60km (37 miles) NW of Fulda, 93km (58 miles) SW of Kassel

From Fulda you can head directly north into the little city of Kassel, or else you can detour west slightly to one of the most rewarding towns along the Fairy-Tale Road.

Once a great pilgrimage center, Marburg forms the heart of a triangle of Cologne, Frankfurt, and Kassel. Pilgrims came to venerate the relics of St. Elisabeth (1207-31) of Hungary. Known during her short life for her generous deeds to others, Elisabeth was canonized in 1235, and the site of her tomb in the Gothic church built for her made Marburg a major center of pilgrimage for Christians.

Today, the town, lying on a rocky outcrop, consists of half-timbered houses rising along the hill upward from the Lahn River and crowned by a castle.

A free elevator on Pilgrimstein (site of the tourist office) will deliver you from the bottom of town at the river to the peak of the Old Town to avoid a steep climb.