The Lahn valley is a river valley worth seeing in Germany. Whether by bike, canoe or on foot - a trip along the Lahn is an experience that is becoming more and more popular.
background
The Lahn is a 246 kilometer long tributary of the Rhine. Its source is the Lahntopf on the 625 meter high Lahnkopf im Netphener District Lahnhof im Rothaar Mountains. The mouth is in Lahnstein Near Koblenz. The Lahn valley runs through the federal states North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. In large parts it separates the Taunus from Westerwald and ends in Middle Rhine Valley.
Shortly before the railway was built, the Lahn was made navigable with numerous barrages and locks. Germany's only ship tunnel was built in Weilburg. A section above Runkel was not completed. The Lahn flows easily along without major eddies, while it stands below due to the stronger damming. The locks above Limburg are operated by hand by the "leisure captains". The route is very popular for canoe trips, which can also be rented and transported back. These sections are just as popular with cyclists who accompany the river.
The river is closed to motorboats a few kilometers above Limburg. Below it is still a federal waterway until it flows into the Rhine near Lahnstein, although truck traffic has been discontinued since the 1980s. This section is being repaired and maintained for private leisure traffic with high tax revenues. Since the waterway can be used at a maximum of 10 km / h, it remains very quiet above Bad Ems.
getting there
By train
Long-distance transport
Long-distance train stations in the Lahntal are Marburg, to water (every two hours InterCity Hamburg – Hanover – Frankfurt – Karlsruhe) and Limburg South (ICE every two hours eat–Cologne-Frankfurt-Nuremberg–Munich or. -Karlsruhe-Freiburg-Basel). Not far from the mouth of the Lahn Koblenz main train station (Connection to ICE, IC / EC and EuroNight/Nightjet - frequent trains on the Münster – Cologne – Mainz – Stuttgart line).
Regional traffic
The train station closest to the source of the Lahn is Bad Laasphe-Feudingen on the Marburg – Erndtebrück regional train line.
The line operates in the Rhineland-Palatinate part of the Lahn valley RB 23 (Lahn-Eifel-Bahn) on the route Mayen Ost – Andernach – Koblenz city center – Koblenz main station – Niederlahnstein – Bad Ems – Nassau – Diez – Limburg, in the Hessian part of the Lahn valley RB 25 (Lahntalbahn) on the route Limburg – Weilburg – Wetzlar – Gießen – Alsfeld – Fulda, the Lahntal-Express also runs RE 25 on the route Koblenz – Niederlahnstein – Bad Ems – Nassau – Diez – Weilburg – Wetzlar – Gießen
On the section of the Lahn Valley Railway between Koblenz Hbf (Main station) and Diez as well as in transit traffic to Limburg, the tariff applies Rhein-Mosel Transport Association (VRM), in the section between Limburg and Giessen the tariff of Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), for cross-state train tickets, the local transport tariffs of Deutsche Bahn and Hessische Landesbahn apply; these correspond to the tariff of Tariff association of federal and non-federal railways in Germany (TBNE)
By bicycle
Cyclists can use the D-Route 4 (Mittelland-Route) as a "feeder" from the direction of Bonn and Siegen or Bad Hersfeld (or Hessian long-distance cycle route R2 on Fulda) to the source of the Lahn.
The Hessian long-distance cycle route R7 from Bad Hersfeld via Lauterbach to Gießen; the Dilltal cycle path or the Orange cycle route from Siegen and Haiger to Wetzlar; the Hessian long-distance cycle route R8 from Frankenberg (Eder) or Frankfurt to Limburg; the Rhineland-Palatinate cycle route from Westerburg and Freudenberg or St. Goar to Diez; as well as the Limes cycle path from Bad Hönningen or Butzbach and Bad Schwalbach to Bad Ems.
Here we go
bicycle
It follows exactly the course of the Lahn valley Lahn valley cycle path.
hike
The Lahnhöhenweg accompanies the river. A detailed description of the route between Wetzlar and Lahnstein can be found in the article on the pilgrimage "Lahn-CaminoThe route of the pilgrimage route is largely identical to that of the Lahnhöhenweg. Also the adjoining low mountain ranges Taunus and Westerwald naturally offer beautiful hiking opportunities.
Opened in 2010, it is 65 kilometers long Lahn hiking trail leads in Rhineland-Palatinate from Diez via Balduinstein, Obernhof, Nassau, Bad Ems to Lahnstein.
Water hiking
The Lahn is between to water and Limburg one of the most beautiful water hiking trails in Germany for paddlers. Between Löhnberg and Limburg, it flows quietly and idyllically through a lovely landscape away from the traffic. There are numerous locks that have to be operated by hand. From Limburg the locks are electrified and a few motor yachts and excursion steamers use the river. It has less gradient here, so you have to use more force when paddling. The section is particularly beautiful in terms of landscape and traffic-free Diez–Laurenburg.
The highlight of the route is Ship tunnel in Weilburg with the adjoining double lock.
Important: For reasons of nature conservation, only the official entry and exit points may be used to deploy boats!
Disadvantage of the river: Especially during the holiday season and on the weekends / public holidays, the river is meanwhile quite a lot populated by canoes. This is particularly true of the popular and really beautiful route between Weilburg and Runkel to (is ideal for a day tour). It is therefore advisable to do tours between Monday and Friday if possible. Then the rental prices for the boats are usually cheaper.
List of canoe rental companies:
The list does not claim to be complete.
Gießen / Wetzlar area
- Canoe tours pouring based in Giessen
- Delta Tours based in Rabenau north of Giessen
- Canoe Lahn-Dill with canoe station in Wetzlar
- KRUMOS´ Active Travel & Events with canoe station at the campsite in Solms west of Wetzlar
Weilburg / Runkel area:
- Canoe rental Lahntal in Weilburg
- Weilburger boat and canoe rental in cooperation with the Touristinfo Weilburg
- Canoe and boat rental "Residenztours" in Weilburg
- Canoe tours "Paradise" with an office in Weilburg
- Lahntours active trips - is active nationwide in the entire Lahn valley, there is a canoe station with its own campsite, for example. B. in Runkel
Lower Lahn (Limburg to Lahnstein)
- Boat rental Wolff in Obernburg
- Canoe charter based in Nassau
- Canoe rental "GM Sports" in Fachbach. A dragon boat ("large canoe" for 20 people) can also be rented.
- additional Information
- The Lahn is a federal waterway. Small vehicles must accordingly be marked.
- The official tourist information on water hiking on the Lahn is to be found here.
- On the side of the Limburg boat club you can find extensive information for a trip on the river by motor yacht. The section from Lahnstein to Runkel-Dehrn above Limburg is described.
- For general information on the subject of "Water Hikes in Germany" see here too.
By train
Almost on its entire course, the Lahn is accompanied by railway lines. The hourly regional train 94 (Erndtebrück – Marburg) runs from Bad Laasphe to Marburg. From Marburg to Gießen you can take the regional express of the Hessian state railway (Kassel – Frankfurt), which also runs hourly, or the slower, hourly (half-hourly during rush hour) regional train Treysa – Frankfurt.
From Gießen you can take the hourly regional train to Limburg or the two-hour regional express in the direction of Koblenz. From Limburg to Niederlahnstein you can also take the RE or the hourly regional train towards Mayen.
road
The course of the Lahn follows the B 62 from Bad Laasphe to Marburg, then the B 3 to Gießen, from there the B 49 to Weilburg. There is no trunk road between Weilburg and Limburg that follows the course of the Lahn, only smaller state roads. From Limburg to Nassau, the B 417 follows the course of the Lahn, from there the B 260 to Lahnstein.
course
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Downstream:
North Rhine-Westphalia
- 1 Netphen
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The source of the Lahn is located in Lahnhof, a district of the city of Netphen. Your source pond once served as a fire fighting pond and is also known under the name Lahntopf. - 2 Bad Laasphe. Bad Laasphe offers its visitors many sights; For example, the almost completely preserved historic old town with its half-timbered houses, continuous cobblestone paving, the old town fountain and fragments of the old city wall. The Rothaarsteig, created in 2001, also runs through the area of the city of Bad Laasphe. There are also numerous themed hiking trails, such as the “Laaspher Bierwegelchen”, the “Myth and Legends Trail”, the “Man & Dog Adventure Trail” or the “Little Rothaar Fairy Tale Trail”. The “Mushroom Science Museum” with over 1,000 freeze-dried mushroom exhibits and the “International Radio Museum Hans Necker” with an extensive collection of historical devices and curiosities from radio history are unique in Germany. With the Amalienhütte there is an industrial museum.
Hesse
- 3 Biedenkopf. In the old town of Biedenkopf, numerous half-timbered houses have been preserved, the oldest of which is the landgrave's office building by the church, which is known as the "Schenkbarsches Haus". Above the city is the castle Schloss Biedenkopf from the 14th century. Today it houses the hinterland museum. In addition to the hinterland museum in Biedenkopf Castle, the Schartenhof in Eckelshausen, the Wallau village museum, the Engelbach village room, a private Holder (tractor) museum in Engelbach and the also private icon and textile museum "Schenkbarsches Haus Museum" in the upper town are part of the Biedenkopf museum landscape.
- 4 Lahntal (municipality). Sights include the Rimberg tower near Caldern, the fortified tower of the church in Sterzhausen from the 12th / 13th centuries. Century, the Old Lahn Bridge in Goßfelden and the Otto Ubbelohde House in Goßfelden.
- 5 Cölbe. Inflow of ohms. Sights are the Art Nouveau train station building, now used as a community administration, the old church in the Bürgeln district, the old Schwarzenborn bakery and the historic center of Schönstadt.
- 6 Marburg.
Marburg and its surroundings offer numerous sights. The main attractions are the Elisabeth Church, the castle and the historic old town. Every Saturday from April to October there are casemate tours through the underground fortifications of the castle. - 7 Weimar (Lahn). The fortified church in the district of Wenkbach and the churches in Niederweimar, Niederwalgern, Allna and Roth are among the buildings worth seeing in the community. The mill in Argenstein and the state synagogue in Roth are also part of it, as are old half-timbered houses that can be found in some districts.
- 8 to water. Due to the devastating destruction caused by the air raids of the Second World War and the urban planning of the post-war period, there are hardly any buildings from the pre-industrial era in the actual center. The sights in Giessen include some rebuilt half-timbered houses, such as the “Zum Löwen” inn in Neuenweg, where Goethe once stayed and dined more often, the Old Castle and the New Castle of the Landgraves of Hesse (on Brandplatz) and the Burgmannenhaus on Kirchplatz. The main building of the Justus Liebig University is also one of the sights. It is located in the city center and on the Giessen “celebration mile”, Ludwigstrasse. In this context, the arsenal, which is well worth seeing and which is used by the university, should also be mentioned.
- 9 Wetzlar. Influx of dill. The most important sights are located in the historic old town with the Romanesque / Gothic cathedral, the museums and the carefully restored half-timbered houses. The old town with alleys and small squares stretches down to the Lahn and the old Lahnbrücke in a terraced manner. In places a well-preserved city wall can still be seen, the course of which is largely lined with parks.
- 10 Solms. The highlights are the Altenberg monastery in the Oberbiel district, the visitor mine "Grube Fortuna" (Oberbiel) with field and mine railway museum, the 1000-year-old oak trees (Albshausen), and the execution site (gallows) on the road between Oberndorf and Albshausen from 1750, a rare Hessian legal mark.
- 11 Braunfels. Old town with Braunfels Castle, half-timbered houses on the market square and on the Schütt (3.5 km south of the Lahn near Leun).
- 12 Weilburg. The old town and the castle from the 14th century with Renaissance parts and a baroque extension are well worth seeing. On the “Old Cemetery” there is a “Calvary” and the “Holy Sepulcher Chapel”, which is based on the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The "Weilburg Tunnel Ensemble" is considered to be unique in the world. Here there are tunnels for cars, ships and trains next to each other. In particular, the shipping tunnel, which opened in 1847, is a unique structure in Germany.
- 13 Weinbach. Inflow of the Weil. They are particularly worth seeing Elkerhausen Castle in the Weinbachtal, the Neu-Elkerhausen Castle on the Lahn near Gräveneck and the Freienfels castle ruins above the Weil in the district of Freienfels.
- 14 Villmar. The Lahn Marble Museum is worth seeing here.
- 15 Runkel. The beautiful old town with Runkel Castle and Schadeck Castle make the place a worthwhile excursion destination.
- 16 Dietkirchen. with the Lubentius Basilica.
- 17 Limburg on the Lahn. The main attractions are the very beautiful and lively old town with the cathedral and the Lahn river promenade.
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Rhineland-Palatinate
- 18 Diez. Tributary of the Aar. With a beautiful old town, Grafenschloss (museum and youth hostel), Oranienstein Castle (museum and military site).
- 19 Obernhof. with Sankt Maria Arnstein.
- 20 Nassau (Lahn). Nassau Castle, Stein Castle Ruins, Chain Bridge, City Hall.
- 21 Bad Ems. Spa town with a very nice promenade and stately bath houses.
- 22 Lahnstein. Mouth in the Rhine. Very nicely situated place with castle, palace, a famous inn and much more.
Tourist Attractions
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- 1 Wittgenstein Castle. Tel.: 49 (0)2752 474 30, Fax: 49 (0)2752 47 43 30, Email: [email protected]. The castle from the 12th century served as the residence of the princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein until 1950. It was then converted into a school and internet facility and is still in use today.
- 1 Lake Niederweimar. Popular organized swimming lake with nudist area.
- 2 Fronhausen Lower Castle. In 1367 the lower castle was built as a Hessian fiefdom and in 1917 it was bought back in private ownership to the Schweinsberg taverns. The lower castle in Fronhausen is an original moated castle and later a castle. The lower castle, whose foundation walls have been preserved in the new building and whose former moats have sunk into today's park, shows the well-preserved castle, a large Gothic stone building with cross-storey windows and a baroque mansard roof whose gate is connected to a farm building.
- 3 Friedelhausen Castle. Nice photogenic castle but not open to the public. Private. Still worth the visit. The oldest building is the old castle, today part of the manor was built in 1564. The New Palace was built in 1851. The estate still belongs to the Counts of Schwerin to this day. The new castle is based closely on the English, classical form of neo-Gothic, the Tudor Gothic. It is a two-story cubic building with a crenellated crown and a flat roof. The corners of the building are flanked by turrets.
- 4 Badenburg. Castle ruins with a well-known restaurant (Badenburg Ritterkeller). The Niederungsburg (Uferburg) is located directly on the banks of the Lahn, a little above the rapids there. Since the 14th century, the Lords of Badenburg controlled an important riverside path, which was the most important connection between Lollar and Gießen until the 19th century.
- 5 Staufenberg Castle. The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1233 and destroyed several times in its eventful history. In 1858 the Princes of Hessen-Darmstadt, who were studying in Gießen, acquired the lower castle and had it restored like a castle. The upper castle, of which part of the palace is still preserved, has been the property of the city of Staufenberg since 2002. A freely accessible viewing platform has been set up on the north-eastern corner tower, about 13 meters high, which can be climbed using the staircase tower that is still partially preserved within the walls. The lower castle, which was converted into a hotel, was sold to private customers by the State of Hesse in 2002. The lower castle now houses the Hotel Burg Staufenberg.
- 6 Treis Castle. Almost nothing is known about the history of the castle. Presumably it was built in the middle of the 16th century. The approximately 1.1 meter thick circular walls and a mighty round tower on the south side still bear witness to the formerly strongly fortified castle complex. The facility is privately owned.
- 7 Nordeck Castle. The castle, which was documented as early as the 12th century, still shapes the image of Nordeck today. It changed hands frequently, is now owned by the Counts of Schwerin zu Friedelhausen and has housed the Burg Nordeck school home since 1925. Lebenshilfe Gießen has been running a dormitory at the castle since 2015. The keep can be visited by appointment.
- 8 Gleiberg Castle. Built in 946, it was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War in 1646 after a checkered history. Since it was no longer of any military importance, it was not rebuilt. It is a popular destination, also because of the 2 restaurants on the castle grounds.
- 9 Vetzberg Castle, Vetzberg Castle. was probably built in the first half of the 12th century. The castle was besieged and destroyed several times, the last time in 1463 and not rebuilt. There is a restaurant on the castle grounds.
- 2 Silver lake. small bathing lake, also nudist.
- 3 Dutenhofer See. popular swimming lake with nudist area.
- 10 Fortuna mine for visitors. with field and mine railway museum, west of Wetzlar and north of Leun (3 km off the banks of the Lahn).
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- 11 Laneburg, Schlossstrasse. Castle ruins with a restaurant. In 1321 the castle was built on the rocky spur of the Schletsberg above the village and converted into a renaissance castle at the end of the 16th century. In 1900 the castle burned down and was not rebuilt.
- 12 Philippstein Castle, Outside the local area, castle hill. The castle was built in 1390 and primarily served to secure the territory and the mining mines. In the 16th century at the latest, the castle lost its strategic importance and continued to deteriorate after the last administrator left. In the 19th century, the ruins were used by the villagers as a quarry, so that large parts of it were removed and the stones were inserted into newly constructed buildings. Still worth seeing, especially the beautiful view from the keep.
- 13 Kubach crystal cave. at Weilburg (4 km away from the Lahn). The Kristallhöhle is a fissured cave in the Upper Devonian Limestone. Large parts of the walls are covered with countless calcite crystals and pearl sinter. The crystal decorations on the walls are unique in Germany in this form. With a length of about 170, a width of up to 26 meters and a height of up to 30 meters, the cave is considered to be the largest natural underground single cavity that can be visited in Germany. It is one of the highlights along the Lahn.
- 14 Hadamar Castle. In its current design, it is shaped by the Renaissance. The castle, which is well worth seeing, is now used as an administrative building, the adjacent farm buildings as a city museum and court seat. The castle church in the east wing. The old town of Hadamar is also worth a visit.
- 15 Dehrn Castle. The most conspicuous part of the castle is the round 34 meter high keep with an octagonal battlement floor. While the tower, with its walls up to three meters thick, presumably dates from the 13th century, the octagonal battlements were added in the 19th century. The residential building south of the keep is still of Gothic origin (13th century). This part was rebuilt in the late Gothic style in the 16th century.
- 16 Schaumburg Castle. 3 km above Balduinstein. The castle is a three-wing complex on a mountain top. It received its current appearance during the expansion from 1850 to 1855 and is designed according to the ideal of Rhine romanticism.
- 17 Oranienstein Castle. it was built from 1672 to 1681 on the ruins of the former Benedictine monastery in Dierstein. Until 1815 it belonged to the counts or princes of Nassau-Dietz, from whom the Dutch royal family descended.
- 4 Diezer Baggersee. nice little quarry pond, also nudist.
- 18 Balduinstein Castle. In 1319 the construction of a fortress below the Schaumburg began. With the construction of the Niederburg in 1443 within the city, Balduinstein Castle increasingly lost its importance. After several phases of expansion of the castle in the 14th and 15th centuries and the connection to the city fortifications, it began to decline in the middle of the 17th century. After the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648, the Elector of Trier granted the demolition permit in 1665; In the 19th century the castle ruins were used as a quarry.
- 19 Laurenburg Castle. The facility was built around 1090. Already in the middle of the 17th century she was dilapidated. Only the pentagonal keep has been repaired several times in recent times. Laurenburg Castle was built below the castle in 1800. There are no more remains of the original hillside castle. The 22 meter high four-storey keep probably dates from the 12th or 13th century. On its west side, a wooden staircase attached to the outside leads to the high entrance, behind which the knight's hall is located. From here, a wooden staircase leads to the residential floor above, and from there, in a stair tower built into the eastern corner of the keep, a spiral staircase leads to the viewing platform. Today the castle is privately owned, but the outside area is freely accessible. The keep can be visited and climbed. From its platform there is a very good view of Laurenburg and the Lahn valley. The knight's hall now houses a small military museum and can be used as a wedding room for weddings.
- 20 Hohlenfels Castle. The construction of the Hohlenfels Castle began before 1353. The castle was supposed to control the trade route between Aachen and Nuremberg (Kemel-Limburger Strasse) and Hessenstrasse, which passed in the immediate vicinity. During the Thirty Years War, Hohlenfels was temporarily abandoned and partially destroyed. In 1712 the main building of the castle, which is still habitable today, was rebuilt. Parts of the old wooden structures were demolished as early as 1768; in the following years large parts of the castle fell into disrepair. In the course of the romanticism of the Rhine, the already largely ruinous castle served several times as a motif for painters and draftsmen. Extensive security measures have been carried out since 1980 and it is open to the public again in the summer half of the year.
- 21 Burgschwalbach Castle. The castle became from 1368. 1737 repairs would have been necessary. In view of the high costs, it was decided to let the castle fall into disrepair. Inventory, wooden components and the roof were therefore auctioned off and removed. The castle has been renovated since 2010.
- 5 Ruppertsklamm. The Ruppertsklamm is an approximately 1.2 km long gorge along a right tributary of the Lahn, originally called Michelsbach, in the area of the city of Lahnstein.
Go on
From the mouth of the Lahn you can continue through the beautiful Middle Rhine Valley to travel.
literature
- The Lahn - on the way on a well-known, strange river, Hessian Nature Conservation Foundation, 96 bound pages, 150 color images, ISBN 978-3-921156-72-8 , published for € 13.50 by the specialist publisher Dr. Fraund
Web links
- Lahntal Tourismus Verband e. V. - official site for the Lahn valley
- Lahn-Taunus Touristik e.V. - Lower Lahn valley from Diez to Lahnstein
