Fritzlar & Hesse, Germany

I stopped in Marburg for several days to use as a base to explore the German state of Hesse. Most Americans will remember that Hessian troops were surprised by George Washington and the Continental Army in 1776 at Trenton. Why the British hired mercenary armies to fight those unruly colonists is a whole other story…

Back in Hesse, Marburg was the site of a major university which provided a youthful vibe plus cheap food and beer spots. It also boasted a well-preserved Altstadt (old town) on the hill leading up to a fairly boring castle.

Truth be told, I was a bit unimpressed with Marburg. I’d read quite a bit of hype about the place but perhaps some of that stemmed from college nostalgia and the fact it was an easy train ride north from urban Frankfurt.

Truth be told, perhaps I’d become a bit jaded with the half-timbered buildings and cobblestone lanes. Besides, there were plenty of under-the-radar alternatives in Hesse that I’d researched and mapped out.

Even the old university building in Marburg looked more like a fortress. I’ve found European universities tend to be spread out amongst other city buildings and not grouped on a defined campus like back in the States. I suppose the urban American universities are more similar to this but I’m used to places like Auburn and Norman.

After hiking up and down the hills in Marburg, I welcomed the opportunity to drive a bit into the Hessian countryside the following day.

My first stop was the expansive grounds of the unpronounceable Schloss Rauischholzhausen. The lavish estate had been built by a rich German industrialist from the family Stumm in the 1870s in a game of one-upmanship with his equally rich brothers.

I parked on the far edge of the lush park surrounding the mansion and hiked right up to the door. It was now owned by another German university and served as a quite palatial conference center.

My next stop served as a good contrast. Many Germans live in apartments in large cities but those who live in smaller towns might have houses that look more like this neighborhood in Stadtallendorf…

I came to this village to see Burg Schweinsberg but unfortunately, the gate was locked. In German there are two main words for castle: Burg and Schloss. Generally, a Burg is a fortress designed for defense and a Schloss is a palace designed more as a residence.

Disappointed I wasn’t able to get closer, I hiked down to the tiny Marktplatz in the center of Allendorf. An old fachwerk building was being restored and I enjoyed looking over the ancient wooden beams they’d set aside for preservation. Wouldn’t one of these look great as a mantle over a big stone fireplace?

As I continued my drive through the Hessian countryside, I stopped here and there to inspect anything of interest. This imposing structure was the Totenkirche (literally, church of the dead) in the town of Schwalmstadt. In 1830 the roof was damaged by lightning and the church was left to decay.

In the village of Kirtorf, I hiked through thick grass and pushed past vines to explore the ruins of Burg Lehrbach and its grounds. Although the roof was missing from the castle, you could still make out a blue ceiling inside the remains of the nearby chapel.

The castle was built around 1180 but destroyed in the Thirty Years’ War in the 1600s and eventually abandoned. Today it sits peacefully along a small stream surrounded by slowly-encroaching trees.

I eventually arrived at Fritzlar, a small historic town in northern Hesse. I’d never read about it in any English-language travel guides but it was mentioned enthusiastically several times on a German forum I researched. I was glad I ventured off the beaten path to enjoy this undiscovered gem.

The long Marktplatz was ringed by a rich collection of fachwerk buildings, some leaning haphazardly against a neighbor. The central fountain provided a tranquil backdrop of splashing water as I walked slowly past.

An older man sitting at one of the nearby benches had a small, fuzzy schnauzer on a leash. I walked over, told him we had schnauzers at home and he let me take a pic. Never once did the little guy bark at me, perhaps because he enjoyed me petting his head.

I’ve been to many of the medieval German towns visited by tourists for years. I decided Fritzlar ranked right up there with places like Rothenburg, Quedlinburg and Bacharach. And yet, it seemed like I was the only non-German walking its cobblestone streets this afternoon.

It was the same story at the town’s looming Dom St. Peter. When I first stepped inside, an older German couple was just making their way out. After the door creaked to a close, I had the whole place to myself. I spent my time inspecting the stained glass, stone carvings and ornate altarpiece and was never interrupted by any other visitors. In the silence it felt like I had stepped back in time.

I jumped back in the car just as my parking pass was about to run out of time. There was still a bit of daylight left so I decided to stop in one more town on my way back, this time in Homberg.

I was glad I did. This was another place I’d never read about but, like Fritzlar, Homberg was full of half-timbered buildings surrounding its spacious Marktplatz. It was easy to imagine a scene from the Middle Ages happening right here.

Back in modern times and back in the car, I stopped at a gas station to fill up the tank. Gas is roughly $7.50 a gallon in Germany so you can well understand why most vehicles here prioritize gas mileage.

I pulled over one last time at a used car dealership (Gebrauchtwagen in German) because a silver W124 E-Class Mercedes caught my eye. I knew this was from 1994 or 1995, the final years of the model, because I’d owned one very similar. These cars proved to be virtually indestructible, from a time when Mercedes prioritized engineering over the bean counters. I think they’re getting back to that now.

Sadly, I don’t see a lot of older cars in Germany. Vehicles are taxed on engine size and CO2 emissions now so newer, more environmentally-friendly versions might make more financial sense (which is undoubtedly the reason for the taxes).

But I do still see W124s on German roads which is a massive endorsement.

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