Büdingen residents
sometimes feel like the forgotten stepchildren to their neighbors in
Just a short walk from the gates of
Armstrong Barracks are the medieval walls of Büdingen,
complete with a moat and towers, perfect for young knights to storm while
rescuing damsels in distress.
For a quick tour through Büdingen start at the Jerusalemer
Tor (Jerusalem Gate) a twin-towered fortified gate
completed in 1503. The gate is thought to be so-named after the
Just inside the gate is the
Continue through the gate and down
the street to the Cafe Hell, one of Büdingen’s many
cafes, pizzerias and restaurants offering Italian, Turkish, Irish and German
cuisine and drinks.
Keep an eye open for the numerous
colorful frogs on the walls of many shops and houses along the way.
Turn right at Cafe Hell and you’ll
enter the Marktplatz (
Nifty fifties museum
Across from the office you’ll find a
small museum dedicated to the 1950s housed in a 16th century building, which
was once an inn. If poodle skirts and stacks of wax are your thing, step in and
step back to the fabulous fifties.
On the other side of the Marktplatz is an Irish pub with outdoor seating. If the
tour has already raised a thirst, maybe a cold glass of stout will fortify you
for the road ahead.
Continuing along you’ll find the
At the end of the street you’ll find
the Steinernes Haus (Stone
House), a home built entirely of stone in 1510 for Count Johann zu Ysenburg. To the right you can
detour over to a bridge for a picturesque view of the river, next to the Mühltor (Mill Gate).
Return to the Steinernes
Haus and turn right into the Schlossgasse
(Castle Alley). As you stroll along you’ll pass numerous medieval-era buildings
dating back to the 1300s.
At the end of the street turn left
and head directly for the entrance of the Schloss
(castle) as you pass by the Schlossplatz (
Today you can dine in the castle
restaurant or spend a night sleeping like a knight in the castle’s three-star
hotel. Just outside the castle grounds, opposite to where you entered, is a small park and an area with wooded trails. Look for
herons and other water birds on the castle ponds.
Return to the Schlossplatz
and cross the square to the Marienkirche (St. Mary’s
Church).
A chapel or church has been on this
site since the first wooden chapel stood here in 1367. The Protestant church
grew larger and more ornate through the centuries to its present glory. Inside,
behind the altar, you’ll find the crypt of the Ysenburg
family, Büdingen’s ruling family.
Continue your tour behind the church
and find your way through the Rathausgasse (City Hall
Alley), a very narrow alley which brings you out again next to the Rathaus.
Visitors will find places where they
can walk on remnants of the city’s old fortification walls: one short section
near the Mühltor and another longer section on the
north side of the city and continuing to the west side by the Jerusalemer Tor.
About in the middle of the northern
boundary wall walkers will find a path that heads up into the hills above Büdingen, through an adjacent modern suburban neighborhood.
It’ll look like you’re walking between two private homes, which you are, but
it’s a public walkway. It’s a good workout for your legs and will bring you
onto lookout spots above the town where you can see across the valley in which Büdingen lies. Trails above the town head farther into the
forest and up to a communications tower that you can observe on the hill top.
To explore Büdingen
more completely you’ll want to pick up a complimentary map at the Tourist
Information Office for a visual guide to all the sights to see, and trails to
walk in Büdingen.
Tourist information
The tourist office is located at Marktplatz 9 and is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m., and from April to October also on weekends from 1-4 p.m. Call civ (06042) 96370 or email info@buedingen-touristik.de
for more information.
You may
have noticed large frogs attached to buildings all over town. The frog is Büdingen’s town symbol and an old legend is the reason.
In 1522 Count Anton zu Ysenburg und Büdingen married a girl named Elisabeth who turned out to
be “high maintenance.” On their wedding night Elisabeth was bothered by the
croaking of hundreds of frogs outside in the castle moat.
“You didn’t tell me about this. I
want a divorce,” cried the unruly bride, according to local legend. She threatened
to withhold marital bliss from the count unless he did something about the
noisy amphibians.
The count roused the court council
and decreed the city should immediately drive out all frogs. The bailiff woke
the sleepy denizens of Büdingen and they were obliged
to start on a wild frog chase. Children invaded the nearby marshes and groves
with nets, baskets, hooks and rope to wrangle up all the frogs in the
neighborhood. In no time the baskets were overflowing with the green creatures.
The frogs were brought to the marketplace and put under guard.
Back at the castle, with the frogs’
croaking much diminished (although overwhelming the marketplace), the princess
bride gave an appreciative kiss to her suffering count.
But what to do with all the frogs? The brightest bulb in town came up
with the idea to drown the critters in the river. The count and his new bride
were called to witness the great Büdingen
frog-drowning spectacle. The baskets filled with frogs were dunked in the river
until the frog frenzy could not be heard anymore.
That evening, very few croaks were
heard, according to the legend, and those came from downriver. Since that time
the people of Büdingen and neighboring towns call Büdingen Fräääsch, and claim it
to be Germany’s most beautiful town, and with the fewest frogs. And everyone
lived happily ever after.