Impression

Visby is the capital of the Island of Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. The city stands on limestone cliffs that surrounded a natural harbour. This mediaeval harbour is now a park where the locals enjoy the sun. There are scenic views from the park and the upper town.

Visby’s main attraction is its mediaeval town wall. Most of it remains. It is possible to walk along the whole length of the wall. Inside the city stand ruins of twelve of its 17 mediaeval churches. The thirteenth-century cathedral is the only one of those churches that remains in use. Several mediaeval stone buildings survive. Mediaeval warehouses are witnesses of the city’s past as a member of the Hanseatic League. The eighteenth-century timber houses in the upper town reveal its Scandinavian heritage.

The staff at the tourist office are very friendly. However, the tourist office has little information available in English. The on-site information plaques partly make up for it. Generally, you will not have any problem getting around town if you only speak English.

To get to Visby from the Swedish mainland you could either fly or take a ferry from Nynäshamn or Oskarshamn. The ferry port is just a few hundred metres south of the old town.

History

Visby arose on the site of a natural harbour. In the middle of the twelfth century, the town had become the most important Baltic merchant port. Already a century earlier, it had established itself as an important port on the trade route between Western Europe and Novgorod.

Merchants from northern Germany settled in the town and constructed the cathedral. In the thirteenth century, the town erected its defensive wall. The oldest section of the town wall dates from around 1250. It connected two towers constructed a century earlier to protect the entrances to the harbour. Construction of the land wall started towards 1280. Probably, conflicts between the town and the assembly of Gotland led to its construction.

In 1361, King Valdemar IV of Denmark’s conquered Gotland and the town of Visby. His treatment of the Hanseatic town, precipitated the Hanseatic League into a war with Denmark. The Hanseatic League forced Valdemar IV to make concessions. He, however, retained Visby as a Danish possession.

In 1470, the Hanseatic League rescinded Visby’s membership of the league. As a result, the town lost its importance for the trade in the Baltic Region. In 1525, Gotland sided with the deposed King Christian II of Denmark. Lübeck forces that supported King Frederik I of Denmark attacked the city and set it on fire. The fire destroyed several of the town’s churches. All but two of the remaining churches closed after the reformation. Only the cathedral remains in use.

The town

Visby’s wall had a total length of 3.6 kilometres. More than 3.4 kilometres remain. It preserves 27 of its 29 large towers. The oldest is the Gunpowder Tower, one of the two towers built in the twelfth century to guard the entrances to the harbour. A footpath runs parallel to the wall with its dry moats. Along the footpath stand information pillars that tell the history of the wall in Swedish, English and German. The roads into town through the wall’s north, east and south gates date to the Viking era.

Over time, the mediaeval harbour slowly became to shallow. It now is the Almedalen Park that lies between the sea and the old harbour wall. From the park there are nice views of the old town. The mediaeval watergates in the harbour wall allowed merchants to bring their merchandise from their ships in harbour to their warehouses in town. A few mediaeval warehouses still stand in Strandgatan.

Along the narrow streets of the old town stand numerous buildings of mediaeval origin. There also are the ruins of twelve mediaeval churches. These open to visitors from May until September.

The cathedral is the only mediaeval church that remains in use. Construction of the church started at the end of the twelfth century. Originally, only visiting German traders used the church. Every German trader arriving in Visby had to pay a fee towards its construction. Rebuilding of the Romanesque church already started at the beginning of the thirteenth century. In 1225, the bishop of Linköping consecrated the new church. It facilitated two congregations: that of the visitors and that of the locals.

Around 1300, major reconstruction work on the church took place. The church got its present, Gothic appearance during the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. In 1572, it became a cathedral. To the east of the cathedral is a steep rock face. From the rock, there are excellent views of the cathedral and over the town.

Many small vernacular timber houses from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries remain intact. These feature horizontal plank construction used since the Viking period. Many of these houses stand in the upper town known as Klinten.

How to get there and away

There are regular ferry services that connect the city of Visby with the ports of Oskarshamn near Kalmar and Nynäshamn near Stockholm. The crossing from Nynäshamn takes 3:30 hours. A special boat bus service runs between Stockholm’s central bus terminal and the Nynäshamn ferry terminal. At the time of writing, busses depart from the bus terminal 1:45 hours before departures of the Destination Gotland ferries. Busses depart from the ferry terminal circa 30 minutes after the arrival of the ferries. The ride takes 45 minutes. The ferry terminal in Visby is within walking distance of the old town.

Visby airport is 4 kilometres north of the city. There are regular services between Visby and Stockholm’s Arlanda and Bromma Airports.

Impression

Sighișoara is a town in the Romanian region of Transylvania. The town has a citadel that preserves its mediaeval character. It is the only mediaeval citadel in Europe that successfully held out against all assaults. Nine of the citadel’s bastions remain. The biggest bastion, the Clock Tower, is a symbol of Sighișoara. It is visible from many parts of the town.

Historic houses with coloured façades line the cobbled streets and squares of the citadel. According to a prominent Romanian historian, Wallachian voivode Vlad III Țepeș (the Impaler) was born in Sighișoara. Vlad III Țepeș, probably, inspired Bram Stoker’s novelistic character Count Dracula.

It takes the better part of a day to explore the citadel. Train and bus services connect Sighișoara to Bucharest and other major towns in Transylvania. However, distances are large. Journeys from most of those towns take several hours. It, therefore, is advisable to plan for an overnight stay in or near Sighișoara.

UNESCO lists Transylvania’s mediaeval fortified churches as World Cultural Heritage. It is possible to combine a visit to Sighișoara with a visit to the fortified church in Biertan, 30 kilometres from Sighișoara.

History

In 1003, the Hungarian Kingdom established partial control over Transylvania. In the twelfth century, King Géza II of Hungary sought to populate the region. His objective was to protect the southeastern border of his kingdom against invaders from Central Asia. Colonists from the western Holy Roman Empire settled in Transylvania. These settlers, who generally spoke Franconian dialects, became known as Saxons.

At the end of the twelfth century, a Saxon settlement existed on the site of an old Roman castrum on the bank of the Târnava Mare River. Records from 1282 refer to the settlement as Schäßburg. The oldest record of its Hungarian name of Segesvár, from which the town derives its name, dates from 1300.

Schäßburg became a town of strategic and commercial importance. The Saxon settlers built fortifications to defend the town. The town’s guilds maintained and defended the citadel’s bastions, as evidenced by the names of eight of the remaining bastions.

From 1431 until  1435, Wallachian voivode Vlad II lived in exile in a house in Sighișoara. The Hungarian King awarded him the Order of the Dragon. It earned him the sobriquet “Dracul.” The house, probably, is the birth house of his son and successor, Vlad III Țepeș, also known as Vlad III Drăculea (Son of the Dragon).

The Town

A steep cobbled street leads from the lower town up to the main gate of the citadel. On one side of the street is the covered “Old Ladies’ Passage” from 1780. The passageway shelters pedestrians from the winter weather.

The 64 metres’ high Clock Tower guards the citadel’s main gate. It, originally, had two floors and a barbican. This was the only bastion that was a public good. It served as town hall, until 1556. In the sixteenth century, its roof was demolished to built two more floors with a balcony and a new roof. A year after the town fire of 1676 damaged the tower, Austrian craftsmen built the present Baroque roof. With a height of 34 metres, the roof is higher than the main body of the tower. The main body of the tower is 30 metres high. The coloured glass roof tiles date from 1894.

The Clock Tower has two seventeenth-century clocks. The clocks have niches with symbolic figurines that are unique in Romania.

Next to the Clock Tower stands the church of the demolished Dominican monastery. The church dates from the thirteenth century and preserves its Gothic windows. Next to the church stands a bust of Vlad III Țepeș, who is a national hero in Romania.

The Venetian House opposite the church got its present appearance in 1891. According to a legend, the town’s mayor fell in love with a Venetian woman, whom he took to Sighișoara. They were happy together, but she missed Venice. The major decided to bring Venice to Sighișoara and remodeled the sixteenth-century house in Venetian style. Close to the Venetian House stands Dracula’s birth house.

The noble families built their mansions on the town’s main square. The Stag House dates from the thirteenth century. It has typical Transylvanian Renaissance façades. The mansion’s name derives from a stag head affixed to the corner of the building.

The covered Scholars’ Steps connect the lower part of the citadel with the upper part. At the top of the stairs stand the seminary from 1619 and the mediaeval Church of Saint Nicholas. A timber roof sheltered the schoolchildren and churchgoers from the inclement winter weather.

The Church of Saint Nicholas, or Church on the Hill, is the third largest church in Transylvania. The Gothic church arose on the site of a Romanesque chapel from the thirteenth century. It has a simple exterior typical of the fortified Saxon churches in Transylvania. On 1 December 1630, the Estates of Transylvania convened at the church to elect George I Rákóczi Prince of Transylvania.

How to get there and away

Direct trains connect Sighișoara with Bucharest, Brașov, Sibiu and Cluj-Napoca. There also are trains from Bucharest that connect with trains for Sighișoara at Brașov. Busses run between all major towns in Transylvania and connect them with Bucharest.

Bucharest and Sibiu have international airports. There also are international airports near Cluj-Napoca and Târgu Mureș in Transylvania. These are serviced by budget airlines and TAROM. TAROM operates domestic flights from Bucharest’s Otopeni Airport.

Excursions

A little under 40 kilometres from Sighișoara is the mediaeval Saxon market town of Mediaș. On a hill in the centre of town stands a fortified Saxon church from the end of the fifteenth century. Its 68.5 metres’ high leaning Buglar’s Tower derives its name from the bugler who stood guard on the tower.

The town preserves many typical Saxon houses and large sections of its defensive walls. Trains run frequently between Sighișoara and Mediaș.

Just under 30 kilometres from Sighișoara is the Saxon town of Biertan. Biertan’s fortified Saxon church from the turn of the sixteenth century is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the event of an Ottoman attack, the town’s inhabitants sought refuge in the church. Three rows of fortifications linked by nine gate towers defended the church against attackers.

After the reformation, Saxons that adhered to the Roman Catholic faith could practice their faith in the Catholic Tower. In the churchyard stands the “Marriage Prison.” Couples that wished to divorce had to stay in the cottage for two weeks. They shared one bed, one plate and one spoon. After their confinement, if they still wished so, they could divorce. They could leave early if they reconciled.

There is no bus service from Sighișoara to Biertan. There is one from Mediaș to Biertan, but the schedule may prove inconvenient. An alternative would be to take a taxi to the church in Biertan and have the driver wait for an hour. You should enquire at the tourist office in Sighișoara whether they know a cab driver who offers a reduced fare for the trip.

Impression

The historic town of Piran is situated on a peninsula projecting out into the Adriatic Sea. The town looks out over the Bay of Trieste. When the weather is good, it is possible to see as far as Trieste to the north. Only five kilometres to the south is the Istrian coast of Croatia. Hills guard the overland approach to the town. The hills provide a panoramic view of the town.

The town’s narrow mediaeval streets invite to a leisurely stroll. Spread around town are the remains of mediaeval walls that protected the town against seaborne attacks. For centuries, the Venetian Republic ruled over the Istrian Peninsula. The town retains vestiges of this Venetian era. Aficionados of Baroque music may like to visit the birth house of the composer Giuseppe Tartini. The town even offers something to those who like a classic Italian love story.

A single day will suffice to see the town. However, an overnight stay allows more time to visit some of its charming churches. This will also allow for a stroll along the sea or go for a swim in the Adriatic Sea. Along the promenade are steps for bathers. Only a few kilometres from Piran is the seaside resort of Portorož. A local bus connects both towns. This makes it easy to have a holiday on sea and make visits to the town.

History

The name of the town, probably, derives from the red stone found in the area. The Greek word for “red” is “pyrrhos.” An alternative explanation is that the name derives from the Greek word “pyros” that means “fire.” This would be a reference to an ancient lighthouse that stood on the peninsula to direct ships to the Greek colony of Ægida (Koper).

In the second century BC, the Romans incorporated the peninsula in their empire. The oldest reference to Piranum dates from the seventh century. At the time, it was a fortified Byzantine town. At the end of the thirteenth century, the Venetian Republic expanded into the Istrian coastal region. La Serenissima ruled Piran from 1283 until 1797. During this period, the town suffered assaults from pirates and the Genoese Republic. Defensive walls protected it against such naval assaults. After the fall of the Venetian Republic, the Austrian Empire annexed the town.

The town

A good place to start a visit to Piran is its main square, Tartinijev trg. This opens out onto the harbour. The bus station is just south of the harbour, about two hundred metres from the square.

On the main square stand a number of monumental buildings. The monuments have plaques that identify them and inform about their age. One of these monuments is the neo-Renaissance town hall with the tourist office. In front of the town hall stands a statue of the composer Giuseppe Tartini (1692 -1770). The composer faces his birth house. This houses the Tartini Museum. Among the exhibits on display at the museum is Tartini’s Amati violin.

On the northeast side of the square stands a fifteenth-century Venetian Gothic house. The house was a gift from a rich Venetian merchant to his love from Piran. Their affair appears to have been the subject of local gossip. The merchant answered the gossipers with a relief on the façade of the house. This shows a lion holding a banner that reads “LASA PUR DIR;” i.e., “let them talk.” The house now is a shop that sells sea salt from the Sečovlje salt evaporation ponds near Piran.

The Renaissance parish church of Saint George, probably, is the town’s foremost monument. It stands on a cliff above the town. The present church dates from the turn of the sixteenth century. It replaces an earlier church from the twelfth century. In the crypt that opens to visitors are remains of a Roman wall. The church’s free-standing bell tower is a copy of the campanile in Saint Mark’s Square, in Venice. The Baroque baptistery dates from the middle of the seventeenth century. The area around the church provides excellent views over the town and the Bay of Trieste.

To the south-east of the square stand the church of Saint Mary of the Snows and the Monastery of Saint Francis of Assisi. The oldest reference to the church of Saint Mary of the Snows dates from 1404. A rich lady from Piran donated the money for its construction. Restauration works in 1969 uncovered Gothic frescoes on the church’s triumphal arch. The frescoes, that are unique on the Istrian peninsula, represent the Annunciation (ca. 1430) and the Crucifixion (ca. 1450).

The Church and Monastery of Saint Francis of Assisi date from the first quarter of the fourteenth century. Their present aspect is the result of restoration work in Baroque style. The Monastery has a small cloister from the seventeenth century.

The Byzantines erected walls to defend the town against seaborn assaults. As the town expanded towards the sea, the seventh century Byzantine walls became obsolete. The Venetians erected new walls. You can find sections and gates of these walls around town. Under the threat of the Ottoman expansion, the Venetians also erected walls that protected the overland approach to Piran. For a small admittance fee, you can climb up these walls and enjoy the best views in Piran.

Getting there and away

There are a number of daily busses that connect Ljubljana with Koper. Some busses also call at Piran. Alternatively, you should change at Koper’s bus station. A frequent bus service connects Koper with Piran. Busses call at Izola and Portorož.

Travellers may find it more convenient to fly to Venice in Italy than Ljubljana in Slovenia. They can use the bus service between Trieste and Koper. A few of these busses also call at Piran. From Venice Marco Polo Airport, there is a regular non-stop bus service to the Venice Mestre railway station. Frequent trains run between Venice Mestre and Trieste’s main railway station. The bus station in Trieste is directly next to the main railway station.

Excursions

The Slovenian coastline is only 46.6 kilometres long. It stretches from Trieste in the north to the Sečovlje salt evaporation ponds on the Croatian border. Along the coast are the historic towns of Izola and Koper. In Koper, you will find the beautiful Gothic palace of the town’s podestà. A relief of the palace adorns the façade of the town hall of Zadar in Croatia.

Along the motorway from Koper to Ljubljana lies the town of Postojna. Within walking distance of the bus station in Postojna are the Postojna Caves. An electric train takes tourists on a guided tour deep into the karst caves.

Impression

Coimbra is a city of historic interest. It was the first capital of the Kingdom of Portugal. White buildings line the steep cobbled streets of its mediaeval Almedina. In the Almedina, you will find the Paço das Escolas and Sé Velha. Just outside the Almedina stands the Monastery of the Holy Cross that guards the mortal remains of Portugal’s first kings.

It is possible to walk around the old town in a day. However, if you want to visit the Paço das Escolas, Sé Velha and Monastery of the Holy Cross, you should consider staying overnight.

There are other monuments of historic interest. Almost all are within walking distance of the Paço das Escolas and Sé Velha. Information columns provide information about the monuments. The tourist office is just off the Largo da Portagem, on the boulevard that runs along the river.

History

The Roman town of Æminium arose on a hillside overlooking the Mondego River. When the Suebi destroyed the nearby town of Conímbriga, its inhabitants and episcopal seat moved to Æminium. The new inhabitants renamed the town Conímbriga. This evolved into Coimbra.

In 711, the Umayyad Caliphate expanded into the Iberian Peninsula. In 714, the Umayyads conquered Coimbra. During the Reconquista, Coimbra temporarily reverted to Christian control from 878 until 987. King Ferdinand I “the Great” of León definitively reconquered the town, in 1064. His son, Alfonso VI of León, integrated the Counties of Portucale and Coimbra into a single county. He appointed Henry of Burgundy as its governor.

Henry’s son, Afonso Henriques, sought Portugal’s independence from the Kingdom of León and Castile. In 1139, after his victory in the Battle of Ourique, he proclaimed himself King of Portugal. In 1128, Afonso Henriques had made Coimbra the capital of the County of Portugal. It remained the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal until 1255.

In 1290, in Lisbon, King Denis ratified the foundation of Portugal’s first university. The university moved twice from Lisbon to Coimbra and back. In 1537, King John III, definitively, moved the university to Coimbra.

The Town

Atop the hill, around a courtyard stands the Paço das Escolas. The foundations of this former royal palace date from the end of the tenth century. After Almanzor retook Coimbra in 987, he ordered the construction of an alcazaba: i.e., a fortified palace. Don Afonso Henriques took up residence in the alcazaba, or alcáçova. After Lisbon became the capital of Portugal, the palace progressively fell into disuse. In 1544, the university moved into the Paço da Alcáçova.

Some buildings of the Paço das Escolas open to the public. The Baroque Joanina Library keeps books published before 1800. Its main floor has three rooms. Two-storied bookshelves decorated with Chinese motifs line the walls of the rooms. Allegorical paintings decorate the ceilings. At night, bats that live in the library protect the valuable books against harmful insects. The adjoining chapel dedicated to Saint Michael has a late Gothic portal and windows, typical of the reign of King Manuel I “the Fortunate.” Inside, the chapel has lavish ceiling decorations and carpet-like ceramic wall tiling from the late seventeenth century.

Close to the Paço das Escolas is the former episcopal residence. The residence is part of the Machado de Castro Museum. It arose on the site of the forum of Æminium. The cryptoporticus that supported the forum is part of the museum. The residence has a courtyard with a Renaissance arcade. From the courtyard, you can see the lantern of the old cathedral, or Sé Velha. Next to the residence stands a Mudejar arch. This was part of the residence’s mediaeval fortification.

After the Suebi destroyed Conímbriga, its episcopal seat moved to Æminium. No precise information exists about Coimbra’s cathedral prior to the Sé Velha. Don Afonso Henriques decided to sponsor the construction of a new cathedral, after the Battle of Ourique. Work on the Sé Velha commenced before 1146. The Sé Velha is the only cathedral in Portugal that preserves most of its original Romanesque architecture from the age of the Reconquista. In 1772, the larger church of the former Jesuit college superseded the Sé Velha as Coimbra’s cathedral.

High crenellated walls give the cathedral the appearance of a fortress. This reflects the continued Almoravid threat to the Reconquista. The cathedral has a Romanesque apse, lantern and western façade. The portal and window of the western façade show Arabic and pre-Romanesque influences. The northern façade has two Renaissance portals. One of these is the Porta Especiosa, or Beautiful Doorway. It resembles a reredos.

Inside, the Arabic and pre-Romanesque influences reappear in the numerous sculptured Romanesque capitals. The Gothic reredos of the main altar is the work of Flemish artists, who carved it between 1498 and 1502. The radiating chapels of the apse guard sculpted Renaissance reredoses. The reredos of Jesus and the apostles in the southern chapel is the work of Jean of Rouen, who also built the Porta Especiosa. The cloister from the early thirteenth century is a work of the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture.

Further down the hill are remnants of the mediaeval town wall. In 1514, João Vaz acquired a tower of the old wall. He incorporated the tower in his Manueline mansion. This Paço de Sub-Ripas derives its name from its location on the hillside “over the riverbank.” At the lowest point of the wall stands the Almedina Gate. It was the main gate of the walled city, or Almedina.

In 1131, the Order of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine founded the Monastery of the Holy Cross. It enjoyed the patronage of Kings Afonso Henriques and Sancho I. The monastery stood outside the walls of the Almedina. It became the most important monastery in Portugal. Little remains of the original Romanesque monastery. In 1507, King Manuel I “the Fortunate” commissioned the remodelling of the monastery. He also ordered the transfer of the remains of Afonso Henriques and Sancho I from the church’s narthex to new tombs in its chancel.

Across the Mondego River stand the old and new Monasteries of Saint Clare. The Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha dates from the end of the thirteenth century. In 1314, Queen Elizabeth re-founded the then dissolved monastery. She sponsored the reconstruction of the monastic ensemble. After the death of her husband, King Denis I, she retired to her palace near the monastery. Frequent floods of the Mondego River inundated the medieval monastery. In 1677, the nuns abandoned the old monastery and moved to the new monastery on the nearby hillside.

Getting there and away

High speed intercity trains connect Coimbra with Lisbon’s and Porto’s main stations. These trains call at the Coimbra-B station. The station is a few kilometres from the old town. Local trains connect the Coimbra-B station with the Coimbra-A station, on the edge of the old town.

From Lisbon Airport, you can take a metro train to the Oriente stop, under the station of that name. High speed service trains from Lisbon Santa Apolonia to Coimbra call at the Oriente Station.

When I visit a historic town, I visit the local tourist office. There, I ask for a map and a brochure with information about the town’s sights. Almost all tourist offices will give you a free map of the town. Many also have free brochures with details of the sights. Some tourist offices sell brochures and guide books. In tourist offices in Castile and León, I found excellent guide books from a publisher called Edilera.

Edilera guides

In Zamora, the tourist office sold a guide book published by Edilera. The book “Zamora Art and Monuments” contained very detailed information on the city’s artistic and historic heritage. Full-colour pictures and diagrams illustrated the descriptions. At a cost of € 10, I found this excellent value for money.

Edilera also publishes books about Ávila, Burgos, Salamanca and Ségovia in both Spanish and English. In Ávila, I bought the book about that city for € 9. I found this equally good value for money as the book I bought in Zamora. The Spanish edition about Zamora and the English edition about Ávila have similar content. I shall describe this content below.

When you visit any of these cities, I can recommend you look for the local edition of Edilera’s “Art and Monuments” series. You, probably, will find it at the local tourist office.

Content

Each book starts with a brief history of the city. It continues with a detailed description of the city’s monuments and museums. At the back of the book are descriptions of heritage sites located elsewhere in the province. There is an alphabetical index of the monuments on the last page of the book. A map of the city appears on the back cover of the book. Inside the back cover is a map of the province.

The book has separate sections for each monument. The sections’ titles identify the monuments. A number at the end of each title refers to the monument’s location on the back cover map. Full-colour pictures illustrate all sections. The detailed descriptions of the monuments extend to their artistic heritage. Coloured diagrams show how church buildings developed over time. They also identify and show the locations of the churches’ artistic heritage. Further diagrams of portals, reredoses and artefacts explain depicted scenes.

The sections at the back of the book describe the historic and artistic heritage elsewhere in the province. These descriptions are less detailed than those in the sections about the city’s monuments.

The cover folds out. On the inside of the back cover is a map of the province. Red dots show the locations of the heritage sites. On the outside of the back cover is a street map of the city. This map shows the locations of the monuments. The numbers on the map correspond to those at the end of the sections’ titles. The sections do not appear in numerical order. However, the alphabetical index on the last page of the book directs you to the relevant page.

What is not in the book?

As the title “Art and Monuments” suggests, the book covers the city’s artistic and historic heritage. The book does not give information on hotels, restaurants, bars or events.

Website

This is the link to Edilera’s website. The website has a list of publications. It shows the languages in which Edilera publishes the books. Of course, tourist offices may not hold all editions of the local guide book in stock.

Impression

If you like the pictures of towns with streets lined by colourful half-timber houses from old fairy tales, you may like Michelstadt. Michelstadt has many half-timber houses. The old town hall in the market square and the nearby burg look like they came from fairy tales. A few other houses also are interesting.

Michelstadt is a small town. A single day suffices to see the town and nearby Steinbach. A stroll around town will take you only two or three hours. You should allow for another two hours to walk to Steinbach and see the sights there.

The monuments of historic interest have plaques with details of the monument. The numbering on these plaques differs from the one in the official town guide. You can buy this guide for € 1 from the tourist office. This is located in the archway of the Baroque Löwenhof on the market square.

It is possible to make your visit to Michelstadt a day trip from a nearby city like Frankfurt. Alternatively, you might have lunch and dinner in town and stay overnight in one of the guesthouses.

History

In 741, the Frankish mayor of the palace Carloman gifted a royal estate to the first Bishop of Würzburg. The deed of gift is the oldest known record of Michelnstat. After the bishop’s death, the estate reverted to the Frankish Crown. In 815, Emperor Louis the Pious gifted the Michlinstat and all lands within two leagues (circa 15 kilometres) as freehold to Einhard. Einhard had been a confidant of Louis the Pious and his father, Charlemagne. Einhard bequeathed his estate to the abbey at Lorsch.

In the early thirteenth century, Lorsch Abbey came into the possession of the Archbishop of Mainz. The Count Palatine of the Rhine who had been a protector of Lorsch Abbey disputed the possession of the abbey and its estates. In 1307, Count Palatine of the Rhine Rudolf I destroyed the town of Michelstadt and its burg. Consequently, the barons of Erbach recognised the Count Palatine of the Rhine as their feudal lord.

In the fourteenth century, the barons of Erbach rebuilt the town. A side-line of the barons of Erbach took up residence in the burg of Michelstadt. Between 1395 and 1400, they built a wall around the town. It was protected by a double moat and an earth rampart.

The town

The historic centre of Michelstadt preserves many old half-timber buildings. The oldest of these buildings date from the fifteenth century. On the central market square stands the old town hall. The town hall rests on oak posts that create an open hall on the ground floor. The town court convened in this open space, in keeping with the mediaeval tradition that the court convened in the open air under a tree. The year of construction, 1484, appears inscribed in Arabic numerals from the late Gothic period on the central post facing the square.

Behind the town hall stands the late Gothic town church. The deed of gift from 815, already mentions a wooden church. Einhard replaced it by a stone church. In 1461, baron Adolarius of Erbach laid the foundation stone for the new choir. The keystone of the vaulting in the choir bears the year of its completion, 1543. Inside the church are a late Gothic tombstone of the barons of Erbach that commissioned the reconstruction of the church. There also are sepulchres of the Counts of Erbach.

Not far from the town church stands the Kellerei, the former burg. The burg, probably, is the site of the manor house of the Frankish estate mentioned in the deed of 741. The name derives from the office of the Keller, who administered the town for the counts of Erbach. The surviving buildings date from between 1506 and 1621. It consists of a stone tithe barn flanked by half-timber buildings. The half-timber buildings were the palas and the offices of the Keller.

The Färberei (dyer’s house) from 1620 is a typical example of a craftsman’s house. The dyer hung up the dyed cloths for drying on an open gallery on the top floor. The house also has a richly decorated Renaissance oriel. The house remained in use as dyer’s house until the beginning of the twentieth century.

In the seventeenth century, the town grew out of the confines of its mediaeval fortifications. In the town gardens stands a section of the mediaeval town wall with the remains of its towers. The wall had a length of 700 metres.

Getting there and away

Michelstadt is located in the Odenwald Region, in the German state of Hessen. Regular (at least hourly at the time of writing) local trains connect the town with Darmstadt Hbf. There is a frequent (half-hourly at the time of writing) bus service from both terminals at Frankfurt Airport to Darmstadt Hbf.  The total travel time will vary between 1:30 and 3:00 hours, depending on the time you have to wait for the bus and the train.

Excursions

About one kilometre from the town centre lies the village of Steinbach. Einhard planned to retire into monastic seclusion. He, therefore, commissioned the construction of a basilica. The basilica from 827 is one of few Carolingian churches north of the Alps that did not undergo major changes.

Also in Steinbach stands Fürstenau Castle. During the thirteenth century, the Count Palatine of the Rhine and the Archbishop of Mainz contended the possession of the March of Michelstadt. At the end of the thirteenth century, the Archbishop of Mainz commissioned the construction of the castle to protect his possessions. This could not prevent the destruction of Michelstadt in 1307. In 1355, the barons of Erbach took possession of the castle.

In the sixteenth century, Count Georg III of Erbach commissioned the refurbishment of the small quadrangular castle in Renaissance style. This involved the demolition of the western curtain wall that he replaced by an ornamental arch

About three kilometres from the centre of Michelstadt lies the town of Erbach. Erbach is the administrative capital of the Odenwald district. It, also, is the residence of the Counts of Erbach-Erbach. The palace of the counts stands on a large square in the old town. On the same square, on the embankment of the Mümling River stands the old town hall from 1545. An archway next to the old town hall leads to the old town. Like Michelstadt, the old town preserves many old half-timber buildings.

Frequent local busses run between Michelstadt and Erbach. Trains calling at Michelstadt also call at Erbach.