Wehrda: Weißenstein Castle, indoor swimming pool and Lahn Cycle Route

When looking for hotels in Wehrda, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your stay. The area’s profile ranges from castle and church history to swimming classes, cycling routes and hiking trails. This can help you decide whether cultural history, a class or routes through riverside and woodland scenery should play a bigger part in your travel plans.

Weißenstein Castle and St Martin’s Church

The hill on which Weißenstein Castle stands is north of Marburg-Wehrda, on a yellowish-white sandstone crag at an elevation of 260 metres, now covered in woodland. The rock drops steeply towards the Lahn. Weißenstein Castle is a hilltop castle dating from the 9th to 11th centuries; the easiest access to the castle hill is from the northwest.

St Martin’s Church in Wehrda was probably originally a subsidiary church of the royal baptistery in Michelbach. The wording deliberately retains the qualification that this early ecclesiastical association is probable.

Swimming and barbecue area

The Wehrda indoor swimming pool regularly offers swimming classes for beginners. Baby swimming classes are also held there regularly. Aquajogging classes take place in the main pool, and swimming proficiency is required. If a class is important to your plans, check the latest schedule in advance.

The City of Marburg has its own barbecue area in the Wehrda district, in the area known as “Weißer Stein”. If you plan to use the barbecue area, check the current rules of use in advance; municipal facilities and regulations may change.

Cycling and hiking

A cycle path along the Lahn between Kaufpark Wehrda and Afföllerwiesen is part of the Lahn Cycle Route. Further along, the route follows the Lahn from its source to its mouth through the Marburg-Biedenkopf district; Marburg makes a good stop along the way.

The Burgwaldpfad trail runs through woodland above Marburg and Wehrda, including the Teufelsgraben nature reserve. The routes have different landscape themes: the Lahn is the focus of the Lahn Cycle Route, while the Burgwaldpfad takes in woodland and the named nature reserve.

Marburg: church, castle and old town

The Elisabeth Church in Marburg is Germany’s oldest Gothic hall church. It was built from 1235 to 1283 over the tomb of St Elizabeth (1207–1231); the tomb made it a place of pilgrimage in the past. Marburg Castle was the first residence of the Landgraves of Hesse and is considered the cradle of Hesse. Since 1981, it has housed the Museum of Cultural History. In the Wilhelmsbau, the museum’s permanent exhibition uses a wide range of exhibits to present religious art, territorial rule and Hessian cultural history.

Marburg’s upper town is a medieval ensemble of half-timbered houses and venerable churches. The Marburg Castle Railway travels through the historic old town and the Weidenhausen district, along narrow lanes and cobbled streets, past picturesque half-timbered houses. During the ride, you can enjoy views of the Landgrave’s Castle towering above the city and the Kaiser Wilhelm Tower opposite. Stories and anecdotes about Marburg’s past and influential figures are also shared.

On the Grimm-Dich-Pfad in Marburg’s upper town, you can use the permanently installed QR codes to access the fairy tales associated with the characters on your smartphone.

For the wider travel overview: Marburg an der Lahn.