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GERMANY | Lahn Valley, Germany Travel Guide
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Sightseeing in Wetzlar
Sightseeing in Wetzlar
Wetzlar Dom
The Wetzlar Dom (Cathedral), located at Domplatz 8, is the symbol of Wetzlar. It's an eclectic mixture of architectural styles forming a not altogether successful synthesis. The oldest parts, in dark stone, are Romanesque and date from the late 12th century. Before this church had been in use for 50 years, the more modern cathedrals in nearby Magdeburg and Limburg created the need for something similarly Gothic in Wetzlar. A new church was begun and the old one destroyed in phases to ensure that at least part of it was usable at all times. It was a sensible approach, since the new church was never completed. Wetzlar lost influence and was bankrupt by the end of the 14th century. The red sandstone south tower is Gothic with a rather awkward Late Renaissance, Early Baroque rooftop added in 1590. The high Gothic portal opens into empty space, as the north tower was never built. Most of the rest of the church is in a lighter stone in the Gothic style. Wetzlar chose the Reformation, but the church ended up being used in turns by both the Catholic and Lutheran congregations – a situation that continues to the present day, making the interior hard to see on Sunday mornings.
Goethe Sights in Wetzlar
Wetzlar has a range of almost obligatory Goethe sites. The most famous is the Lottehaus, Lottestraße 8-10, in the complex that used to belong to the Order of the Teutonic Knights. A museum was opened here in 1863 to keep alive the memory of the summer of 1772, when Goethe almost daily visited Charlotte Buff, who lived here. The museum contains items used by the Buff family as well as other period furniture. Three rooms are dedicated to Werther, including a rare first edition, translations, and comments from the period. One of the most famous German literary paintings hangs here: Lotte Cutting Bread.
Two blocks downhill are the Kornmarkt (wheat market) and Engelsgasse, with some of the best half-timbered houses in town. Goethe resided on the second floor of the more modern Kornmarkt 7 during his stay in Wetzlar. A memorial plaque marks the house, now partly used as a restaurant.
Farther downhill is the Jerusalemhaus, Schillerplatz 5, where Karl Wilhelm Jerusalem lived and committed suicide, providing Goethe with the climax for Werther. The two rooms on the second floor of this half-timbered house are a museum, with period documents, including the handwritten note in which Jerusalem requested the use of his pistol from a friend under false pretences.
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