Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

128

Above Country road leading to Limburg

an der Lahn 2 Limburg an der Lahn

Hesse; 65549

There is a powerful sense of antiquity to be discovered in the

exceptionally well-preserved center of Limburg an der Lahn.

In this lovely city, tall half-timbered houses built between the

13th and 16th cen turies lean across narrow, meandering lanes

and are over shadowed in turn by the seven-towered St. Georg’s

Dom. This cathedral was built in the 13th century on a dramatic

site high above the Lahn river and is visible from miles around.

WHERE TO STAY

WIESBADEN

Nassauer Hof expensive

Kings, princes, and the Russian novelist

Fyodor Dostoevsky are among the

illus trious past guests of Wiesbaden’s

grand est hotel. Rooms are furnished in

a crisp but conservative style. The hotel

also has a Michelin-starred fine dining

restaurant called Ente.

Kaiser-Friedrich-Platz 3-4, 65183;

0611 13 30; http://www.nassauer-hof.de

LIMBURG AN DER LAHN

Dom Hotel moderate

This long-established hotel occupies a

central site close to the Altstadt. Rooms

are tastefully decorated in contempo-

rary style with en suite bath or shower,

wireless Internet, and TV.

Grabenstrasse 57, 65549; 06431 90 10;

http://www.domhotellimburg.de

Nassauer Hof moderate

A comfortable three-star hotel right

on Limburg’s Alte Lahnbrücke,

Nassauer Hof was destroyed during

World War II but reconstructed in 1991.

There is a good restaurant and a pretty

terrace overlooking the Lahn river.

Brückengasse 1, 65549; 06431 99 60;

http://www.hotel-nassauerhof-limburg.de

VISITING LIMBURG AN

DER LAHN

Parking

There is a conveniently located parking

lot on Konrad-Kurzbold Strasse.

Tourist Information

Hospitalstrasse 2, 65549; 06431 20 32

22; http://www.limburg.de; Apr–Oct: open

Mon–Sat; Nov–Mar: open Mon–Fri

1 Wiesbaden

Hesse; 65183

The opulent 19th-century

architecture of Hesse’s leafy capital

recalls its hey day as Kaiser Wilhelm II’s

favor ite watering hole. The focal

point here is the colonnaded

bowling green, fringed by the

Neo-Classical Kurhaus, the Casino

(open daily), and the impos ing Neo-

Baroque Hessiches Staatstheater,

or Hessian State Theater, which has

an extra vagant Neo-Rococo foyer.

The best of Wiesbaden’s spa facilities

is the Kaiser Friedrich Therme (open

daily; Langgasse 38-40; 0611 31 70 60).

Opened in 1913 on the site of a hot

BACK ROADS GERMANY

Shopping in Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden’s elegance extends to its

shops, from the designer bou tiques

along Wilhelmstrasse to the antique

shops and fine-art galleries of

Taunusstrasse, where visitors can buy

anything from vin tage couture or

antiquarian books to Art Deco glass.

In keeping with the city’s refined,

“old money” ambience, establ ished

and independent firms prevail.

spring, it has retained its original

Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) interior.

ª Leave Wiesbaden along

Taunusstrasse and Nerotal, following

the road uphill to reach the B417

to Limburg an der Lahn.

A two-hour walking tour

Exit the parking lot and turn left on

Konrad Kurzbold Strasse and left

again on to the Alte Lahnbrücke 1 , a

medieval stone bridge over the Lahn.

It dates from 1315–54 and is crowned

by an early 14th-century watch tower.

The bridge, damaged toward the

end of World War II, was restored and

widened between 1946 and 1947.

There is a wonderful view of the Dom

high above the river on a crag, with

the ancient Altstadt huddled at its

base. Return across the bridge, bear-

ing slightly left up Brückengasse 2

to reach the Altstadt. The 18th-cen tury

house at No. 2 was once an office

belonging to the postal service of the

aristo cratic Thurn and Taxis Dynasty.

Continue uphill into Rütsche, lined

with tall, gabled half-timbered houses.

The Werner Senger Haus 3 at No. 5,

Where to Stay: inexpensive, under €70; moderate, €70–€150; expensive, over €150Where to Stay: inexpensive, under €70; moderate, €70–€150; expensive, over €150

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Werner Senger
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Brückengasse
Diözesanmuseum
St. Georg’s
Dom
Schloss
Bischofsplatz
Alte Lahnbrücke
Römer
Fischmarkt