Ober-Eschbach Village Walk: Old Church & Town Hall, Unicorn Fountain, Himmelspforte & Medieval Gate
Photo: Sti2 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ehemaliger Unterhof (Former Lower Manor)
Welcome to Ober-Eschbach. Today it is a district of Bad Homburg, but for centuries it was a farming village of its own. It first appears in the records in 1219, when a parish 'in s…
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Ober-Eschbach Village Walk: Old Church & Town Hall, Unicorn Fountain, Himmelspforte & Medieval Gate
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Saved toursAbout this tour
A short walk through the old village centre of Ober-Eschbach, now a district of Bad Homburg: the former Unterhof manor, an old millstone, the site of the medieval Oberpforte gate, the Baroque church Zur Himmelspforte, and the old church that became the town hall, with the unicorn fountain in front.
Tour Introduction
“A short walk through the old village centre of Ober-Eschbach, now a district of Bad Homburg: the former Unterhof manor, an old millstone, the site of the medieval Oberpforte gate, the Baroque church Zur Himmelspforte, and the old church that became the town hall, with the unicorn fountain in front.”
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Tour Stops (5)
Ehemaliger Unterhof (Former Lower Manor)
Photo: Odisea field team / Expedition, All rights reserved (Odisea)
Welcome to Ober-Eschbach. Today it is a district of Bad Homburg, but for centuries it was a farming village of its own. It first appears in the records in 1219, when a parish 'in superiori askebach' – Upper Eschbach – is mentioned. The name simply combines two words: Esche, the ash tree, and Bach, the stream. We begin …
Alter Mühlstein
Photo: Karsten Ratzke / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Here by the path lies an old millstone. We don't know which mill it came from, but it is a fitting reminder of how Ober-Eschbach once made its living. For most of its history this was a farming village. The two manors, the Oberhof and the Unterhof, each had mills and sheep farms, and the grain from the surrounding fiel…
An der Oberpforte
Photo: Odisea field team / Expedition, All rights reserved (Odisea)
Photo: Odisea field team / Expedition, All rights reserved (Odisea)
We are now at the upper end of the old village, at a place called An der Oberpforte – 'at the upper gate'. The plaque on the wall explains the name. From the Middle Ages a gate stood here as part of the village defences. It was permanently guarded and could be locked. Ober-Eschbach was protected by a ring wall built in…
Zur Himmelspforte (Baroque Church)
Photo: 4spring / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Sti2 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
This is the church Zur Himmelspforte, 'At the Gate of Heaven'. Its story begins with the Lutherans of Ober-Eschbach, who for decades had no church of their own. From 1642 they worshipped in the hall of the Oberhof, and later in the room above the Oberpforte. Building finally began in 1728 under Count Johann Reinhard II…
Old Church & Old Town Hall with the Einhornbrunnen
Photo: Sti2 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Odisea field team / Expedition, All rights reserved (Odisea)
Photo: Odisea field team / Expedition, All rights reserved (Odisea)
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Our walk ends at the oldest building in the village, which is both the old church and the old town hall. The masonry of the former church of St Peter goes back to around 1200, and excavations in 1996 and 1997 found the foundations of an earlier building from around 900. The plaque on the wall sums up its later history:…
Tour Information
- Tour Type
- Walking tour
- Audio Language
- English
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