Historic Altstadt Korbach

Korbach developed at the end of the 8th century from a Carolingian imperial court, which was first mentioned in 980. The town was located at the then important intersection of the trade routes from Frankfurt to Bremen and from Cologne to Leipzig and quickly became an important market town. In 1188, it (like Lübeck, for example) was granted the town charter of Soest.

After the unification of the old and new towns in 1377, the upswing continued. Inspired by its favorable location on the two trade routes, Korbach merchants turned to long-distance trade on a larger scale: there is evidence of them in Deventer (Flanders) and Reval (Estonia) from the 15th century onwards and from this time at the latest, Korbach - as the only town in Hesse today - was also a member of the Hanseatic League.

To this day, you can experience numerous testimonies to Korbach's important past. Parts of the outer walls of the old town hall, built in 1377, and the Gothic stepped gable with the relief of the town coat of arms survived the great town fire of 1664. In addition, the two Gothic churches of St. Kilian (historic Altstadt) and St. Nikolai (historic Neustadt), the town fortifications with the almost completely preserved double ring of town walls and several stone chambers used as warehouses at the time are reminders of Korbach's Hanseatic era.

The "Gold Trail Korbach" from the main railway station through the Altstadt and the interactive city history trail "Between the Walls" bring the past to life. The award-winning Wolfgang Bonhage MUSEUM KORBACH is partly housed in one of the stone chambers from Hanseatic times. And the pedestrian zone in the middle of the Altstadt, with its attractive boutiques, department stores and street cafés, offers carefree shopping fun.