The Lahnwanderweg Stage 7

Stage 6 of the Lahnwanderweg ended in Marburg, and Stage 7 starts right there. On May 15 it was just Ellie and me. This one is 15 miles (24.1 km) with about 1,646 feet of climbing, and AllTrails rates it hard. The Lahntal tourism site calls it the "queen stage" of the whole trail. If you missed the last one, it's Stage 6.

Leaving Marburg

Ellie heading down a quiet street in Marburg, with the spires of the Elisabethkirche behind her.

The route climbs right out of the old town, and the view back over the rooftops comes quickly.

The route climbs out of Marburg below the Landgrafenschloss, the Landgrave's castle. A Landgraf is a "land count", a ruler over a whole territory, and the Landgraves of Hesse made this their seat. In the 13th century Landgraf Heinrich I expanded an older castle into a residence for the young Landgraviate. In October 1529 Landgraf Philip I hosted the Marburg Colloquy here, where Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli met to argue over the Eucharist. In the early 19th century the building served as a prison, and since 1981 it has housed a museum of cultural history. We have more on Marburg in Stage 6.

The castle above the old town.

Fields and Villages

After the climb, the stage opens up into the kind of landscape that makes it worth the length: big fields, small villages, and views back across the Lahn valley. There are no real stops along the way, so bring plenty of water and food. The Lahntal tourism site says the same, and recommends an early start.

The church in Oberweimar, part of Weimar (Lahn).

Rapeseed in bloom, with a village behind it.

Grain fields under a big sky, with the valley in the distance.

Fronhausen

Half-timbered buildings in Fronhausen.

The stage ends in Fronhausen (Lahn), a village full of half-timbered houses. Our plan was to take the train back to Marburg from the station. The train wasn't running, and we had no idea, so we called our friend Felix, who came and picked us up.

Fronhausen (Lahn) station, where the train was not coming.

There are no UNESCO sites on this stretch. A few valleys to the southwest, near Gießen, the 498 m Dünsberg has the remains of a Celtic oppidum (a fortified hilltop town) that was at its height around the 3rd century BC. We didn't go there, but it's on my list.

Possum et ego.