Sightseeing in Limburg

Limburg's principal sight is the seven-tower Sankt Georgs Dom (Cathedral of St George), which is easily the most impressive building in the Lahn Valley. Originally constructed between 1206 and 1235 as a town church in a Late Romanesque style, it already showed elements of the Early Gothic in its interior.

What set this basilica apart from so many others is its colorfully painted exterior in white, red, ocher, black, and green. Zealots in the late 19th century, when the state of Nassau became part of Prussia, refused to believe that a medieval church should be anything but bland grey stone and scraped off the painted plaster exterior. The Baroque interior, which was added in the mid-18th century, was redone in a non-authentic Romanesque style. Only during the 20th century would the church return to its medieval appearance. In 1965, the exterior was again plastered, to protect the sandstone against erosion, and painted in its original colors. The original medieval frescoes were uncovered and almost three quarters of the interior decorations visible today are original. The inside is 50 m (165 feet) long and the central nave is 21 m (69 feet) high with the cupola rising 33 m (107 feet). A clever alternation of lighter and darker areas creates the illusion of a much larger structure. The baptistery dates from the founding of the church.

The view from behind the church over the Lahn Valley is spectacular. The best views of the cathedral itself can be had from the Lahn Bridge at the edge of the old town or from the A3 highway.

[ Related page: Great Cathedrals of Germany. ]

The Domschatz und Diözesanmuseum (Cathedral Treasury), Domstraße 12, is worth a brief visit. The two rooms in the basement contain the real treasures, with jewel-studded gold and silver works. The highlight is the Staurotek, a mid-10th-century Byzantine cross reliquary with fine gold work and jewels claiming to contain wood from Christ’s cross. It was stolen from Constantinople during a crusade in 1204 and came to Limburg only in 1827 when Limburg became a bishopric. Also of note is a St Peter’s staff reliquary encased in bejeweled gold made in Trier in AD 988. The five rooms on the second floor consist of church art, including tapestries, statues, a small early 14th-century St George slaying the dragon, and works by Hans Holbein the Elder.

Further sights in Limburg are the various half-timbered houses in the lower parts of the old town – most currently used as restaurants or shops stocked with antiques, fine art, or other items. One of the joys of visiting Limburg is to round a corner and discover buildings even more impressive than the ones just seen minutes before. The oldest houses are in Römer, with the Gothic House at Römer 2-6 dating from 1289 one of the oldest freestanding half-timbered houses in Germany. Haus Kleine Rutsche 4, also dating from 1289, influenced transportation decisions for centuries: at this spot was the narrowest part of the trade route and carriages loaded in Frankfurt or Cologne were packed to specifications ensuring that they could pass here without unloading. Inspections were made several blocks down the road in either direction to prevent traffic jams. A particularly nice collection of half-timbered houses is at Fischmarkt (Fish Market), with most buildings here dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.