Looking down from the cathedral perched up on a hill you can see the old imperial city of Wetzlar an der Lahn. With approx. 52,000 inhabitants, it is the most important city in Central Hesse after Giessen. Even today, you can still admire large parts of the medieval fortifications while walking through the old part of the city. The picturesque rows of tightly packed houses and the old romantic market places are also inviting, as are the numerous cafés and restaurants.
From 1689 to 1806, the “Reichskammergericht” (Imperial Chamber Court) was to be found in Wetzlar, and a young Goethe worked there as a legal intern (1772). His world-famous novel “Die Leiden des jungen Werther” (The Sorrows of Young Werther) was written at that time. The following internet address was of course not available at that time: