Limburg, Germany

Limburg an der Lahn is a town of roughly 35,000 residents in the German state of Hesse, set along the Lahn River. Above the water, on a rocky outcrop, stands Limburg Cathedral, a Romanesque structure completed in 1215 and distinguished by its seven spires. The adjacent Alte Lahnbrücke, an old Lahn bridge dating to around 1100, ranks among the oldest surviving bridges in Germany. The medieval Old Town contains about 700 listed half-timbered houses built between the 13th and 18th centuries, including the frequently photographed Römer 2-4-6 from 1289. A railway link to Frankfurt, opened in 1862, integrated the town into wider regional travel.