Marburg: At a glance ~ Compliments of the Brethren Colleges Abroad website
With a population of 80,000, Marburg is one of Germany's best preserved medieval cities. It sustained little damage in WWII- a rarity in Germany. The town sits in the wooded Lahn river valley in the state of Hesse. In the lower town is the famous Elisabethkirche, the first Gothic church to be built on German soil. On the slopes of the hill behind the church are the winding cobblestone streets and the Marktplatz of the Old City. An ambitious project to restore the city's half-timbered houses has produced one of Germany's most picturesque town centers. High above, the town is dominated by the Landgrafenschlob, an imposing 13th century stone castle. This former home of the Counts of Hesse today houses a museum and a student residence hall.
The city is known throughout Germany for its universities. During the academic year, roughly one person in three is a student. Marburg is a university town with university buildings spread throughout. The large population of students and the many cafes, bookstores, and restaurants of the town give it a youthful atmosphere. Marburg is also home to the German Institute for the Blind, founded here in 1916. The town's reputation for erudition has brought Martin Heidegger, Boris Pasternak, T.S. Eliot, Karl Barth, Jose Ortega y Gassett and many other illustrious figures to study. |
