Limburg an der Lahn is one of those small German towns that make you stop the car and reach for your camera. The cathedral, perched dramatically on a rocky outcrop above the River Lahn, is visible for miles and looks almost too picturesque to be real. Built in the thirteenth century in a striking combination of Romanesque and early Gothic styles, it is painted in its original red and white color scheme, which gives it an appearance quite unlike the somber grey stone cathedrals you find elsewhere in Germany.
Below the cathedral, the Altstadt is a beautifully preserved maze of half-timbered houses, many dating back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The Fachwerk houses lean at improbable angles over narrow lanes, and the whole ensemble is remarkably intact. The Werner-Senger-Haus and the slightly earlier Römer 2-4-6, dated to 1289, are among the oldest half-timbered houses in Germany. Limburg sits on the ICE rail line between Frankfurt and Cologne, making it an easy day trip from either city, and it deserves more visitors than it gets.