Herborn Castle

Herborn Castle is located above the town of Herborn in the Lahn-Dill district and originated from the former "Herborn Castle".

Herborn Castle was built at the end of the 12th century as a motte-and-bailey castle with a neck ditch and was connected to Herborn's town wall. In 1251 it was renovated and at the beginning of the 14th century it was converted into a castle-like structure. It was first mentioned in documents in 1307/12. The castle was the center of the Herborn Mark, which the Counts of Nassau held as a fief from the Landgraves of Hesse.

In 1584, the "Hohe Schule" (High School), founded by Count Johann VI of Nassau-Dillenburg, was housed in the castle; however, after only a few years, it was moved to the old town hall of Herborn. The castle then served only occasionally as a secondary residence or dower house. From 1806 it was unused.

After the castle had fallen into disrepair, it was restored by Ludwig Hofmann in 1929-31. Today it is the seat of the Theological Seminary of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau.

Herborn Castle today houses an important library, comprising approximately 68,000 titles, about 10,000 of which date from before 1900, and thus includes an important historical book collection, also of printed works from Herborn's historical printing houses (e.g. Corvin).