About 136 kilometers from Frankfurt over the Taunus to Marburg – Germany's first church pilgrim route, leading to the grave of Saint Elizabeth.
The Elisabethpfad 1 is the southern one of the three Elisabeth paths and runs from Frankfurt to Marburg, to the grave of Saint Elizabeth in the Elisabethkirche. Like all Elisabeth paths it has this grave as its goal – comparable to Santiago de Compostela as the goal of the Ways of St. James.
The route was established from the year 2000 by the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau, building on an older trail between Marburg and Altenberg monastery (1994). It became the first church pilgrim route in Germany – a deliberate sign that pilgrimage belongs to Protestant piety too.
Ideal if you want a quiet, easily reached pilgrim route through central Hesse – with the spiritual connection to Saint Elizabeth and a varied upland landscape. Comfortably walked in a week.
Less suitable if you expect dense pilgrim infrastructure as in Spain: accommodation is in guesthouses, inns and private homes. In the forests individual waymarks can be missing – a guidebook or map is helpful.
The route begins in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen at the Deutschordenskirche (Teutonic Order church) – the order was closely tied to the veneration of Elizabeth from the start. Through the city and over Oberursel it climbs the Taunus ridge and runs over Hessenpark and Usingen into the hills.
Over Brandoberndorf and Cleeberg it reaches Wetzlar on the Lahn and Altenberg monastery. On over Hermannstein, the Bieber valley and the Celtic Dünsberg it crosses the Lahn hills to Marburg and the Elisabethkirche.
Officially the route is divided into eight sections (Frankfurt–Oberursel–Usingen–Cleeberg–Wetzlar–Hermannstein–Fellingshausen–Damm–Marburg). The terrain is upland, with the climb over the Taunus ridge as the most demanding part; the rest runs more gently through forest and field. The route is marked with the red pilgrim symbol. In forest sections watch for parallel hiking trails – a map helps in case of doubt.
All three Elisabeth paths share the same goal: the grave of Saint Elizabeth in the Elisabethkirche in Marburg, one of Germany's earliest purely Gothic churches. Elizabeth of Thuringia (1207–1231) renounced power and honor as a noblewoman and devoted her life to the poor and the sick – her story of faith is the unifying theme of the route.
In Marburg all three Elisabeth paths come together – this is where the goal is reached. If you wish to walk on, the Elisabethpfad 2 (toward Eisenach) and Elisabethpfad 3 (toward Köln), both also waymarked as Ways of St. James, connect into the wider European network.
The best time is spring to autumn. Accommodation is in guesthouses, inns and pilgrim lodgings – a pilgrim credential is useful for stamps. The association publishes its own guidebook with maps.
Germany is more expensive than Spain. Budget roughly €45–75 per day for accommodation and food; simple lodgings and self-catering lower the cost.
The starting point is Frankfurt, an international transport hub.
25hours Hotel The Goldman
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25hours Hotel The Trip
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a&o Frankfurt Ostend
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Adina Apartment Hotel Frankfurt Neue Oper
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Adina Apartment Hotel Frankfurt Westend
Open season unknownEverything you need for the Elisabethpfad 1 (Frankfurt – Marburg), shipped to your door.
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