Goethepunkt viewpoint

The viewing platform at Goethepunkt offers a marvellous view of the Lahn Valley and Arnstein Monastery. The ascent to Goethepunkt is possible via a via ferrata, but also via a hiking trail without any special requirements.

History of the Goethepunkt
In 1884, Goethepunkt was given a viewing temple, which was inaugurated with a public festival and fireworks. With the end of the German Empire, the annual commemorations at Goethe Point came to an end, as did the knowledge of how and when Goethe Point got its name.
As early as 1816, spa guests in Ems were advised to travel to Obernhof to enjoy the view from a spot on the road to Holzappel. The viewpoint was given its name in 1863.

How the Goethepunkt came about
When operations on the section of the Lahntal railway opened in 1862, no trains stopped in Obernhof. Obernhof did not have its own railway station, even though an entrance and a waiting hall were gradually built. As a result, three trains regularly stopped in Obernhof during the summer months to make it easier for guests from Ems to visit Arnstein Monastery. The argument against a railway station was that the area around Obernhof lacked "places of importance". In 1863, citizens from Obernhof and its neighbouring villages lobbied the ducal state government to allow more trains to stop in Obernhof. Pastor Ottokar Schupp then wrote newspaper articles in which he tried to emphasise the importance of the village. He wrote that even Goethe had looked down on Obernhof from the heights in 1772 and called this vantage point "Germany's most beautiful point". Goethe passed the spot in question on the morning of the third day of his hike, which he set off on from Wetzlar on 11 September 1772. Schwupp's newspaper article soon attracted the attention of the first day trippers who wanted to get to Goethe's point. Schwupp and the village teacher had chosen a spot that they thought was most suitable.