Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [477]
Orientation
The hilly Altstadt (Oberstadt, ie ‘upper city’), situated west of Pilgrimstein and north of Universitätsstrasse, is centred on the Marktplatz. The area towers over the Unterstadt (‘lower city’), whose centre is east of Pilgrimstein. The Hauptbahnhof is 1.5km northeast of the Altstadt. The Hauptbahnhof and Elisabethkirche are linked to the Altstadt by a cute, moderately sloping street known as Steinweg. The university is spread throughout the city.
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Information
ATMs You’ll find several around the Marburger Kunstverein.
Ch@rly’s Internet TREFF (Pilgrimstein 29; per hr €3; 10am-1am Mon-Sat, noon-1am Sun)
Post office (Bahnhofstrasse 6)
Tourist information ( 991 20; www.marburg.de; Pilgrimstein 26; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) Has English brochures and sells events tickets.
Uni-Klinikum ( 283 697; Baldingerstrasse) The city’s biggest hospital. Served by buses 7 and 16.
Universitätsbuchhandlung ( 170 90; Reitgasse 7-9) A bookshop with novels and Lonely Planet guides in English.
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FAIRY-TALE ROAD
The 600km Märchenstrasse (www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.de) is one of Germany’s most popular tourist routes. It’s made up of cities, towns and hamlets in four states (Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine–Westphalia and Bremen), many of them associated with the works of Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm. Click on towns on the website’s map for details. Public transport is designed for local commuting, so having a car is a big plus.
The Grimm brothers travelled extensively through central Germany in the early 19th century documenting folklore. Their collection of tales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen, was first published in 1812 and quickly gained international recognition. It includes such fairy-tale staples as Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, Rapunzel and scores of others.
There are over 60 stops on the Fairy-Tale Road. Major ones include (from south to north): Hanau, about 15km east of Frankfurt, the birthplace of Jakob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859); Steinau, where the Grimm brothers spent their youth; Marburg, in whose university the brothers studied for a short while; Kassel, with a museum dedicated to the Grimms; Göttingen, at whose university the brothers served as professors before being expelled in 1837 for their liberal views; Bad Karlshafen, a meticulously planned white baroque village; Bodenwerder, whose rambling Münchhausen Museum is dedicated to the legendary Baron von Münchhausen, (in)famous for telling outrageous tales (Click here); Hamelin (Hameln; ), forever associated with the legend of the Pied Piper; and Bremen.
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Sights
ELISABETHKIRCHE
Built between 1235 and 1283 (the twin spires were added later), the Protestant Elisabethkirche (www.elisabethkirche.de; adult/concession €2/1.50; 9am-6pm Apr-Sep, 10am-5pm Oct, 10am-6pm Dec, 10am-4pm Nov & Jan-Mar) is considered to be Germany’s earliest pure-Gothic church. The highlight inside is the Hohe Chor (high choir), where you can see beautiful Gothic stained glass behind an astounding stone Hochaltar (high altar). The cathedral also houses the elegant Elisabeth-Schrein (Elisabeth Shrine), dedicated to St Elisabeth, whose burial here made the church a site of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.
ALTSTADT
The focal point of the old city is the historic Marktplatz, elegantly adorned with a stone fountain; on the south side is the historic Rathaus (1512). From there it’s a steep climb to the Lutheran St-Marien-Kirche, an imposing red-brick church with great views over the lower town. The terrace on the south side is the place to come at sunrise, particularly on weekends, when you’ll often be joined by a motley crowd of students, late-night drinkers, early morning dog walkers and rough sleepers.
Perched at the highest point in town, a steep walk up from St-Marien-Kirche or the Marktplatz is the massive Landgrafenschloss (Landgraves’ Castle; 282 5871; www.uni-marburg.de/uni-museum, in German; Schloss 1; adult/concession €4/2; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, until