Limburg an der Lahn

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Limburg an der Lahn


Country	Germany
State	Hessen
Administrative region	Gießen
District	Limburg-Weilburg
Population	33,936 [source] (2005)
Area	45.15 km²
Population density	750 /km²
Elevation	117 m
Coordinates	50°23′ N 8°4′ E
Postal code	65531–65556
Area code	06431
Licence plate code	LM
Mayor	Martin Richard (CDU)
Website	www.limburg.de

Limburg an der Lahn (Limburg on the Lahn river) is a German town and the capital of the district Limburg-Weilburg in the west of Hessen.

1 Geography
2 Etymology
3 History
4 Economy
- 4.1 Transport & Accessibility
- 4.2 Located businesses
5 Main sights
- 5.1 Buildings in the old town
6 Culture
7 Twin cities
8 Transportation
9 External links

[edit] Geography

The city is located at the Lahn river, between the mountains of the Westerwald and the Taunus.

Limburg has eight districts: Ahlbach, Blumenrod, Dietkirchen, Eschhofen, Linter, Lindenholzhausen, Offheim and Staffel.

Map of Limburg and its districts

[edit] Geographical location

The town is located relatively central in a larger depressed area of the "Rheinische Schiefergebirge" (Rheinian Schale-mountains). The "Limburger Becken" (Limburg basin) is surrounded by the Taunus and the Westerwald. Because of its favourable ground and climate conditions, it is one of the most fruitful Hessian agricultural regions. In addition, it has a high importance in trade and traffic since Medieval times with its Lahn crossing. Within the valley, the lower valley of the Lahn has several broadenings, so that Limburgs average elevation is just 117 m above sea level.

[edit] Neighbour communities

Limburg is surrounded by Elz and Hadamar in the north, Villmar and Brechen in the southeast, Hünfelden in the south (all in the district Limburg-Weilburg, Holzheim in the southwest, Diez, Aull and Gückingen in the west (all in the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate). The closest bigger cities are Wetzlar in the northeast, Wiesbaden in the south and Coblence in the west.

[edit] Structure of the town

The biggest district of Limburg is Lindenholzhausen (3,329 residence as of June 2006), the second biggest is Linter. The other districts are Ahlbach, Blumenrod, Dietkirchen, Eschhofen, Offheim und Staffel. Blumenrod is actually a large residential zone of the town and not an independent village. It is located in the south of Limburg. Its landmark is the "Domäne Blumenrod", a former manor house, that has been renovated and remodelled by the Freie evangelische Gemeinde Limburg (free protestant community of Limburg).

[edit] Etymology

The derivation of the name "Limburg" is not entirely clarified and has presumably derived from a castle. In 910 the place was first mentioned as "Lintpurc". Two of the popular theories are:

The name has been chosen because of the closeness to the "Linterer Bach" (a rivulet in Linter). "Linda" is the Gillian word for water.
Less likely, but very popular is the connection to a dragon saga (see Lindworm) and the connection with the monastery of Saint George the "Dragon Slayer" founded in Limburg. However, the monastery was built after the castle and founded around the time of the first written mentioning of the name.

Front of the cathedral

[edit] History

Limburg was first mentioned in a document in 910 as "Lintpurc". The place emerged close to the castle with the same name. Presumably the castle was built to protect a fort to cross the Lahn. In 910, Louis the Child transferred a courtyard to Konrad Kurzbold to built a church. The "St. Georg" monastery was founded. (This is presumably the reason why the place was first named in 910.)

Konrad Kurzbold set the headstone for the monastery church St. George, where he was to be buried later. The place achieved importance with the foundation of the monastery. It also benefited from the trade and the transfer of goods along the "Höhenstrasse".

In 1214 the place received its town charter. Remains of the city wall from the years 1130, 1230 and 1340 still show the fast development of the city in the Mediaeval.

In 1235 the St. Georgs Dom (Cathedral of St. George), also called Georgsdom, is consecrated. It is built on the place of the old monastery church. Its high location on a rock above the Lahn provides its visibility from far away. The building is one of the most accomplished buildings of the late Romanesque style.

In the early 13^th Century, the manor-house of Limburg was built south to the cathedral's square where the castle used to be.

In 1344, Black Death, Fire and especially the rise of territory princes lead to a gradually decline of the town. In 1624, it changed hands and was incorporated to the Kurfürstentum Trier.

Not until the 19^th Century, the town managed to rise again. In the period from 1806 – 1866, it belonged to the Herzogtum Nassau, which declared Limbug in 1827 to be a diocesan town.

In 1862, Limburg became an important regional junction of several railroads. In 1886 it became "Kreisstadt" (district town).

[edit] Economy

[edit] Transport & Accessibility

Limburg is situated at the motorway A 3 which links it with Cologne and the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The Bundesstraße 8 and Bundesstraße 49 are passing through the town. It has a Train station and an ICE station at the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line. (The station Limburg Süd is the only German station which is used exclusively by ICE trains.)

The Limburg (Lahn) railway station links 4 lines: The station is at the Lahntalbahn and connects it with the Main-Lahn-Bahn, the Unterwesterwaldbahn and the Oberwesterwaldbahn.

[edit] Located businesses

Vectus Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH
Mundipharma
Tetra Pak
Blechwarenfabrik Limburg

[edit] Main sights

Altstadt (old town) area of Limburg boasts a fine ancient cathedral and is full of narrow streets with half-timbered houses, dating mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries.

[edit] Buildings in the old town

Altstadt (Old town centre)

Only in few cities like Limburg, the entire medieval town core remained almost entirely untouched and intact. Therefore today the old town centre which once was entirely surrounded by a city wall has been listed for conservation of ancient monuments. The area spans from the St. Georgs Dom (St. Georgs Cathedral), alongside the Grabenstraße (a street marking the old town moat) to the 600 year old bridge over the Lahn.

Limburger Dom (the cathedral of Limburg) One of the most accomplished buildings of the late Romanesque style, which was completed in the year 1235. It was printed on the back side of the 1000 Deutsche Mark note from the second series, which was in circulation from 1960 to 1989.

The old 1000 DM note

Limburger Schloss (the castle of Limburg) built at the beginning of the 13^th century by Gerlach von Ysenburg
Burgmannenhaus built around 1544, serves as a museum today
St. Anna-Kirche (St. Anna Church) which has several glass paintings in the windows from the late 14^th century, showing eighteen scenes from the New Testament
Alte Lahnbrücke (old Lahn bridge) from the year 1315, an important Lahn crossing point from the Via Publica
Haus Kleine Rütsche 4 (narrowest passage of the historical trade route from Frankfurt to Cologne, which width can be read at the Heumarkt in Cologne
Rathaus (town hall) from 1899
"Huttig" (remains of the town wall)
"Haus der sieben Laster" (House of the seven deadly sins) (Brückengasse 9, built in 1567) A half-timbered house with carvings of the seven main vices of the Christianity: arrogance, greed, envy, lust, crapulence, anger and spiritlessness.
former residence of the earls of Walderdorff (Fahrgasse 5)
Werner-Senger-Haus (a beautiful stone-hall-building with half-timbered front from the 13^th Century
Römer 2-4-6 (the oldest free-standing house in Germany, in the garden a mikvah has been found)