"The Barbarossa City" Gelnhausen by Weissdorn

Gelnhausen Travel Guide: 53 reviews and 98 photos

Duke of Saxony surrenders to Frederick Barbarosa

It's hard to imagine that this small town, just a short drive away from Frankfurt/M, was once the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, THE center of the known world, in fact. Because Frankfurt/M is a big city today, whereas Gelnhausen is a small town. The reason could be because Gelnhausen was Barbarossa's city, and Frankfurt was the coronation place for a number of Holy Roman Emperors. Today Gelnhausen has the quaintness of a small town in Germany, although that "Old World" characteristic has been cherishingly preserved. If you take a walk through the narrow streets and allies in the old town, you can almost feel the ghosts of history walking past you.

TRY a new road in Germany! If you want to see some of the most interesting half-timbered houses in Germany, try the TRAVELOGE The Half-Timbered House Road for a DIFFERENT ROAD to travel in Germany.

Or visit the individual pages:
Gruenberg
Lich
Butzbach
Steinau an der Strasse
Fulda
Lauterbach
Schlitz
Bad Hersfeld

If you would like to find out where the Rhýn is try this map, which you can zoom in and out of to view the area.

Go Live to Gelnhausen - Barbarossa Street!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Great Day Trip from Frankfurt
Cons:Small Town - Little Night Life
In a nutshell:Real Germany only 45 minutes away from Frankfurt

Last visit to Gelnhausen: Jun 2002
Intro Updated Oct 29, 2004
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Reviews (25)

The Romanesque House Things to Do (16)

Below St. Mary’s Church, on the “Untermarkt” (Lower Marketplace), is the "Romanische Haus" (Romanesque House), the... more travel advice

Birth Houses of Famous People - Gelnhausen

Birth Houses of Famous People Things to Do (16)

By the way, on a tour through the older part of town, you will inevitably walk by the house where the famous Hans Jakob... more travel advice

Godobertus Chapel Things to Do (16)

The oldest building in the city is the Godobertus Chapel, which must have been built in the early 12th century. This... more travel advice

St. Peter's Church - Inside - Gelnhausen

St. Peter's Church - Inside Things to Do (16)

In 1108 Duke Ditmar of Gelnhausen donated land for a monastery around 15 km west of Gelnhausen, in the part of town... more travel advice

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Comments (10)

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MEHIM1964 Oct 15, 2009 at 10:22 AM

THANK YOU FOR THIS LINK I'M INGE SCHRECKE/HARKER BORN IN GELNHAUSENSTAYED THERE TILL I GOT MAR. I LOVE GELNHAUSEN WAS THERE IN 1994 FOR 13WEEKS AND IN 2000 FOR 6 WEEKS WITH MY HUSBAND N. EDWARD HARKER THANK YOU AGAIN FROM INGE
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daisymae051479 Jul 20, 2007 at 2:23 PM

Hello Great to see this I lived there for almost 3 years as a child loved it I would like to see pics of that restaurant & public swimming pool up high on that mountain Also there was a place downtown you could buy a frozen chocolate covered banana YUMMY
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Sjalen Jan 6, 2007 at 2:44 PM

Nice to see what the newly appointed "Middle of EU" looks like! :)
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Hanau93 Mar 20, 2005 at 9:04 AM

Excellent tour through my auntie's hometown with valuable information. I used to spend many happy hours as a child in Gelnhausen. Thanks for your pages!!
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OlafS Oct 22, 2004 at 3:16 AM

This is my kind of town! Great page, loved the travelogue.
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Audrey118 Oct 7, 2004 at 12:24 AM

thinking of doing this on a Sunday since the tour from the Rathaus is available. was disappointed that Altes Weinkeller closes on Sunday...will check out Buarat instead
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Nemorino Jun 30, 2004 at 1:58 PM

I used to go to concerts at St. Mary's Church in Gelnhausen. Beautiful venue! Amazing amounts of information in your tips.
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o00o Jun 16, 2004 at 3:37 AM

A very nice place to visit.
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pepples46 Mar 14, 2003 at 4:48 PM

excellent page..outstanding information....I had a faint hope, seeing Waechtersbach here....lived there for 3month, anyway, tks for sharing
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truus_s Dec 18, 2002 at 3:35 AM

I love this sort places..always nice houses..i like it!!Great page!!