Johanniter Tower Nidda

In the beautifully landscaped park are the remains of a medieval basilica, which was the seat of a Johanniter command from 1187 to 1585 💚🤟

In the beautifully landscaped park are the building remains of a medieval basilica, which was the seat of a Johanniter-Kommende from 1187 to 1585, the first religious establishment in Hesse.

In 1187, Emperor Barbarossa arranged for the childless Count Berthold II of Nidda to donate his county to the Order of St. John. The order was founded to raise money for the Crusades. Rents and taxes from the Nidda region subsequently flowed into the Christian war coffers for the Holy Land. The Johanniter cared for Nidda in ecclesiastical terms and also maintained a hospital. From 1536 the fresh wind of the Protestant Reformation blew in Nidda. The Catholic Order of St. John was finally closed in 1585. The church was demolished except for the St. John's Tower; the stones were installed on site in several places (stone bridge over the Nidda; Protestant Heilig-Geist-Parish Church and others)