run seemlessly together.
Surrounding towns and communities are the community of Elz and the town of Hadamar in the north, the community of Beselich in the northeast, the town of Runkel (Runkel vacation rentals | Runkel travel guide) in the east, the communities of Villmar and Brechen in the southeast, the community of Hünfelden in the south (all in Limburg-Weilburg), the community of Holzheim in the southwest, and the town of Diez and the communities of Aull and Gückingen in the west (all in the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate).
The nearest major cities are Wetzlar (Wetzlar vacation rentals | Wetzlar travel guide) and Gießen to the northeast, Wiesbaden (Wiesbaden vacation rentals | Wiesbaden travel guide) and Frankfurt (Frankfurt vacation rentals | Frankfurt travel guide) to the south and Koblenz (Koblenz vacation rentals | Koblenz travel guide) to the west.
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Things to See
Theatre
The cabaret troupe "Thing", founded more than 25 years ago, moved after a short time from its initial home in the outlying centre of Staffel to the Josef-Kohlmaier-Halle, a civic event hall, where its stage can now be found in the hall's club rooms. The troupe is run by an independent acting club. On the programme are chanson, cabaret, literature and jazz as well as folk, rock and performances by singer-songwriters. It makes a point of furthering young artists. Each month, three or four events are staged.
The dedication of "Thing" was recognized on 6 December 2003 when the Kulturpreis Mittelhessen ("Middle Hesse Culture Prize") was awarded to it.
Limburg Cathedral has a famous boys' choir, the Limburger Domsingknaben, although they are actually based at the "Musical Boarding School" in Hadamar just outside Limburg.
Museums
In Limburg there are several museums. The most important are:
- Town of Limburg art collections that offer changing exhibits
- Staurothek, cathedral treasury and diocesan museum with the Limburger Staurothek (a cross reliquary)
- Museum Limburg Navy Museum
- Pallottine Mission museum
Buildings
Only a few towns, like Limburg, have been able to keep a full set of nearly unscathed mediaeval buildings. The formerly walled town core between St. George's Cathedral, Grabenstraße (a street marking the old town moat) and the 600-year-old Lahn Bridge thus stands today as a whole under monumental protection.
The Altstadt ("Old Town") boasts a fine cathedral and is full of narrow streets with timber-frame houses, dating mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries.
- Limburger Dom, one of the most complete creations of Late Romanesque architecture. It was printed on the reverse of the 1,000 Deutsche Mark note from the second series, which was in circulation from 1960 to 1989. The cathedral was recently renovated and painted to reflect it's original appearance.
- Limburger Schloss, built in early 13th century by Gerlach von Ysenburg
- Burgmannenhaus, built about 1544; serves as a museum today
- St. Anna-Kirche (church), stained glass from third fourth of 14th century with eighteen scenes from the New Testament
- Old Lahn Bridge, from 1315, place where the Via Publica (road) crossed the Lahn
- In the Old Town stand many timber-frame houses from the 13th to 19th centuries. One peculiarity seen in Limburg timber-frame houses is the "hall house" from the High Middle Ages which has a great hall on the ground floor. When restoration work began in the Old Town in 1972, the houses were carefully restored. Among the best known timber-frame houses are:
- Haus Kleine Rütsche 4, narrowest spot on the historic trade road between Frankfurt (Frankfurt vacation rentals | Frankfurt travel guide) and Cologne (Cologne vacation rentals | Cologne travel guide), whose breadth is written at the Haymarket (Heumarkt) in Cologne
- Haus der sieben Laster ("House of the Seven Vices") at Brückengasse 9, built in 1567, timber-frame house with carvings showing Christianity's seven deadly sins, namely pride, greed, envy, lust, gluttony, wrath and sloth
- Werner-Senger-Haus, very beautiful stone hall house with timber-frame façade from 13th century
- Houses at the fishmarket. The square's name in the 13th century was still Fismart ("Yarn Market" or "Wool Market") in the Limburg dialect, and it was the Limburg wool weavers' trading centre[1]
- Römer 2-4-6, Germany's oldest freestanding house; in the garden a mikvah was found
- Rathaus ("Town Hall"), built in 1899
- "Huttig" (town wall tower remnant)
- Former noble estate of the Counts of Walderdorff at Fahrgasse 5
[ source: wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Limburg an der Lahn
Travel Insider Tips for Limburg an der Lahn
It's fantasic! I live in Limburg along the Lahn and the canoe tour in the summer is really beautiful. The city of Limburg is beautiful a great place to visit an old German Altstadt!
Shared by Trish Johnson Friedetzky, Nov 2009
My daughter lives in Limburg so I'm familiar with that area. So beautiful... was there for Christmas and going back after Easter to see all the beautiful flowers.
Shared by Carol Gray Johnson, Mar 2010
many people are especially fascinated by the system of watergates that you must handle yourself down the Lahn. it's really fun - and exercise! On a trip of two days you can get to Limburg, which is worth it because you get a turn around the Kaiserfelsen.
Shared by Leena Peters, Nov 2009
I am an American living in Limburg for 11 years now and it is truly a wonderful old city with a fantastic Altstadt. There are many Fachwerk houses and cobble stone streets. They do give tours in English as well as German. Of course there is also the historic Dom...simply breathtaking! It is the only Dom with seven steeples and dates back to the 1400's.
Shared by Trish Johnson Friedetzky, Dec 2009
Limburg on the Lahn is absolutely beautiful - but beware of the steep streets and cobblesones! Not to be missed....
Shared by Ralph Bischoff, Mar 2010
The picture is from the town I was born in... Limburg an der Lahn. It's a beautiful town with a ton of history
Shared by Heike Ahlers, Feb 2010
Another beautiful area and town. Spent quite a bit of time during my youth there.
Shared by Ingrid Rowe, Mar 2010
Limburg
[ source: Flickr]
Popular Points of Interest in and near Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg Cathedral
[ source: Wikimedia ]
The Catholic Cathedral of Limburg, also known as Georgsdom or Limburger Dom after its dedication to Saint George, is located above the old town of Limburg. Its high location on a rock above the Lahn provides its visibility from far away. The building is one of the most accomplished buildings of the late Romanesque style. The first church on the Limburger Rock
was built in 910 by Konrad Kurzbold. Inside today's cathedral, the outline of the former church still can be found. According to estimates, construction of the current cathedral began about 1200. The consecration was in 1235 by Theoderich von Wied, the archbishop of Trier.
The interior is covered in medieval frescoes dating from 1220 to 1235. They are magnificent and important survivals, but time has not been terribly kind to them - they were whitewashed over in the Baroque period (1749) and uncovered and repainted with a heavy hand in the Romantic period (1870s) before finally being restored more sensitively in the 1980s. In the nave, the frescoes in the the blind arcades depict the Twelve Apostles as well as Old Testament figures and Sybils. The corners of the triforium are decorated with the personified virtues.
The church is home to two real gems of medieval sculpture. The first is a Late Romanesque baptismal font (c.1230) in the Chapel of St. Erasmus in the south aisle. Look for a kissing pair adorning one of the feet. The second sculpural treasure is the tomb of Konrad Kurzbold, founder of the collegiate church (910 AD), in the north transept. The sculptures on the six supports date from the 11th century and depict four comical clerics along with a lion and a bear symbolizing strength. The tomb slab dates from the 13th century and features an effigy of Konrad in the court costume of that period. Other notable works of art in the cathedral include the Late Gothic tabernacle (1496) on a pillar of the nave and the Late Gothic rood cross (c.1500) above the high altar.
Down Domstrasse a few steps is the Diözesanmuseum, which contains several notable religious treasures. Highlights include the Staurothek, a cross-shaped Byzantine reliquary brought back from the Crusades by a local knight and the 11th-century lead reliquary from the high altar of the Limburger Dom's predecessor church.
Hours: Cathedral open daily. Treasury: Mid-March to mid-November, Tue-Sat 10-1 & 2-5pm, Sun 11-5pm.
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Limburg an der Lahn. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Limburg an der Lahn: Limburg an der Lahn (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Limburg an der Lahn
More about the History of Limburg an der Lahn
About 800, the first castle buildings arose on the Limburg crags. This was designed for protection, probably for a ford on the river Lahn. In the decades that followed, the town arose under the castles protection. Limburg had its first documentary mention in 910 under the name Lintpurc when Louis the Child granted Konrad Kurzbold an estate in the community on which he was to build a church. Konrad Kurzbold laid the foundation stones for Saint Georges Monastery Church, where he was also buried. The community soon gathered importance with the monasterys founding and profited by the lively goods trade on the Via Publica.
In 1150, a wooden bridge was built across the Lahn. The long-distance road from Cologne (Cologne vacation rentals | Cologne travel guide) to Frankfurt (Frankfurt vacation rentals | Frankfurt travel guide) am Main thereafter ran through Limburg. In the early 13th century, Limburg Castle was built in its current form. Shortly thereafter, the town passed into the ownership of the Lords of Ysenburg. In 1214, the community was granted town rights. Remains of the fortification wall from the years 1130, 1230 and 1340 with a greatest ever length of roughly one thousand metres show even today the blossoming towns quick development in the Middle Ages. There is proof of a mint in Limburg in 1180. Mediaeval window at the back of the cathedral (peristyle)
One line of the Lords of Ysenburg resided from 1258 to 1406 at Limburg Castle and named themselves for their seat, the Lords of Limburg. From this line came Imagina of Isenburg-Limburg, German King Adolfs wife.
The ruling class among the mediaeval townsfolk were rich merchant families whose houses stood right near the castle tower and were surrounded by the first town wall once it was built. The area of todays Rossmarkt (Horse Market), in which many simple craftsmen lived, was only brought within the fortifications once the second town wall was built. The inhabitants there, however, unlike the merchant élite, were accorded no entitlement to a voice in town affairs and were not allowed to send representatives to town council. Nevertheless, they had to bear the main financial burden of running the town. Only in 1458 were they allowed to send two representatives to town council.
Saint Georges Cathedral (Sankt-Georgs-Dom) built on the old monastery churchs site, and also called Georgsdom, was consecrated in 1235. On 14 May 1289, a devastating fire wiped great parts of the inner town out, although these were built anew. One of the houses built at that time was the Römer 2-4-6, which is today one of Germanys oldest timber-frame houses. In 1337, Limburgs Jews were driven out of town. Only in 1341 could they once again settle in the town, by royal order. In 1344 a half share of the town was pledged to the Electorate of Trier (Trier vacation rentals | Trier travel guide), and in 1420, the town went wholly into Triers ownership. This event, along with another town fire in 1342, the Black Death in 1349, 1356 and 1365, but above all the Territorial Princes rise, led to a gradual decline. In 1315 and 1346, presumably in two sections, the old stone Lahn Bridge was built.
In the environment that pervaded the Peasants' War, unrest also arose among the townsfolk in 1525. After the Elector of Trier had demanded that the townsmen turn a Lutheran preacher out of the town, a board made up of townsmen who were ineligible for council functions handed the council a 30-point comprehensive list of demands on 24 May. It dealt mainly with financial participation and equality in taxation, trade and building issues with the merchant class. In the days that followed, these demands were reduced in negotiations between the council and the board to 16 points, which were likely also taken up with the Elector afterwards. On 5 August, however, Archbishop Richard ordered the council to overturn all concessions to the townsmen. Furthermore, a ban on assembly was decreed, and the ineligible townsmen were stripped of their right to send two representatives to council.
In 1806, Limburg passed to the newly founded Duchy of Nassau (Nassau vacation rentals | Nassau travel guide). In 1818 the town wall was torn down. In 1827 the town was raised to a Catholic episcopal seat. In 1866 the Duchy and thereby Limburg passed to Prussia in the wake of the Austro-Prussian War. As of 1862, Limburg became a railway hub and from 1886 a district seat. In 1892, the Pallottines settled in town, but only the men; the women came in 1895.
From 1919 to 1923, Limburg was the capital of a short-lived state called Free State Bottleneck (or Freistaat Flaschenhals in German) because it was the nearest unoccupied town to the Weimar (Weimar vacation rentals | Weimar travel guide) Republic.
During World War I there was a major prisoner of war camp at Limburg an der Lahn. Many Irish members of the British Army were interned there until the end of the war and at one stage they were visited by the Irish republican leader Roger Casement in an attempt to win recruits for the forthcoming Irish rebellion.
[ source: wikipedia ]
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