And on to Marburg!

We got going fairly early, especially considering that the water nymph swam a mile and a half before we left!

After another breakfast at our home away from home cafe, we took the S-Bahn to the main station and were soon on the train to Marburg.

Our hotel, the Vila Vita Rosenpark, exceeded all expectation. It sits in a secluded corner of an island in the Lahn river, but is still only a few minutes walk from the center of town. Our room wasn’t ready, but we dropped our luggage and started walking. Our first goal, St. Elizabeth, was holding midday prayer, so we passed on and soon came to the first of the university buildings–a brand new library.

For all its history–and there is a lot of it–Marburg is a small city, just 76,000 inhabitants, with almost a third of those students at the Phillips-Universität. The university was founded in 1527 as a protestant institution and is in fact the oldest university in the world with a protestant foundation. It remained a relatively small place until the 1950’s, when it grew rapidly–and welcomed the young student Alexander Kluge, who matriculated in law and ecclesiastical music!

Here is the original university building, which once housed the entire institution.

Marburg’s upper town is one of the best preserved assemblages of medieval buildings in Germany; the town, lacking industry or military importance, was barely bombed. The original kernel of the city rises steeply from the river bank, with narrow lanes twisting upward at often frightening pitches! Just to give you a sense of how steep the hill is: the town has an elevator that takes people from top to bottom in several stages.

The town is a dream for lovers of half-timbered houses.

After only moderate huffing and puffing–far worse was yet to come–we reached the marketplace.

The time seemed write for a sip and a bite, so we indulged in a drink and partook of a central German ritual: the enjoyment of Spargel, or white asparagus. The season is short, and, during these few weeks, massive quantities are consumed, paired with ham, or veal schnitzel, or just a nice hollandaise, which is what we opted for.

This is one Spargel reveler, with the medieval Rathaus in the background.

Another climb, this time more moderate, brought us to the Marienkirche, the town’s main parish church. The church sits on a large terrace supported by massive walls; here is a view into the valley of the Lahn river.

The church is pure early gothic, built on top of a romanesque predecessor between 1228 and 1395; the towers were added in the middle of the next century.

The pure gothic interior is rather lovely; and some frescos from the thirteenth centuries have been preserved.

After leaving the church, the real labor started. We worked our way up many different flights of steps, with people making jokes as we climbed. One gentleman told us that a businessman had offered to pay for a gondola to the top, but the town council refused. The guy next to me: “They should have been hanged.” Once at the top, we had a short climb up to the castle itself. We took a look at the castle gardens, but they were extensive enough to discourage a full exploration.

As the climb suggested, the castle occupies a commanding position above the town.

This stolen picture gives a sense of its situation.

And here is what it looks like up close.

The castle’s foundations lie in the eleventh century; additions have been made in nearly every century since. The courtyard gives some sense of its scale.

The large relief in the courtyard imparts the prince’s wisdom to the eager masses.

We made our way down to the river, gingerly at times as the cobblestoned streets plunged down precipitously. A quick tour of the really lovely old Botanic Garden brought us to the last of Marburg’s great monuments, St. Elizabeth.

The church was built to hold the relics of St. Elizabeth. Elizabeth of Hungary was the archduchess of Hessen; she was known for her work with the poor and the sick. After her early death at the age of 24, she was canonized in 1235, and work immediate began on the church, which was consecrated in 1283. It is recognized as the first pure gothic church in what is now Germany.

Back at the hotel, we moved into our room, which we hadn’t seen yet. What a place! The room is actually a suite with a beautiful sitting area and a balcony overlooking a tributary of the Lahn river…complete with a waterfall!

With seven miles and over a thousand feet of elevation under out belts, we took a longish siesta and ate at the hotel. There is a Michelin starred restaurant, but, after our adventures in Frankfurt, we opted for the simpler Italian variant. And the food was surprisingly good! We shared bruschetta and Vitello tonnato to start; I had pizza, Sue pasta; and we shared a really lovely caramel tart with chocolate and greek yoghurt ice cream. Even the Pfalz Riesling from Weingut am Nil was very nice.