Limburg an der Lahn

Limburg an der Lahn(officially abbreviatedLimburg a. d. Lahn) is the district seat ofLimburg-Weilburgin Hesse, Germany.

Limburg an der Lahn
Town
Cathedral with the old Lahn bridge
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Limburg an der Lahn within Limburg-Weilburg district
Limburg an der Lahn Limburg an der Lahn
Coordinates:50°23′N8°4′E
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Giessen
District	Limburg-Weilburg
Government
•Mayor(2021–27)	Marius Hahn(SPD)
Area
• Total	45.15 km2(17.43 sq mi)
Elevation	117 m (384 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	36,053
• Density	800/km2(2,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes	65549–65556
Dialling codes	06431, 06433 (Ahlbach)
Vehicle registration	LM, WEL
Website	limburg.de

Geography

Location

The river Lahn in Limburg

Limburg lies in western Hesse between theTaunusand theWesterwaldon the riverLahn.

The town lies roughly centrally in a basin within theRhenish Slate Mountainswhich 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.

Neighbouring communities

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 ofElzand Diez run seamlessly together.

Surrounding towns and communities are the community of Elz and the town ofHadamarin the north, the community ofBeselichin the northeast, the town ofRunkelin the east, the communities ofVillmarandBrechenin the southeast, the community ofHünfeldenin the south (all in Limburg-Weilburg), the community ofHolzheimin the southwest, and the town of Diez and the communities ofAullandGückingenin the west (all in theRhein-Lahn-Kreisin Rhineland-Palatinate).

The nearest major cities areWetzlarandGießento the north east,WiesbadenandFrankfurtto the south andKoblenzto the west.

Constituent communities

Map of Limburg and its constituent communities

The town consists of eight formerly autonomousOrtsbezirkeor boroughs, listed here by population (as of 2020):

1. Limburg: 19,401
2. Lindenholzhausen:3,315
3. Linter:3,080
4. Eschhofen:2,789
5. Staffel:2,762
6. Offheim:2,608
7. Dietkirchen:1,630
8. Ahlbach:1,252

EachOrtsbezirkis 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.

Etymology

The derivation of the name "Limburg" is not quite clear and may well derive from a local castle (Burgmeans "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).Lindais theGaulishword for water.
• Rather unlikely but very popular is the connection to a dragon saga (seeLindworm) and the connection with theStiftofSaint Georgethe "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.

History

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 afordover 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 ofLintpurcwhenLouis the ChildgrantedKonrad Kurzboldan 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 fromColognetoFrankfurt am Mainsubsequently 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 amintin 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-Stirumand 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-timberedhouses. 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 Deathin 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).

Limburg – extract from the Topographia Hassiae byMatthäus Merian1655

Saint George's Cathedraltoday

Old Town

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 aLutheranpreacher 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 aCatholicepiscopal seat. In 1866 the Duchy and with it Limburg passed toPrussiain the wake of theAustro-Prussian War.As of 1862, Limburg became a railway hub and from 1886 a district seat. In 1892, thePallottinessettled in town, but only the men; the women came in 1895.

DuringWorld War Ithere was a majorprisoner of warcamp at Limburg an der Lahn. Many Irish members of theBritish Armywere interned there until the end of the war and at one stage they were visited by the Irish republican leaderRoger Casementin 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 Flaschenhalsin German) because during the Alliedoccupation of the Rhinelandit was effectively cut off from theWeimar Republicin an area the shape of a bottle's neck and subsequently separated from its administration.

In August 1939, shortly before the Germaninvasion of Polandand start ofWorld War II,the German Army established the Dulag Gprisoner-of-war campfor Polish POWs in the town.The camp was dissolved in January 1941.

Politics

Town council

The municipal election held on 6 March 2016 yielded the following results:

Parties and voter communities		% 2016	seats 2016	% 2011	seats 2011
CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	42.8	19	42.2	19
SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	33.0	15	27.5	13
GRÜNE	Bündnis 90/Die Grünen	15.5	7	9.0	4
FWG	Freie WählerGemeinschaft Limburg	-	-	5.2	2
FDP	Free Democratic Party	10.2	5	4.7	2
BZL	Bürgervereinigung Zukunft Limburg	-	-	4.1	2
LINKE	Die Linke	4.7	2	0.8	0
Total		100.0	45	100.0	45
voter turnout in %		45.5		43.5

Mayor

The town's mayor is currently Marius Hahn (SPD).

Sponsorship

In 1956, a sponsorship was undertaken forSudeten Germansdriven out of the town ofUničov,Czech Republic.

Economy and infrastructure

The old Lahn Bridge was where the Via Publica crossed the Lahn

Lahn Valley Bridge on the InterCityExpress high-speed rail line

Lahn Valley Bridge on the A3, in the background the ICE bridge, in the foreground at left part of the campground

Transport

Limburg is a traditional transportation hub. Already in the Middle Ages, theVia Publicacrossed the navigable Lahn here. Today theA 3(Emmerich–Oberhausen–Cologne–Frankfurt–Nuremberg–Passau) andBundesstraße8, which both follow theVia Publica'salignment as closely as possible, run through the town.Bundesstraße49 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 asObertiefenbachis also known asDie lange Meil( "The Long Mile" ).Bundesstraße54 links Limburg on the one hand withSiegento the north and on the other by way of Diez with Wiesbaden, which may likewise be reached overBundesstraße417 (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, theLahnbrückenear Staffel and theNeue Lahnbrückefrom 1968, over which run theBundesstraßenbefore they cross under the inner town through theSchiedetunnel,a bypass tunnel.

Once theLahntalbahnhad been built, Limburg was joined to the railway network in 1862.Limburg railway stationdeveloped into a transport hub.Eschhofen stationis also in Limburg. Other railway lines are theUnterwesterwaldbahn,theOberwesterwaldbahnand theMain-Lahn Railway.AtNiedernhausen stationon theMain-Lahn Railway,transfer to theLändchesbahnto Wiesbaden is possible. With the exception of the upper section of theLahntalbahnand express lines to Koblenz and Frankfurt, which are still served byDeutsche Bahn,all railway lines are run by Vectus Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH, based in Limburg.

Once theInterCityExpressCologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail linehad 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 theLahntalbrückeand 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 Airportis 110 km away and can be reached on the ICE in 44 minutes.

The Lahn betweenLahnsteinand Wetzlar is aBundeswasserstraße( "Federal waterway" ). Since theLahntalbahn'sexpansion, however, the waterway's importance has been declining. It is used mainly by tourists with smallmotorboats,canoesandrowboats.Limburg is the landing site of the tourboatWappen von Limburg.

Established businesses

Mundipharma headquarters in theDietkircher Höhecommercial park

• Blechwarenfabrik Limburg GmbH (Metal and plastic packaging)
• Bundesanzeiger Verlag (publishing house)
• Harmonic Drive AG
• MOBA Mobile Automation AG
• Mundipharma
• Tetra Pak
• Vectus Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (transport)
• Nassauische Neue Presse (newspaper)

Public institutions

Education

Tilemannschule

Marienschule 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 engineeringand machine building
• Adolf-Reichwein-Schule with vocational Gymnasium in the fields ofdieteticsandhealth sciences

Professional training schools:

• Peter-Paul-Cahensly-Schule
• Friedrich-Dessauer-Schule
• Adolf-Reichwein-Schule
• Marienschule

HauptschulenandRealschulen:

• Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe-Schule
• Leo-Sternberg-Schule
• Theodor-Heuss-Schule

Libraries:

• Dombibliothek
• Diözesanbibliothek

St. Vincenz Hospital

Krankenhaus St. Vincenz

The hospital perched on the Schafsberg overlooking the town has at its disposal 433 beds and 15 specialist departments.

Sport and leisure

In Limburg there are varioussport clubs;some are even represented inBundesligen,and even at the world level.

• Limburger Club für Wassersport 1895/1907 e.V. (training base for theDeutscher Ruderverband)
• Limburger Hockey Club
• Schwimmverein Poseidon Limburg e. V. (swimming)
• various clubs in the outlying centres such as the Turnverein Eschhofen (gymnastics club), thefistballstronghold in Limburg-Weilburg

Youth meeting place in Limburg

TheEvangelical Churchoffers 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 aZivildienstleistendersupporting the visitors not only with their problems.

Limburg Mothers' Centre

TheMütterzentrum Limburgis a family meeting place for those with or without children on Hospitalstraße. The club is supported by the town of Limburg and theBundeslandof Hesse and offers among other things a parents' service that looks after children, a broad array of course offerings for children and adults, a miniaturekindergartenand a café.

Volunteer fire brigades

• Limburg an der Lahn VolunteerFire brigade,founded 1867 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Ahlbach Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1908 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Dietkirchen Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1934 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Eschhofen Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1901 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Lindenholzhausen Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1933 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Linter Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1935 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Offheim Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1898 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Staffel Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1880 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)

Culture and sightseeing

Performers

Thecabarettroupe "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 andjazzas 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.

Museums

TheKatzenturm,formerly part of the town wall, today a navy museum

Fischmarkt

View through a gate near the Limburgcathedral treasury

In Limburg there are several museums. The most important are:

• Town of Limburg art collections that offer changing exhibits
• Staurothek,cathedral treasuryand diocesan museum with theLimburger 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 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-framehouses, 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 1,000Deutsche Marknote from the second series,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 glassfrom 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-framedhouses of Limburg is the "hall house"from theHigh Middle Ages,which has agreat hallon 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
  • Haus der sieben Laster( "House of the Seven Vices" ) at Brückengasse 9, built in 1567,timber-frame house with carvings showing Christianity'sseven deadly sins,namelypride,greed,envy,lust,gluttony,wrathandsloth
  • Werner-Senger-Haus,a beautiful stonehall housewith 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 Limburgwoolweavers' trading centre
  • Römer 2-4-6,Germany's oldest freestanding timbered house; in the garden amikvahwas found
• Rathaus( "Town Hall" ), built in 1899
• "Huttig" (town wall tower remnant)
• Former noble estate of the Counts ofWalderdorffat Fahrgasse 5

Twin towns – sister cities

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Limburg an der Lahn istwinnedwith:

• Lichfield,England, United Kingdom
• Oudenburg,Belgium
• Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon,France

Notable people

• Imagina of Isenburg-Limburg(c. 1255 – 1313?), the Queen consort of Adolf of Nassau, King of Germany
• Alois Anton Führer(1853–1930),indologist
• Alexej Stachowitsch(1918–2013), Austrian-Russian author, pedagogue and songwriter, died there
• Franz Kamphaus(born 1932),bishop emeritusof theRoman Catholic Diocese of Limburg
• Theo Geisel(born 1948), physicist
• Eberhard Metternich(born 1959), catholic church musician
• Christoph Prégardien(born 1956), lyric tenor
• Alison Browner(born 1957), Irish mezzo-soprano opera singer, based in Limburg an der Lahn
• Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst(born 1959), prelate of the Catholic Church
• Germar Rudolf(born 1964), chemist and a convicted Holocaust denier
• Veronika Winter(born 1965), soprano
• Stefan Saliger(born 1967), field hockey player
• Peter W. Marx(born 1973), theatre andperformance studiesscholar
• Tamara Bach(born 1976), youth book author
• David Heiss,convicted murder

Gallery

• 
  Limburg Cathedral seen from the Lahn bridge
• 
  Cathedral with castle
• 
  Cathedral, inside view
• 
  Zum goldenen Hirsch
• 
  Former graveyard chapel, eaves side
• 
  Former graveyard chapel, entrance side

Further reading

• 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.
• Waldecker, Christoph:Zeitsprünge Limburg.Sutton, Erfurt 2014,ISBN978-3-95400-471-3.

Novels

• Bracht, Horst:Galgenfrist. Historischer Limburg-Krimi.Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2012,ISBN978-3-942921-81-7.
• Bracht, Horst:Der Klosterbrauer. Limburg-Krimi.Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2014,ISBN978-3-95542-080-2.

External links

• Official website(in German)
• Limburg Cathedral(in German)
• Limburg Cathedral Boys' Choir(in English)
• Pictures of Limburg and its cathedral(in German)
• There is literature about Limburg an der Lahnin theHessian Bibliography