Colourful houses with ornaments carved out of wood turn the town of Idstein in Hesse into a dream place you should visit once in your life.
About 50 kilometres from Frankfurt in the Rheingau-Taunus district is the picturesque town of Idstein, with around 25,000 inhabitants, which charms with its listed historic centre full of old half-timbered houses with imposing timber frames flanked by cobbled streets. Some of them date from the 15th to the 18th century and their rich decoration in the Hessian-French style will captivate anyone who visits the town. From an art-historical point of view, one of the most important buildings is the Killingerhaus, the town hall. This historic house attracts particular attention with the numerous wooden beams and carvings that adorn its façade and the decorative motifs depicting mythological creatures, animals, heads and coats of arms. Another of Idstein’s attractions is the quaint and unique Leaning House in blue shades, as well as the so-called Hexenturm (Witches’ Tower), more than 40 metres high. It is a prominent feature of the city’s skyline and can be seen from all points in the historic district.
Hesse is located in the centre of Germany and is bordered by North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is home to Germany’s second largest lake by area and third largest by volume, Lake Edersee.
