Limburg lies in western Hessen between theTaunus and theWesterwald on the riverLahn.
The town lies roughly centrally in a basin within theRhenish Slate Mountains which is surrounded by the low ranges of the Taunus and Westerwald and called theLimburg Basin (Limburger Becken). Owing to the favourable soil and climate, the Limburg Basin stands as one of Hesse's richest agricultural regions and moreover, with its convenient Lahn crossing, it has been of great importance to transport since theMiddle 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 ofDiez, a middle centre (in terms ofCentral place theory) but partially functions as an upper centre to westernMiddle Hesse.
Limburg's residential neighbourhoods reach beyond the town limits; the neighbouring centres ofElz and Diez run seamlessly together.
Surrounding towns and communities are the community of Elz and the town ofHadamar in the north, the community ofBeselich in the northeast, the town ofRunkel in the east, the communities ofVillmar andBrechen in the southeast, the community ofHünfelden in the south (all in Limburg-Weilburg), the community ofHolzheim in the southwest, and the town of Diez and the communities ofAull andGückingen in the west (all in theRhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate).
EachOrtsbezirk is represented by a council. Blumenrod is also often called a constituent community, although this is actually only a big residential neighbourhood in the main town's south end. Its landmark is theDomäne Blumenrod, a former manor house that has been restored and remodelled by the Limburg Free Evangelical community.
Limburg's biggest outlying centre is Lindenholzhausen (3,315 residents as of June 2020); the second biggest is Linter.
The derivation of the name "Limburg" is not quite clear and may well derive from a local castle (Burg means "castle" in German). In 910 the town was first mentioned asLintpurc. Two of the popular theories are:
The name was chosen because of the close proximity to the Linterer Bach, a former stream in Linter that has now run dry and that emptied into the Lahn at the Domfelsen (crag).Linda is theGaulish word for water.
Rather unlikely but very popular is the connection to a dragon saga (seeLindworm) and the connection with theStift ofSaint George the "Dragon Slayer" founded in Limburg. However, the monastery was built after the castle and founded around the time of the first written mention of the name.
The oldest preserved section of the Limburg Castle, seen from the courtyard
About 800 A.D., the first castle buildings arose on the Limburg crags. This was probably designed for the protection of aford over the river Lahn. In the decades that followed, the town developed under the castle's protection. Limburg is first mentioned in documents in 910 under the name ofLintpurc whenLouis the Child grantedKonrad Kurzbold an estate in the community on which he was to build a church. Konrad Kurzbold laid the foundation stone for Saint George's Monastery Church, where he was also buried. The community soon increased in importance with the monastery's founding and profited from the lively goods trade on theVia Publica.
In 1150, a wooden bridge was built across the Lahn. The long-distance road fromCologne toFrankfurt am Main subsequently ran through Limburg. In the early 13th century, Limburg Castle was built in its current form. Shortly afterwards, the town passed into the ownership of theLords of Ysenburg. In 1214, the community was granted town rights. Remains of the fortification wall from the years 1130, 1230 and 1340 with a maximum length of roughly one thousand metres indicate to this day the blossoming town's quick development in the Middle Ages. There is proof of amint 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 took their name from their seat, Limburg. From this line came theHouse of Limburg-Stirum and alsoImagina of Isenburg-Limburg, the wife of the German KingAdolf.
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 today's 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 the 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.
Remains of the town wall on Eschhöfer Weg
Saint George's Cathedral (Sankt-Georgs-Dom) built on the old monastery church's site, and also calledGeorgsdom, was consecrated in 1235. On 14 May 1289, a devastating fire wiped out great parts of the inner town, although these were subsequently rebuilt. One of the houses built at that time was theRömer 2-4-6, which is today one of Germany's oldesthalf-timbered houses. In 1337, Limburg's Jews were expelled from the town. Only in 1341 were they once again able to settle in the town, by royal decree. In 1344 a half share of the town was pledged to theElectorate of Trier, and in 1420, the town passed wholly into the ownership of Trier. This event, along with another town fire in 1342, theBlack Death in 1349, 1356 and 1365, but above all the rise of the Territorial Princes, led to a gradual decline. In 1315 and 1346, the old stone Lahn Bridge was built (presumably in two sections).
Against the background of theGerman Peasants' War, unrest also arose among the townsfolk in 1525. After the Elector of Trier had demanded that the townsmen turn aLutheran 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 came into the possession of the newly foundedDuchy of Nassau. In 1818 the town wall was torn down. In 1827 the town was raised to aCatholic episcopal seat. In 1866 the Duchy and with it Limburg passed toPrussia in the wake of theAustro-Prussian War. As of 1862, Limburg became a railway hub and from 1886 a district seat. In 1892, thePallottines settled in town, but only the men; the women came in 1895.
DuringWorld War I there was a majorprisoner of war camp at Limburg an der Lahn. Many Irish members of theBritish Army were interned there until the end of the war and at one stage they were visited by the Irish republican leaderRoger Casement in an attempt to win recruits for the forthcomingIrish rebellion.
From 1919 to 1923, Limburg was the "capital" of a short-lived state calledFree State Bottleneck (orFreistaat Flaschenhals in German) because during the Alliedoccupation of the Rhineland it was effectively cut off from theWeimar Republic in an area the shape of a bottle's neck and subsequently separated from its administration.
The old Lahn Bridge was where the Via Publica crossed the LahnLahn Valley Bridge on the InterCityExpress high-speed rail lineLahn Valley Bridge on the A3, in the background the ICE bridge, in the foreground at left part of the campground
Limburg is a traditional transportation hub. Already in the Middle Ages, theVia Publica crossed the navigable Lahn here. Today theA 3 (Emmerich–Oberhausen–Cologne–Frankfurt–Nuremberg–Passau) andBundesstraße 8, which both follow theVia Publica's alignment as closely as possible, run through the town.Bundesstraße 49 links Limburg to Koblenz towards the west and Wetzlar and Gießen towards the east. The section between Limburg and Wetzlar is currently being widened to four lanes. This section as far asObertiefenbach is also known asDie lange Meil ("The Long Mile").Bundesstraße 54 links Limburg on the one hand withSiegen to the north and on the other by way of Diez with Wiesbaden, which may likewise be reached overBundesstraße 417 (Hühnerstraße).
As early as 1248, a wooden bridge spanned the Lahn, but was replaced after the flooding in 1306 by a stone bridge, theAlte Lahnbrücke. Other road bridges are theLahntalbrücke Limburg (1964) on the A 3, theLahnbrücke near Staffel and theNeue Lahnbrücke from 1968, over which run theBundesstraßen before they cross under the inner town through theSchiedetunnel, a bypass tunnel.
Once theInterCityExpressCologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line had been built, Limburg acquired anICE station. It is the only railway station in Germany at which exclusively ICE trains stop. The high-speed rail line crosses the Lahn over theLahntalbrücke and then dives into theLimburger Tunnel.
The nearest airport isFrankfurt Airport, 63 km away on the A 3. Travel time there on the ICE is roughly 20 minutes.Cologne Bonn Airport is 110 km away and can be reached on the ICE in 44 minutes.
The Lahn betweenLahnstein and Wetzlar is aBundeswasserstraße ("Federal waterway"). Since theLahntalbahn's expansion, however, the waterway's importance has been declining. It is used mainly by tourists with smallmotorboats,canoes androwboats. Limburg is the landing site of the tourboatWappen von Limburg.
TilemannschuleMarienschule with the old building on the left and the former boarding school hall of residence on the right
Limburg has four schools which lead to, among other qualifications, theAbitur:
Tilemannschule, which has existed since the late 19th century and was named after the famous Limburg chancellory head Tilemann Elhen von Wolfhagen in the 1950s
Marienschule, a privateGymnasium (Grammar School), which has existed since 1895 and which belongs to the Bishopric of Limburg.
Peter-Paul-Cahensly-Schule with vocational Gymnasium (Grammar School) in the fields of economics and administration,data processing,electrical engineering and machine building
TheEvangelical Church offers with itsJugendfreizeitstätte Limburg (JFS for short, meaning "Youth Leisure Place") a meeting place for youth with many events. Withtable football, Internet café and many events, this institution is not only church-based, with two staff and aZivildienstleistender supporting the visitors not only with their problems.
TheMütterzentrum Limburg is a family meeting place for those with or without children on Hospitalstraße. The club is supported by the town of Limburg and theBundesland of Hesse and offers among other things a parents' service that looks after children, a broad array of course offerings for children and adults, a miniaturekindergarten and a café.
Thecabaret 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 arechanson, cabaret, literature andjazz as well asfolk, 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 theKulturpreis Mittelhessen ("Middle Hesse Culture Prize") was awarded to it.
Limburg Cathedral has a famous boys' choir, theLimburger Domsingknaben, which trains at Musical Boarding School inHadamar, and an excellent girls' choir, theMädchenkantorei Limburg, both singing at the Limburg Cathedral and internationally.
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 townmoat) and the 600-year-old Lahn Bridge thus stands today as a whole under monumental protection.
TheAltstadt ("Old Town") has a fine cathedral and is full of narrow streets withtimber-frame houses, dating mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries; hence the name theGerman Timber-Frame Road.
Limburger Dom, one of the most complete creations of LateRomanesque architecture. It was printed on the reverse of the 1,000 Deutsche Mark note from the second series,[6] which was in circulation from 1960 to 1989. The cathedral was recently renovated and painted to reflect its 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 theNew Testament
Old Lahn Bridge, from 1315, place where theVia Publica (road) crossed the Lahn
In the Old Town stand many timber-frame houses from the 13th to 19th centuries. One peculiarity seen among thetimber-framed houses of Limburg is the "hall house" from theHigh Middle Ages, which has agreat 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 and Cologne, whose breadth is written at the Haymarket (Heumarkt) in Cologne
Werner-Senger-Haus, a beautiful stonehall house with timber-framed façade dating from the 13th century
Houses at the fishmarket. The square's name in the 13th century was stillFismart ("Yarn Market" or "Wool Market") in the Limburg dialect, and it was the Limburgwool weavers' trading centre[8]
Römer 2-4-6, Germany's oldest freestanding timbered house; in the garden amikvah was found
Rathaus ("Town Hall"), built in 1899
"Huttig" (town wall tower remnant)
Former noble estate of the Counts ofWalderdorff at Fahrgasse 5
Stille, Eugen: Limburg an der Lahn und seine Geschichte, Limburger Vereinsdruckerei, Selbstverlag E. Stille, Limburg/Kassel 1971
Maibach, Heinz: Limburg an der Lahn in alten Ansichten, Siebte Auflage, Zaltbommel/Niederlande 1993
Fügen, Randolf:Highlights in Mittelhessen. 1. Auflage. Wartenberg Verlag Gudensberg-Gleichen 2003ISBN3-8313-1044-0
Maibach, Heinz:Limburg an der Lahn in alten Ansichten. Siebte Auflage. Zaltbommel/Niederlande 1993; NA: Sutton, Erfurt 2010,ISBN978-3-86680-733-4.
Maibach, Heinz:Dokumente zur Limburger Stadt- und Kreisgeschichte 1870–1945. Limburg 1992,ISBN3-9802789-2-1.
Fuchs, Johann-Georg:Limburger Altstadtbauten. Bürger und Begebenheiten. 2. Auflage. Limburg 2006.
Limburg im Fluss der Zeit. Schlaglichter aus 1100 Jahren Stadtgeschichte. (Beiträge zur Geschichte der Kreisstadt Limburg a. d. Lahn 1). Limburg 2010,ISBN978-3-936162-08-0.
Marten, Bettina:Limburg an der Lahn: Dom- und Stadtführer. Petersberg 2010,ISBN978-3-86568-605-3.
Waldecker, Christoph:Limburg in historischen Ansichten. Sutton, Erfurt 2010,ISBN978-3-86680-733-4. (Archivbilder)
Wagner, Harald:Limburg entdecken! Ein Stadtführer für Touristen und Einheimische. Limburg 2011,ISBN978-3-00-031762-0.
Waldecker, Christoph:Limburg an der Lahn. (Großer Kunstreiseführer 251). 2., erweiterte Auflage. Schnell + Steiner, Regensburg 2011,ISBN978-3-7954-2559-3.
Limburg im Fluss der Zeit. (Beiträge zur Geschichte der Kreisstadt Limburg a. d. Lahn, 2). Vorträge zur Stadtgeschichte. Limburg 2013,ISBN978-3-936162-10-3.
^abMegargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022).The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 125.ISBN978-0-253-06089-1.
^Peter Paul Schweitzer: Nur ein hölzerner Fisch auf dem Limburger Fischmarkt in Jahrbuch 2004 des Landkreises Limburg-Weilburg,ISBN3-927006-38-6 S. 177–179
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