The town of Vacha - the multicolour gateway to the Rhön
Vacha is the oldest township in West Thuringia.
The town is situated along the historical trading route “Via Regia”, which ran from Frankfurt to Leipzig.
Vacha was first mentioned in a document in 817, and in 1186 it was described as a “town with a bridge”.
The town of Vacha is characterised by the very old techniques applied in its buildings and monuments. Parts of the parish church, the castle, the fortifications, those of the houses “Alte Münze” and “Kemenate” originate from the 12th century.
- The town of Vacha - the multicolour gateway to the Rhön
Most significant symbols of the town are the Old Bridge across the Werra River and the Town Hall.
The historical Market Place is a relatively closed ensemble of half-timbered houses, most of them built in the 16th to 18th centuries.
The Town Hall is an exceptionally beautiful edifice built in 1613 by Hessian masters for Caspar von Widemarkter.
In front of the Town Hall is the fountain with the statue of Saint Vitus, the patron saint of the town.
If you approach the town from the North, you have to cross the historical Werra Bridge, a construction of stone built in 1342. Celebrities of the past like Goethe and Napoleon took this way, too.
In the years 1945 through 1989 the bridge constituted a part of the border between East and West Germany. Since the reunification of the two German States it bears the name “Brücke der Einheit” (Bridge of Unity).
Behind the town wall is the “Burg Wendelstein” situated. This fortified castle served as a watchtower for both the town and the bridge. Today it hosts the Museum of the town and a puppet collection, as well.
