Die Talkirche (Valley Church)

The church below the castle was built in the early 15th century by the Lords of Eppstein. It was Catholic until the Landgrave Philipp von Hessen, a keen follower of the Reformation, called for its conversion (ca. 1529). Now it is a very active Protestant church, known in the region for its excellent music events, initiated by the minister who is a musician herself.

The lower part of the church is Gothic; the stone stoup--for holy water--outside the church's main  entrance is from the Middle Ages, while the tower with its slate tiles is from 1602 (Renaissance). Originally the church was surrounded by a graveyard, until it was moved outside the city walls in 1591, also due to the Reformation. The tombs outside are from the 16th and 17th centuries, when the church was already the Protestant town church. Tombs of the Lords of Eppstein can be found along the walls inside; church officials were buried in the church until the 17th century. A crypt most likely lies below.

Three special interior features of the church are the sandstone tabernacle built into the wall (15th century), the carved wooden pulpit with hanging fruit (1716), and the Baroque organ (1751).

Until 1715 a covered walkway led from the castle to the upper level of the church, so the Lords of Eppstein and the Landgraves of Hessen could walk directly to their box in the church. If you look at the castle near the gatehouse, you can still see the outline where the opening to stairs leading to the walkway was cut into the rock.