Founded around AD 760, Lorsch Abbey, in the charming village of Lorsch, was an important religious site in its Carolingian heyday (8th to 10th centuries). Preserved medieval buildings include the rare, Carolingian-era Königshalle and the Altenmünster. Museum exhibits cover the history of the abbey, life in Hesse, and tobacco, which was cultivated in Lorsch in the late 17th century.
Lorsch is 30km south of Darmstadt via the A5 or picturesque Bergstrasse (B3); light rail links it with Worms (€4.10, 25 minutes, hourly). The station is 1km north of the abbey.
