Marburg developed sometime around the 9th or 10th century as a trading town between Prague and Koln. In the 1200's a widowed princess Elizabeth chose it as her town since she detested her brother in law. Subsequently, she dedicated the rest of her life to the sick and nine years after her early death she became canonized. In the 1500s, Marburg founded the first Protestant University in the world. The Brother's Grimm entered the scene in the 18th century when Marburg became a leader in the Romanticism movement. Currently, the University thrives and a cathedral marks Elizabeth's sainthood.
Skeptical there would be much difference, we plugged the town into our GPS and arrived an hour later. We went straight to the TI only to find it opened at 1:00. At a stranger's advice, we found an elevator to a picturesque street where we killed time eating. (Our favorite European activity) We went back to the TI only to realize I misread the sign the first time. This place would remain closed all day, and instead, we should walk to the town's center to speak with a guide and procure maps. (I really need to improve my German reading skills.) By the time we actually headed toward the cathedral, the kids tolerance for the stroller and each other puttered out. We parked the stroller atop of a big hill and ran down toward the cathedral.
I did love the town and now understand Beverly's perspective. I noticed few Americans, not much tourism, and a quaintness the other two town's lacked. We ended the day with our favorite treats- ice cream and chocolates.
OK now you're piquing the interest enough in this historian to want to seriously consider putting Germany on my must do list. As I was never a fan of the medieval or Renaissance world, even though I did learn to tolerate the Italian period, it sounds like your touring would be quite fun and amazing educational, especially for this Anglophile!!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend and we hope to talk live with you Sunday!
JME