Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

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Left St. Georg’s Dom in its lovely setting

above Lahn river Below Detail in the main

hall of the Kaiser Friedrich Therme, Wiesbaden

3 Runkel

Hesse; 65594

The Lahn Valley narrows and

becomes steeper at Runkel, where

the mighty Burg (Easter–Oct: closed

Mon) overlooks a 15th-century stone

bridge. The older, upper fortress was

left a ruin by Austrian troops during

the Thirty Years’ War, while the

13th-cen tury Unterburg, the lower

castle, contains a museum and is

the seat of the Wied family. On the

opposite bank of the river stands

another castle, Burg Schadeck.

Known as the “swallows nest,” it

was built as a result of a dispute

within Runkel’s founding family.

ª Leave Runkel on Borngasse,

following signs to Villmar and

Aumenau. At Aumenau, turn left on to

Elkerhaüser Strasse, then follow route

to Weilburg. Use the Parkdeck Rathaus

close to the tourist office to park.

DRIVE 12: In the Land of the Brothers Grimm

built in the 13th century, is one of
the oldest in Limburg. With a lofty,
beamed hall on the ground floor,
typical of the Altstadt’s houses, it is
now a hotel and restau rant. Turn
left into Römer 4 , dominated by a
beau tifully restored 13th-century
Gothic Hallenhaus. Archaeological
excava tion at the site of this
hall house has unearthed the
remains of a Jewish ritual
bath or mikvah. Turn right at
the end of Römer and take

the steps up to Domstrasse.
Cross the road to reach
Diözesanmuseum 5 (mid-
Mar–mid-Nov: closed Mon).
The museum’s collec tion
of ecclesiastical trea sures
includes the Staurothek, a
10th-cen tury Byzantine cross
reliquary. Leaving the museum,
turn right up Domstrasse on to the
Domplatz to visit the mag nifi cent red-
and-white bulk of St. Georg’s Dom 6.
The cathe dral was built in the early
13th cen tury with the wealth accrued

by Limburg’s mer chants in the
Crusades. Its archi tec ture is a blend
of Rhenish Romanesque and early
French Gothic. The interior has
some early medieval frescoes.
Return to the Domplatz and walk
along the southern walls of the
cathedral to reach the Schloss 7.
Though built on a superb defensive
site high above the river, it is hard to
imagine anything less for bidding than
the castle’s pictur esque collection of
stone and half-timbered buildings

grouped around a central courtyard.
Return to Domplatz, turning left down
the atmospheric Grosse Domtreppe,
the great cathedral steps, to reach
Bischofsplatz 8. On the right, tall
half-timbered houses lean at giddy
angles and on the left is the

EAT AND DRINK

WIESBADEN

Ente expensive

The Nassauer Hof ’s gourmet restaurant

oozes class, from the understated ele-

gance of its ocean liner-like decor to

the 1,800-bottle wine cellar and the

creative menu, which offers the likes of

chargrilled eel with melted goose liver,

boletus powder, and lamb’s lettuce.

Kaiser-Friedrich-Platz 3-4, 65183; 0611

13 30; http://www.nassauer-hof.de; closed

Sun & Mon

Kaefer’s expensive

There is a club-like atmosphere at this

elegant bistro in the Kurhaus. The menu

blends German, French, and other

international influences, and includes

plenty of seafood.

Kurhausplatz 1, 65189; 0611 53 62 00;

http://www.kurhaus-gastronomie.de

Other options

Wiesbaden’s traditional high temple

of cake and coffee is Café Maldaner

(Marktstrasse 34, 65183; 0611 30 52

14), founded in 1859. Head to Fritz

Kunder (Wilhelmstrasse 12, 65183;

0611 44 13 59), to sample Wiesbadener

Ananastörtchen (refined bitter chocolate

with a pineapple jelly filling).

LIMBURG AN DER LAHN

Werner-Senger-Haus moderate

Specialities such as foil-cooked

pike-perch fillet with herbs or boiled

beef with Frankfurt green sauce are

served here, in one of Limburg’s oldest

half-timbered houses.

Rütsche 5, 65549; 06431 69 42;

http://www.werner-senger-haus.de

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under €20; moderate, €20–€40; expensive, over €40

Stadtkirche or parish church, built

around 1300. From Bischofsplatz

follow Barfüssergasse and Salzgasse

through the bustling heart of the

Altstadt, stop ping to admire the

antiques and gift shops on the way

to Fischmarkt 9. This contains the

most impressive concen tration of

beautiful early-medieval

houses in Limburg, includ-

ing the Altes Rathaus, with

its fine beamed hall and

lovely spiral stair case. The

old town hall now houses

the municipal art collection

(open during exhi bitions only).

Turn left into Brückengasse

and then left again into

Konrad Kurzbold Strasse

to reach the parking lot.

ª Leave the city on

Eschhöfer Weg, following signs

to Runkel.

Sculpture in Limburg

an der Lahn’s

old town