Marburg Castle

Marburg Castle (Landgrafenschloss) crowns the hill above the medieval old town of Marburg in Hesse, about an hour north of Frankfurt by train. Begun in the 11th century, it became the first seat of the Landgraves of Hesse and hosted the 1529 Marburg Colloquy, where Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli debated the Eucharist. Today the university-owned castle holds a Gothic great hall, a frescoed chapel, and some of the best views in central Germany.

Why it matters

Marburg is a key site of the Protestant Reformation. Landgrave Philip the Magnanimous founded the university here in 1527, the first Protestant university in the world, and two years later he invited Luther and Zwingli to his castle in an attempt to unite the reformers. The talks failed, but the event put Marburg on the map of European history. Earlier, Sophie of Brabant, daughter of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, used the castle as the base from which the Landgraviate of Hesse emerged in the 13th century. The building later served as a prison and as the Prussian state archive before the university took it over in 1946.

Things to see

• Fürstensaal (Princes' Hall): a two-aisled Gothic hall of about 482 square meters, completed around 1300 and still used for concerts and theater.
• Castle chapel: consecrated in 1288, with medieval wall paintings.
• Building history exhibit: six models in the West Hall, plus floor windows showing excavated foundations.
• Special exhibitions: from October 15, 2026, to February 28, 2027, a show marks 500 years of the university, featuring its founding charter and Emil von Behring's Nobel Prize certificate. A mineral exhibition runs until the same date.

Note that the cultural history collection in the Wilhelmsbau wing is closed for renovation, with no reopening date announced.

Tickets and opening hours

The castle museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Mondays. Admission is 8 EUR (reduced 5 EUR), and visitors under 18 enter free. A combined ticket with the university's art museum costs 10 EUR. Allow one to two hours. All figures are as of October 2026.

How to get to Marburg Castle

Regional trains run from Frankfurt to Marburg in roughly an hour, and the trip is covered by the Deutschlandticket. From the main station, bus line 10 climbs to the "Schloss" stop next to the castle parking lot. If you walk up from the old town, expect a steep climb on cobblestones and stairs; a public elevator at Pilgrimstein helps with the first part. Inside, ramps and an elevator reach the exhibition rooms, but the chapel is accessible only by stairs.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you combine it with a stroll through the old town. Marburg makes an easy day trip from Frankfurt, and the castle terrace offers a sweeping view over half-timbered roofs and the Lahn valley.

Nearby

• Old town and Marktplatz with the Gothic town hall
• St. Mary's Lutheran parish church just below the castle
• St. Elizabeth's Church, one of Germany's earliest purely Gothic churches