Marburg an der Lahn


Marburg an der Lahn

(mär`bo͝ork än dĕr län) or

Marburg,

city (1994 pop. 76,582), Hesse, Germany, on the Lahn River. It is chiefly known for its Protestant university, founded in 1527 by Philip of HessePhilip of Hesse
, 1504–67, German nobleman, landgrave of Hesse (1509–67), champion of the Reformation. He is also called Philip the Magnanimous. Declared of age in 1518, he helped suppress the Peasants' War.
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. Tourism is its largest industry; manufactures include chemicals, pottery, and precision instruments.

Marburg grew in the 12th cent. around a castle; it was chartered in 1227 and, at intervals during the 13th to 17th cent., served as the residence of the landgraves of HesseHesse
, Ger. Hessen, state (1994 pop. 5,800,000), 8,150 sq mi (24,604 sq km), central Germany. Wiesbaden is the capital. It is bounded by Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in the south, Rhineland-Palatinate in the west, North Rhine–Westphalia and Lower Saxony in
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. Marburg became part of the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau in 1866. The castle, which still dominates the picturesque city, was the scene of the famous Marburg Colloquy, held (1529) under the auspices of Philip of Hesse; it failed to bring about agreement between LutherLuther, Martin,
1483–1546, German leader of the Protestant Reformation, b. Eisleben, Saxony, of a family of small, but free, landholders. Early Life and Spiritual Crisis

Luther was educated at the cathedral school at Eisenach and at the Univ.
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 and MelanchthonMelanchthon, Philip
, 1497–1560, German scholar and humanist. He was second only to Martin Luther as a figure in the Lutheran Reformation. His original name was Schwarzerd [Ger.,=black earth; "melanchthon" is the Greek rendering of "black earth"].
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 on the one side and ZwingliZwingli, Huldreich or Ulrich
, 1484–1531, Swiss Protestant reformer. Education of a Reformer
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 on the other. St. Elizabeth of Hungary is buried in the fine Gothic church (13th–14th cent.) dedicated to her; the remains of Field Marshal Hindenburg and of Frederick William I and Frederick II of Prussia were transferred to the church soon after World War II.