Up and Down: The 5 Best Routes Through Marburg

Just start strolling and wander through the charming alleys in Marburg without a specific plan or goal. But to truly get to know the city, we recommend following one of our five favorite routes. This way, you'll see the most spectacular sights and learn more about Marburg's history and its most fascinating personalities along the way.

Besides guided city tours, there are several tours you can take independently with a map or smartphone. Discover Marburg as a fairytale city or dive into the darker chapters of the city's history. We also suggest a leisurely walk through a neighborhood that most travelers don't initially explore.

One of the most beautiful tours through the city is the fairytale journey following the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm, who lived in Marburg for several years. On the Grimm-dich-Path, you'll find characters from Grimm's fairy tales all over the city center: the fisherman and his wife, the Frog Prince, Snow White.

This allows you to discover many corners of Marburg in a playful and entertaining way. At some locations, like the Museum of Romance, you can delve deeper into literary history. The tour ends at the former residence of Jacob Grimm.

It's helpful to carry a map of the stations with you, which you can get from the Marburg Tourist Information center or download from their website. The fairytale journey begins in the Old Botanical Garden, where you are greeted by the Buttfish from 'The Fisherman and his Wife'. The Grimm-dich-Path is also a great way for kids and teenagers to explore Marburg.

However, 'Grimm dich' or 'Trimm dich' is the theme: like most tours through Marburg, it involves a lot of uphill and downhill walking. The route is not suitable for strollers.

Are you in Marburg for just a few hours or a day? You'll surely want to see the main attractions. We recommend a tour through the Upper Town up to the castle and finally to the Lower Town.

Start at the Market Square in the Upper Town, where you can see the Old Town Hall. From the Market, begin your tour through Steingasse towards St. Mary's Church. The terrace of the old parish church is the first viewpoint on your tour: take in the view over Marburg's rooftops.

But it gets even better: from the churchyard, continue over the Ludwig-Bickell-Stairs up to the castle. Enjoy the view. If you have time, you can also take a walk through the adjoining castle park. From the castle, you can either take the castle stairs back to the Upper Town or take a longer walk over the Hainweg behind the castle and Renthof to the Watershed, where you can discover remnants of the old city wall and a drinking water well.

From here, it's worth wandering a bit through the charming alleys and walking down Reitgasse to the Old University. This is also one of the city's most impressive buildings.

To conclude your Marburg walk, we recommend crossing the Weidenhäuser Bridge and continuing over the Trojedamm along the Lahn to the 'Grüner Wehr' viewpoint. Perhaps you can stop at a café by the waterfront or stroll through part of the South Quarter back to the Upper Town or to your parking spot.

Most travelers first head to Marburg's spectacular Upper Town. With its half-timbered houses, historic market square, and the Landgrave Castle, it's one of Germany's most beautiful old towns. But Marburg has even more to offer. A stroll in the South Quarter is also worthwhile: admire beautiful old villas, balconies, and gardens and stop by one of the charming cafés like 'Frau Friedrich' near Friedrichsplatz or 'Klingelhöfer' on Haspelstraße.

Are you interested in the dark sides of Marburg's history? Then the Marburg Witch Route might be for you. Similar to the Grimm-dich-Path, there is also a flyer with a map for this tour through the city, marking the route. On the Witch Route, you travel back to the 16th century when witch hunts began in Marburg.

A QR code gives you access to an audio guide that tells the story through the fate of Marburg's Catharina Staudinger. She was convicted as a 'witch' and burned in the summer of 1656. The tour also takes you to her former residence at the corner of Schlosssteig/Wettergasse.

Otherwise, you'll visit places that served as prisons for women - including the Witch Tower, the Landgrave Castle, and the keep. You'll also learn how a witch trial began in medieval Marburg and where the court was held. At the end of the Witch Route, you'll reach the Rabenstein, where the verdicts were executed and the so-called witches were put to death.

You can also explore Marburg by following the footsteps of Martin Luther. The reformer came to the city in 1529 at the invitation of Landgrave Philip and was reportedly enthusiastically received. The reason for his visit was a religious discussion with his opponent, Huldrych Zwingli, which made history. The Landgrave orchestrated the meeting to resolve a debate about the significance of the words Jesus spoke during the Last Supper.

On the ten stations of the Reformation Route, you will reach the places where the meeting of the two opponents took place, as well as other notable sites for the Reformation such as the Lutheran Parish Church of St. Mary. There, in 1605, a fierce battle between Calvinists and Lutherans occurred. During this uprising, some of the church's pastors feared for their lives.

You can get a plan with the stations and detailed information about the sites as Reformation scenes from the website of the Marburg City and Country Tourism GmbH. The tour starts at the Old University and ends at the former Franciscan Monastery. You'll also visit the Landgrave Castle and St. Elizabeth's Church during the walk.

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