Fairytale riverscapes, floral splendour and seats of learning

The Lahn river is a tributary of the Rhine and the main artery of a region that has a longestablished shipping tradition. A certificate of staple rights from the early 14th century hints at a thriving centre of trade. The towns in the Lahn valley prospered as a result, culminating in magnificent castles and palaces, handsome mercantile houses and awe-inspiring churches, all of which provide a captivating contrast to the idyllic surrounding countryside. Great poets and fairytale writers found inspiration here for their famous literary works.

Limburg

Limburg traces its history back to the time of the Merovingian kings. The town began as a hill fort in the 8th century AD and recorded an important milestone in 1150, when a new wooden bridge over the Lahn river joined Limburg with the major trading route between Cologne and Frankfurt. Limburg is one of a handful of towns in which almost every medieval building has survived intact. The entire central ensemble between the cathedral and the 600-year-old Lahn bridge stands under historic preservation. Visible for miles around, St. George's Cathedral is a masterpiece of late-Romanesque architecture with a distinctive facade of red and white that dominates the old quarter.

Weilburger Tunnel

The Weilburg Tunnel was built to cater for the growing demands placed on modern shipping by industrialisation. There has been no comparable structure in Germany before or since. The tunnel was dug out of Mühlberg hill in Weilburg between 1844 and 1847 and then flooded with waters from the Lahn, making the upper stretch of the river navigable and bypassing the rapids. The ensemble includes a road tunnel and rail tunnel that run alongside the shipping tunnel.

The health resort of Bad Ems

St. Bartholomew's Market in Bad Ems stands apart from other traditional festivals thanks to its sensational flower parade, Germany's largest moving flower show. The market was held for the first time in 1379 during the rule of Count Ruprecht of Nassau. The custom of having a parade of floats festooned with flowers began in the 1920s. Bad Ems is a popular health resort. The Emser thermal baths provide a haven of relaxation with pools covering more than one thousand square metres and fresh spring water at a temperature of 32°C.

University town of Giessen

Dating back more than 400 years, the university in Giessen is highly regarded in academic circles. The Mathematikum, the world's first interactive maths museum, combines learning with fun. Other attractions include the Altes Schloss and Neues Schloss, the original laboratory of Justus von Liebig and the Giessen Art Trail with its eye-catching collection of contemporary sculptures. At the Old Cemetery, you can visit the grave of the famous physicist who discovered the x-ray, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who worked in Giessen from 1879 to 1888.

Marburg

Student life has centuries of tradition in Marburg. Philipps University, founded in the 16th century, is the oldest Protestant university that exists to this day. Marburg is also where the Brothers Grimm studied law, began the first serious research into the history of the German language and compiled their fairytale collections. These associations have earned Marburg a place on the 600km German Fairytale Route, which links fabled towns and myth-enshrouded regions. Older still is the legacy of Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, the high-born princess who built and ran a hospital for the sick and frail of Marburg. She also gave her name to Marburg's Church of St. Elisabeth, one of the finest Gothic buildings in Germany.

German Half-Timbered Houses Route

The German Half-Timbered Houses Route in the Lahn valley passes through Dillenburg, Herborn, Wetzlar, Braunfels and Limburg. You can discover a wealth of old quarters with picturesque half-timbered buildings, whose characteristic architecture highlights the medieval charm of the region.

Wetzlar

Charlotte Buff, immortalised as Lotte, was the great, unfulfilled love of the young Johann Wolfgang Goethe. The great poet made her acquaintance in Wetzlar while working as a trainee for the Imperial Supreme Court. During this time he found the inspiration for his acclaimed novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther. Follow in Goethe's footsteps on a guided tour of the town visiting sites such as the Lottehaus where Charlotte Buff was born. Wetzlar was an imperial town for more than 600 years. The cathedral is the main attraction in the old quarter where there are narrow lanes, medieval squares and baroque buildings to discover.

Autumn food festival in the Lahn valley

Speciality cuisine made using regional produce is the focus of the Culinary Autumn festival in selected Lahn valley restaurants. There is a particular emphasis on local lamb and beef. The animals are allowed to graze in open meadows where wild herbs grow, giving the meat a strong, distinctive flavour. A typical meal might include marinated braised veal with walnut bread dumplings accompanied by pumpkin and parsley root vegetables and followed by a Hessian tiramisu made with Boskoop apples and caramelised walnuts. Beer is also brewed in the Lahn valley and there are some fabulous fruit schnapps to aid you with digestion.