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Sightseeing in Marburg, Germany, Marburg Sights and Attractions - Indian Chief Travel
GERMANY  |  Lahn Valley, Germany Travel Guide
Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Sightseeing in Marburg

Sightseeing in Marburg

Elizabethkirche

In Marburg, the first stop for visitors should be the Elizabethkirche, located at the corner of Elizabeth and Deutschhausstraße. Erected between 1235 and 1283 this was the first completely Gothic church in all of Germany. (Some, especially Trier, claim the same honor.) Although pure Gothic in form, the thickness of the walls and pillars shows that this is an early sample of the new form with previous knowledge of the Romanesque clearly still influential. Virtually the entire interior of this church is original.

The church was built to house the remains of St Elizabeth of Thuringia and soon became a popular venue on pilgrim routes. However, a later descendant, Count Philipp the Magnanimous, a prominent figure in the Lutheran Reformation, unceremoniously removed her bones to a nearby graveyard in 1539. The original shrine remained, though, and the current evangelical church management has no qualms about charging visitors to see it. In addition to the Elizabeth reliquaries, the graves of several of the counts of Hesse can be seen in the south transept. Also note the stained glass windows dating from the 13th and 15th centuries. At the back, to the left of the main entrance, is the grave of Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934), a war hero and the last President of the ill-fated Weimar Republic. He had the dishonor of appointing Hitler, whom he openly despised, as chancellor in 1933.

Other Marburg Sights

From the Elizabethkirche, follow Steinweg to the upper town, or continue on Pilgrimstein Road and use the free public elevator (across from the Sorat Hotel) to whoosh you up five stories, where you will emerge in the marvelous medieval center of town without breaking a sweat. There are several impressive half-timbered houses in Reitgasse, but the real jewels of the town are around the Market Square. The oldest building in town is the Steinernes Haus (Stone House) at Markt 18, which dates back to 1319. The main building of the Rathaus (Town Hall) dates from 1512, with the gable added in 1581. Near the Town Hall, at Hirschgasse 13, is a 1970s reconstruction of Marburg’s oldest timber-framed building, originally constructed in 1321. More impressive though are the half-timbered houses at Markt 14, 16, 17, 19, 21 and 23. All date from the 16th century and most have restaurants on the ground floors.

Also of interest are many of the larger and older buildings in town, including the Marburg Castle, that are used by the 17 faculties of Philipps University. The Grimm brothers of fairy-tale fame studied here from 1802-1805. The university was founded by Count Philipp of Hesse in 1527 as the first Protestant university in the world. The most prominent building is the Neo-Gothic Old University Building (1872) at Rudolphsplatz, attached to the large 13th-century Dominican church.

Last updated October 28, 2011
Posted in   Germany  |  Lahn Valley
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