Half-timbered Churches of Hesse

The countryside of the state of Hesse is an invitation to go for a walk, with stops in small villages whose churches are in no way inferior to those in the metropolises of the south of the state.

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Kehna Church

The Protestant Church of Kehna is one of the half-timbered churches in Hesse. Completed in 1779, after twelve years of construction work, it dominates the small village of Kehna (90 inhabitants), which is entirely made up of extremely well preserved half-timbered buildings.

Kehna Church
Wikimedia Commons/Gerold Rosenberg

Rachelshausen Chapel

Rachelshausen is a small village of 150 people, situated on the old medieval Brabant Road. The Evangelical Lutheran Chapel in Rachelshausen is a listed half-timbered church. The two-storey baroque church with an octagonal ridge turret was probably built in 1626/1627.

Rachelshausen Chapel
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Diedenshausen Church

Diedenshausen is a small village in the hilly region of the Gladenbach Uplands. The Protestant church in Diedenshausen is a half-timbered church that is a listed historical monument. The current building was built from 1802 to 1806 after the old stone parish church had become too small.

Diedenshausen Church
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Hommertshausen Church

The former Protestant church in Hommertshausen is a baroque half-timbered church built in 1656. In 1956, due to the widening of Schelde-Lahn-Straße, it was moved approximately 2 metres throughout the building, which was an unusual and important achievement at the time.

Hommertshausen Church
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Niedereisenhausen Church

The old church of Niedereisenhausen, in central Hesse, is a half-timbered building dating from 1659-62 with a particularly authentic Baroque interior. Demolition was planned in the 1970s, but the church was bought in 1980 and restored from 2014 to 2016.

Niedereisenhausen Church
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Quotshausen Church

The church in Quotshausen, a small village of 524 inhabitants, was built in the third quarter of the 17th century, when the village was part of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt. It is a half-timbered church with a wooden choir arch inside and a gallery on four sides.

Quotshausen Church
Wikimedia Commons/Uwe Seibert

Allna Church

The little village of Allna owes its name to the river Allna, which flows mainly through the Gladenbach Uplands. Its Protestant church is one of the listed half-timbered churches in Hesse. Built in 1782 by Johann Georg Blecher, it is topped by a ridge turret. The west portal is richly carved.

Allna Church
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Seelbach Church

The half-timbered church in the centre of Seelbach was built in 1771, at a time when the village was incorporated into the Protestant Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel. It is nicknamed Kaffeemühlenkirche (Coffee Mill Church) like other churches in the region because of its square shape.

Seelbach Church
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Runzhausen Church

Runzhausen is a village of the Lahn-Dill-Bergland Nature Park in the Allna Valley. The Protestant church in Runzhausen is a listed half-timbered church from 1781. It was built according to Georg Blecher's plans in the Rococo style. The church, like others, is nicknamed "Kaffeemühlenkirche" (coffee mill church).

Runzhausen Church
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Frohnhausen Church

Only 5 kilometres from Runzhausen, the little village of Frohnhausen also boasts a beautiful half-timbered church. The church was built between 1770 and 1789. It is one of the "Kaffeemühlenkirche" (Coffee Mill Church) of the region because of its appearance.

Frohnhausen Church