Marburg, Germany
| Marburg | ||
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View of Marburg, dominated by the castle and St. Elizabeth's Church
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 Marburg
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Location of Marburg within Marburg-Biedenkopf district
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| Coordinates: 50°48′36″N 08°46′15″E / 50.81000°N 8.77083°ECoordinates: 50°48′36″N 08°46′15″E / 50.81000°N 8.77083°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | Hesse | |
| District | Marburg-Biedenkopf | |
| Government | ||
| • Lord Mayor | Thomas Spies (SPD) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 123.92 km2 (47.85 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 173-412 m (−1,179 ft) | |
| Population (2015-12-31) | ||
| • Total | 73,836 | |
| • Density | 600/km2 (1,500/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 35001-35043 | |
| Dialling codes | 06421 | |
| Vehicle registration | MR | |
| Website | www.marburg.de | |
Marburg is a university town in the German federal state (Bundesland) of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (Landkreis). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximately 72,000.
Having been awarded town privileges in 1222, Marburg served as capital of the landgraviate of Hessen-Marburg during periods of the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. The University of Marburg was founded in 1527 and dominates the public life in the town to this day.
Like many settlements, Marburg developed at the crossroads of two important early medieval highways: the trade route linking Cologne and Prague and the trade route from the North Sea to the Alps and on to Italy, the former crossing the river Lahn here. The settlement was protected and customs were raised by a small castle built during the ninth or tenth century by the Giso. Marburg has been a town since 1140, as proven by coins. From the Gisos, it fell around that time to the Landgraves of Thuringia, residing on the Wartburg above Eisenach.
In 1228, the widowed princess-landgravine of Thuringia, Elizabeth of Hungary, chose Marburg as her dowager seat, as she did not get along well with her brother-in-law, the new landgrave. The countess dedicated her life to the sick and would become after her early death in 1231, aged 24, one of the most prominent female saints of the era. She was canonized in 1235.
In 1264, St Elizabeth's daughter Sophie of Brabant, succeeded in winning the Landgraviate of Hessen, hitherto connected to Thuringia, for her son Henry. Marburg (alongside Kassel) was one of the capitals of Hessen from that time until about 1540. Following the first division of the landgraviate, it was the capital of Hessen-Marburg from 1485 to 1500 and again between 1567 and 1605. Hessen was one of the more powerful second-tier principalities in Germany. Its "old enemy" was the Archbishopric of Mainz, one of the prince-electors, who competed with Hessen in many wars and conflicts for coveted territory, stretching over several centuries.
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Wikipedia