[Pics] Trip to Limburg an der Lahn and the POW Cemetery at Dietkirchen

[M_O'Neill]

So Corpus Christi was a holiday in my German state, so I decided to make the trip down to Limburg an der Lahn in Hesse, to visit the site of the old POW camp were I believe my Great Grandfather was sent in 1918, as well as the remains of the POW cemetery there.

As well as pictures, I'll add some orienteering notes in case anyone else wants to make the trip.

I came into Limburg via ICE fast train from Cologne and arrived at Limburg Süd (Limburg South) a separate station to the main one in Limburg where POWs would have disembarked. From Limburg Süd my route was a circular one going north through the small town of Eschofen, then west into Dietkirchen over the river Lahn at the Kurt-ven-der-Burg-Bridge via the ancient clifftop church of St Lubentius (visible in a number of surviving photos of the camp).

 After that, I went south west along the route between Dietkirchen and Limburg itself, through the site of the old camp, with a short southerly detour to the cemetery. The final stretch was down the hill to the Old Lahn Bridge (a post-1945 reconstruction, but apart from being slightly widened a fairly faithful copy of the bridge that POWs would have crossed on the way to the camp to the North East). After spending some time in the beautiful town of Limburg itself, I looped back around east to Limburg Süd station and headed home.

First pictures:
 

• Map showing my route.
• The clifftop church of St Lubentius seen from the meadows north of Eschofen, looking west. The POW camp lay not far behind the church as seen from this photo.
• The Lahn river passing south beneath the church as seen from the bridge.

More pics to follow.

[M_O'Neill]

The walk up the steep paths and alleys to the church is worth it for the view alone, but of interest to GWF members is a German war memorial to the local dead and missing of both world wars. It's notable that in my 3+ years in Germany this is the first time I've seen a named memorial of WWII dead.

Pictures:

• View from the churchyard looking East.
• The German war memorial at St Lubentius.

[M_O'Neill]

From the church you walk west into the village of Dietkirchen itself. Turning down the Am Bildstock road you head towards the cemetery. The Lazarett was apparently somewhere on the right of this road as you head south.

Pictures:

• This sign marks the turn south along Am Bildstock as you head from Dietkirchen.
• Sign by the cemetery itself.
• The cemetery entrance
• 'Grave site of Russian war victims; 1914-1918 1939-1945'

[M_O'Neill]

The graveyard itself is fairly small and I suspect that the original cemetery included much more of the surrounding fields. What is left is a strip of land running south to north with a few scattered red crosses and dominated by the Irish High Cross as well as two French memorials and the memorial to over 900 Russian prisoners who died at Dietkirchen during WWII.

Pictures:

• Info panel at the entrance giving the history of the camp (in German) as well as some WWI era photos and photos of local fundraising and restoration efforts.
• The Grave of a Captain Hasne - who died 19 days after my great-grandfather entered the camp.
• Memorial to the french prisoners at Limburg.
• 'Here lie 947 Russian prisoners of war who in the hard time of 1942-1945 died far from their homeland'.

Edited 23 June , 2019 by M_O'Neill

[stiletto_33853]

What great pictures, thank you for sharing these.

 

Andy

[M_O'Neill]

The focal point of the cemetary is the Irish High Cross, a memorial set up by Irish prisoners themselves in memory of their fallen comrades. The cross is the only Irish High Cross in Germany and lists a number of fallen soldiers of varying Irish regiments, as well as a memorial message in Irish, German and English.

Pictures:
 

• Three shots of the western side of the cross including the inscription of names and regiments.
• Shot of the eastern side of the cross.
• Shot of the plaque showing all surviving names and regiments memorialised on the cross

 

 

 

 

Edited 23 June , 2019 by M_O'Neill

[M_O'Neill]

More pictures of the High Cross:

• Shots of the inscriptions on the north and south sides.
• The memorial inscription in English, German and Irish.
• Two shots of the remaining tombstones I don't know if they are WWI or WWII era - I suspect the latter as they are made of a similar stone to the Russian memorial.
• The graveyard as seen from the north end looking south.
• The graveyard as seen from the southern entrance looking north, with both the high cross and Russian memorial visible.

[M_O'Neill]

After paying my respects at the graveyard I doubled back up Am Bildstock and headed south west through the area that was once the main camp itself. There is nothing left of the camp itself - the land being mostly wild grass meadows, wheat fields and the odd industrial building.

I don't have a photo of it, but the entrance to the camp is believed to lie roughly where the local office of the German Red Cross (DRK) is. It was only after I left that I wondered if the old camp's presence is the reason the office sits where it does.

Pictures:

• Shots of the general area taken from the road between Dietkirchen and Limburg.
• A lone poppy in the wheatfield.

Edited 23 June , 2019 by M_O'Neill

[M_O'Neill]

One thing I had never really thought of before is how the POWs would have had to march uphill from Limburg station to the camp itself in Dietkirchen. It would be quite a climb for a hungry, war-exhausted soldier!

Picture:

• The road between Limburg and Dietkirchen, looking back uphill towards the latter.

[M_O'Neill]

As I reached the Lahn river I saw the old town gate and Lahn-bridge, (post-WWII reconstructions) over which the prisoners would have passed. As they crossed the bridge they would have seen the great Cathedral of St George - perhaps a slightly Ironic fact to the English prisoners.

 

Pictures:

• The town gate tower.
• The bridge looking towards Limburg.
• Photo of a Russian prisoner transport added for the sake of comparison. You can see the church dome and the roof of the building on the right in both photos.
• Saint George Cathedral, as seen from the bridge.
• The tower gate as seen heading out towards Dietkirchen.

[M_O'Neill]

And that concluded the WWI part of my tour. I spent the rest of the afternoon in Limburg doing touristy things. The Old Town is a wonderful survival, and I suspect is almost identical in many respects to the town the POWs would have known.

 

It was a lovely day of remembrance and one of me connecting in a way with a great-grandfather I never knew in life. Should you ever find yourself in this part of Germany, I thoroughly recommend making the trip!

FIN

Final pictures:

• Some parting Images of Limburg old town.
• Wild poppies I saw in the meadows around the town.

[Jervis]

Thanks for sharing, very interesting. 

[JWK]

11 hours ago, M_O'Neill said:

After paying my respects at the graveyard I doubled back up Am Bildstock and headed south west through the area that was once the main camp itself. There is nothing left of the camp itself - the land being mostly wild grass meadows, wheat fields and the odd industrial building.

I don't have a photo of it, but the entrance to the camp is believed to lie roughly where the local office of the German Red Cross (DRK) is. It was only after I left that I wondered if the old camp's presence is the reason the office sits where it does.

Pictures:

• Shots of the general area taken from the road between Dietkirchen and Limburg.
• A lone poppy in the wheatfield.

 

 

 

 

That is one beautiful picture!

I see a 3000 (at least!) piece jigsaw puzzle on the horizon....

 

Edited 23 June , 2019 by JWK

[BullerTurner]

Thoroughly enjoyed that!  Thank you so much.

[egbert]

Only saw this thread now - thanks for posting!!!!

Greetings from Cologne

[Nigel Marshall]

This is a fantastic thread, thank you for sharing your photographs of your trip.
You mentioned never having seen a Second world war memorial with names on it. If you're ever near Soest, try looking in on Bad Sassendorf. Their memorial covers both wars and carries the names of local men who died. I have no photos, but I remember it, from the early 1990s,  being a very attractive memorial in a nice setting. 

Limburg's old town is reminiscent of Soest too.

 

Thanks again.

 

Nigel

[Trav]

Thanks for the post and the photos too. My Grandfather was here until 30 April 1915. It's on my list of places to visit, having visited his Belgian battlefield last year, for when these Corona times are over.