P L A N N I N G G U I D E

Romantic Road ®

SightseeingItinerary

Insider tips

from the River Mainto the Alps

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Hiking in the countryside along the Romantic Road ..................... 2

460 km of unadulterated romanticism .............................. 3

Tips for explorers, connoisseurs and aficionados .......................... 3

Würzburg ............................... 4/5 Wertheim ............................... 6/7 Tauberbischofsheim ................ 8/9 Lauda-Königshofen .............. 10/11 Bad Mergentheim .................12/13 Weikersheim ........................14/15 Röttingen ................................16 Creglingen ...............................17 Rothenburg ob der Tauber ......18/19 Schillingsfürst ..........................20

Romantic journey through time ...21

Feuchtwangen .....................22/23 Dinkelsbühl .........................24/25 Wallerstein...............................26

Bicycle tours ............................27

Nördlingen im Ries ...............28/29 Harburg ...................................30

Romantic Road International ...........31

Donauwörth ........................32/33 Rain ...................................34/35 Augsburg ............................36/37 Friedberg .................................38

Festivals and festival plays .........39

Landsberg am Lech ............... 40/41 Pfaffenwinkel ......................42/43 Hohenfurch ..............................44 Schongau .................................45 Peiting ....................................46 Rottenbuch ..............................47 Wildsteig .................................48 Steingaden...............................49 Halblech .............................50/51 Schwangau ..........................52/53 Füssen ................................54/55

Published by:Romantische Straße ® Touristik-Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR,Dinkelsbühl

Copy, photos and information: Member towns and Romantische Strasse ®

Errors and omissions excepted. Subject to change without notice and being unsold.

Hikeline hiking guide (in German): Romantic Road

Long Distance Hiking TrailHiking guide and maps on a scale of 1:35,000

Part 1 – From Würzburg to DonauwörthPart 2 – From Donauwörth to Füssen

Almost everyone has heard of it: the Romantic Road, the unbroken series of romantic towns and landscapes between Würzburg and Füssen, between the valley of the River Main and the foothills of the Alps. The Roman-tic Road Long Distance Cycle Path has been in existence since 1988; in 2006 a route for true aficionados was ad-ded: the Romantic Road Long Distance Hiking Trail.The new trail does not run along main roads (when-ever possible - today, it is not always possible to avoid asphalt) but along tracks through forests, fields and meadows, along footpaths through the towns as far as practicable and always through the town centres. After all, why hike the Romantic Road if the aim is to avoid the romantic old towns between Würzburg and Füssen, between Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Augs-burg and between Creglingen and Dinkelsbühl? Why avoid ancient imperial towns, such as Donauwörth, aristocratic towns, such as Schillingsfürst, towns of the Teutonic Order, such as Bad Mergentheim and royal residencies, such as Wallerstein? Not to mention all the half-timbered town halls, the Gothic parish churches, the quiet squares and the splashing of their fountains, the Baroque pilgrimage churches, the ancient castles, friendly villages, palaces, wayside chapels and, in the far south of the country, the epitome of German roman-ticism, Neuschwanstein, the dream castle of the fairy-tale king, Ludwig II. All in all, this hiking trail has more fascinating buildings and artistic monuments than any other.And this, of course, ignores the miles and miles of beau-tiful countryside. At the beginning of the hiking trail in Würzburg, the slopes of the Main Valley are lined by vine-yards. Many of them, such as the ‘Würzburger Stein‘, are not only renowned for their great wines but are also only a stone‘s throw away. The Tauber Valley truly earns the appellation ‘charming‘ with soft lines, varied scenery, enchanting views and romantic settings along the river. Particularly charming are the close ties between nature and areas that have been cultivated for many generations. You ramble along the valley, past peaks and tributary valleys, one more attractive than the other, between Tauberbischofsheim and Rothenburg

where you will immediately see why it is called “above the Tauber”. Beforehand, you will have passed through Lauda-Königshofen, Bad Mergentheim, Weikersheim, Röttingen and Creglingen with its famous Church of our Lord. The Franconian Heights are more severe and cooler with panoramic views and ancient villages embedded in gentle valleys. The western part has be- longed to the Hohenlohe dynasty for centuries. The route takes us through Schillingsfürst, an important royal residence, Feuchtwangen and Dinkelsbühl before coming to Wallerstein in the Ries district. We cross the Ries - Germany‘s only extensive, circular crater, the re-sult of an impact from a huge meteorite - via the district capital, Nördlingen. The subsequent route to Donau-wörth and Rain via Harburg is easy and takes us across the imperceptible but important European watershed between the Franconian Heights and the Swabian Alb. The Lech Valley, which we follow from Donauwörth, via Rain, Augsburg and Friedberg, to Landsberg am Lech, Hohenfurch, Schongau and Peiting, is a long, easy rou-te towards the distant Alps. Floodplains and fields al-ternate with woods, meadows, wetlands and the river is never far away. Then, we climb the foothills of the Alps with views of the limestone mountains in the south and pass through Rottenbuch, Wildsteig, Steingaden with its world-famous Church in the Meadow and Halblech. Through increasingly demanding hills and seemingly endless grazing land and meadows, we draw closer to the mountains until the final stretch takes us in their shadow past Bannwaldsee, Schwangau, the enchanting castle of Neuschwanstein and Alpsee to Füssen.If you walk the Romantic Road long-distance hiking trail without a break, you will need about three weeks. If you take some time out to enjoy the scenery, art and culture, you will need around four weeks. And that‘s a reason to celebrate if there ever was one!

Hiking in the Countryside along the Romantic Road

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Tips for explorers, connoisseurs and aficionados

The Romantic Road is a must for con-noisseurs of the finer things in life. The spectrum of fine restaurants and hotels is wide: from cosy farms and family-oriented guesthouses, via rustic inns, traditional, family-run houses and modern chain hotels, to trendy event and lifestyle hotels. Naturally, all offer dishes and wi-nes typical of the region, from tasty snacks and Franconian specialities to stylish afternoon tea. No matter whe-ther you prefer great wines from the Main, Tauber or Hohenlohe districts or first-class beer, the local products in restaurants, wine cooperatives, wine galleries and breweries gene-rally bear witness to their patrician or aristocratic origins. Splendid resi-dences, mighty castles and enchant-ing palaces are an open invitation to enjoy the three cornerstones of the Romantic Road: art, culture and cuisine.

On any journey through the varied and attractive countryside, you can expect more than just a treat for your taste buds. Everyone is sure to be de-lighted regardless of whether he or she comes alone, with their family, friends or a club. Along the Romantic Road, you can come face to face with the ‘hunters of the night‘ in a game park, discover Christmas - the epito-me of German romanticism - on 365 days of the year, awaken the child in man at the Railway Museum with its veteran locomotives and carriages, or try your luck at one of the region‘s casinos.

Würzburg is distinguished by the Ba-roque splendour beloved of prince bishops while Schwangau can boast Kings Ludwig‘s castles. You can ad-mire them during an extraordinary day of wellness and relaxation. The ‘Königliche Kristalltherme‘ is one of the most attractive thermal baths in Germany.

First-class wellness is only one of the multifarious excursion, travel and holiday options to the left and right of the Romantic Road. How about shopping at a leading factory-outlet centre to begin with? Which, de-pending on your inclination, can be rounded off by short or long courses of treatment at one of the country‘s historical spas, a relaxing farm vaca-tion, following in the footsteps of the Romans along the 2,000-year-old ‘Via Claudia Augusta‘, which “takes the same route” as the Romantic Road in the south, a golf holiday on some mar-vellous courses, cycling with special events and luggage transport, make excursions to one of Upper Bavaria‘s wonderful lakes, arrive via Germany‘s second biggest airport, take a coach trip. The Romantic Road has offers to suit everyone’s taste as well as the right partner.

The Romantic Road is unique: the leading and oldest German holiday route. Hugely popular among inter-national guests and the trademark for over 400 fas-cinating kilometres, it is the classic alternative to the motorway from north to south or vice versa, and a counterbalance to the hustle and bustle of modern life. Descriptions such as art, culture and culinary rou-te, festival and gourmet road, activities and events course underscore the contrasts between ancient and modern from one end to the other.No matter whether you go by car, bike or on foot, on an excursion, for a weekend, a short break or ‘proper‘ holiday, you can be sure of experiencing 3,000 years of German and European history in fast motion at the 29 towns between the River Main and the Alps, between the Baroque splendour of the princebishops‘ resi-dence in Würzburg and Ludwig‘s fairytale castles near Schwangau.The colourful and varied tableau of the Romantic Road has been moulded by the Celts, Romans and Carolin-gians, by the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Biedermeier and Wilhelminian periods and, of course, by the present day. Knights, barons and po-tentates ruled in mighty castles and magnificent pal-aces, such as those in Bad Mergentheim, Weikersheim, Röttingen, Schillingsfürst, Wallerstein and Harburg. Wealthy citizens, widely travelled merchants and in-dustrious tradesmen breathed new life into medieval, half-timbered towns with gateways, towers and walls, as can still be seen today in Tauberbischofsheim, Lauda-Königshofen, Creglingen, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Feuchtwangen, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen, Do-nauwörth, Augsburg with its world-famous Fuggerei social housing, Friedberg and Landsberg am Lech. Matthias Grünewald, Tilman Riemenschneider, Veit Stoss, the Asam and Zimmermann brothers, Neumann and Tiepolo created works of art unparalleled any-where in the world. The Pilgrimage Church of Wies, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the acme of masterly rococo. It lies in the gently undulating countryside of the Pfaffenwinkel, the “land of monks, artists and farmers”, a glorious land of both cultivated areas and

natural beauty, with picturesque villages and towns such as Hohenfurch, Schongau, Peiting, Rottenbuch, Wildsteig and Steingaden.

The traces of each epoch are unmistakable and leave unforgettable impressions in harmony with the en-chanting countryside. Thus, the Romantic Road is a destination for people, no matter what their interest. Culture fans, festival visitors, music and art lovers are no less well catered for than historians and collectors. Historical and traditional festivals, lansquenet meet-ings and fishing competitions in Donauwörth, opera, theatre, ballet and musicals outdoors, in romantic castles, palaces, civic halls and extraordinary stages, St. Ulrich‘s and Leonhard‘s processions and horse bles-sings, national-costume festivals, mountain services, painting symposiums, pottery, art and flea markets, unusual museums and amazing collections - there‘s no end to the multiplicity of things to do and see along the Romantic Road.

No matter whether you are a passive nature lover, a connoisseur or an active sportsperson, you are sure to be enchanted by the vineyards along the River Main, the beautiful river scenery along the Tauber, Wörnitz, Danube and Lech, the watershed of the Franconian Heights, the meteorite crater near Nördlingen, the pre-Alpine end moraine and the Zugspitze, the “Top of Germany”. In common with the hiking trail, the Ro-mantic Road cycle route opens up kilometres of unadul- terated pleasure (500 km in all) well away from the main roads. The Romantic Road is a paradise for run-ners, cyclists and skaters and, additionally, offers top horse racing, hunting in the autumn, canoeing world cup in Augsburg‘s ‘Eiskanal‘ and a golf competition with ten or more tournaments. In other words, the fit and fun programme is just as varied as the culinary spe-cialities from Franconia, Baden, Hohenlohe-Württem-berg, Bavarian Swabia and Allgäu - from rustic snacks to gourmet dinners, from Franconian and Tauber Valley wines to special beers that are only served within close proximity of a number of private breweries.

More than 460 fascinating kilometres between tradition and trends

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March/April: Flamenco FestivalWürzburg ‘Residenz‘ race May: Cultural Festival in the Juliusspital Vineyard EstateWürzburg City Marathon June:Mozart FestivalAfrica FestivalBürgerspital ‘Hofschoppen-fest‘ (Wine Festival)Umsonst & Draussen (Free & Outdoor) Festival

Würzburg Wine Village Hofgarten Wine Festival July:Kiliani: Beer festival and fun fairStein Wine FestivalMusic Festival: Würzburger Hafensommer August: Ringpark FestivalWine parade September:International Street Art & Street Music Festival November/December:Würzburg Bach FestivalChristmas Market

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Dominated by its landmark, the ‘Marienberg‘ Fortress, this university and congress city is surrounded by vineyards. The Old Town lies in the shadow of the towers of St. Kilian‘s Cathedral, the Neumünster church and the Chapel of St Mary, adjacent to the former prince bishops‘ palace, the splendid Baroque masterpiece planned by Balthasar Neumann and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Insider tips Maritim Hotel +49 (0) 931 30530 www.maritim.de

Sightseeing (Selection)Marienberg Fortress (early 13th century); 1253 - 1719 residence of the prince bishops; large-scale reinforcement and extension of the Fortress in the 17/18th centuries; extensive fortifications with the Church of the Virgin Mary (‘Marienkirche‘, the oldest round church in Germany east of the Rhine built in AD 706), gateway (‘Scherenbergtor‘ - 1345/1482), Renaissance ‘Brunnentempel‘ (well temple - approx. 1600) and ‘Fürstenbau‘ (prince-bishop‘s residence) with Late Gothic ‘Bibra‘ staircase (1511).Residenz: prince bishops‘ palace (1720-1744): major work of South German Baroque built accord-ing to plans by Balthasar Neumann; staircase with self supporting arched ceiling and splendid ceiling fresco by Giovanni Tiepolo; late Baroque and Roco-co staterooms, e.g., White Room, Imperial Room, Mirror Room; elaborately decorated church (‘Hofkir-che‘) and Baroque court garden; UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981.St. Kilian‘s Cathedral (approx. 1040): the fourth biggest Romanesque church in Germany with a cru-ciform layout; extended, rebuilt and added-to up to the 18th century; destroyed in 1945; reconstruction completed in 1967; bishops‘ tombs from the 12th to 19th centuries; cloister (1420-53) built on Ro-man foundations and ‘Schönbornsche Grabkapelle‘ (1718-36) by Balthasar Neumann.Neumünster (New Minster - 11th century): Roman-esque basilica with dome (1710-16) and Baroque façade. Remains of cloister from the Staufer period with tomb of minstrel Walther von der Vogelweide in the ‘Lusam‘ garden.

Juliusspital (Hospital - endowed in 1576): castlelike Baroque building with an original Rococo pharmacy, the ‘Alte Anatomie‘ (1705-14), and a re-nowned vineyard. Today, a modern hospital with old-people‘s home.Käppele: Chapel of Grace (1653) on the ‘Nikolaus-berg‘ with attached domed central building and dou-ble tower façade by Balthasar Neumann; magnificent ceiling frescos and stuccowork; steps with stations of the cross lead up to the pilgrimage church.Marienkapelle and Falkenhaus at the Market Place: late Gothic hall church (1377-1481) erected by the citizens of Würzburg; remarkable tombstones and tomb of Balthasar Neumann. Adjoins the ‘Falkenhaus‘ with an attractive Rococo façade (1751). Today tou-rist information and ticket service.

Theatres, concerts‘Mainfranken Theater‘ and ‘Kammerspiele‘: opera, operetta, ballet and stage plays, symphony concerts by the Würzburg Philharmonic orchestra. ‘Theater im Chambinzky‘: comedies, pantomimes, musicals. ‘Werkstattbühne‘, ‘Theater am Neunerplatz‘; ‘Theaterensemble’. ‘Kabarettbühne Bockshorn‘ at the ‘Kulturspeicher‘.

Museums, exhibitionsMainfränkisches Museum in the former arsenal of the ‘Marienberg‘ Fortress; collections of artistic works and cultural objects by Franconian artists and artists living in Franconia, as well as artistic crafts-men, including masterworks by Würzburg woodcarver Tilman Riemenschneider.

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▶ About 1000 BC Celtic fortification on the

Marienberg▶ About AD 650 Franconian ducal seat▶ 704

Würzburg mentioned in a document for the first time

▶ 706 Consecration of the church on the Marienberg

▶ 742 Bishopric of Würzburg founded

▶ 788 Work starts on the first cathedral

▶ 1156 Frederick Barbarossa marries Beatrix of Burgundy

▶ 1168 Frederick Barbarossa confirms the Duchy of Franconia

▶ 1525 Würzburg takes the peasants‘ side during the Peasants‘ War

▶ 1582 Julius-Maximilian University founded

▶ 1631 Würzburg conquered by Gustav II Adolf of Sweden

▶ 1720 Foundation stone of the ‘Residenz’ laid

▶ 1802 Secularisation of the Hochstift, the central administration of the bishopric

▶ 1814 Würzburg incorporated into Bavaria

▶ 1867 The city fortifications are dismantled and the Ringpark takes their place

▶ 1895 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovers X-rays

▶ 1945, March 90 percent of the city is destroyed by bombing

▶ 1970 Reconstruction of the Old Town

virtually complete▶ 1985

Congress Centre opened▶ 1990

Bavarian State Garden Show▶ 1991

Würzburg is linked to the ICE High-speed Train Network

▶ 2002 Art Museum - ‘Museum im Kultur-speicher’ - opens

▶ 2004 1300th city anniversary

Information: Congress · Tourismus · WürzburgAm Congress Centrum97070 WürzburgPhone +49 (0) 931 372335Fax +49 (0) 931 373652tourismus@wuerzburg.de www.wuerzburg.de

Fürstenbau Museum in the rebuilt ‘Fürstenbau‘ (bishop‘s residence) of the Marienberg Fortress: ex-hibition showing how the prince bishops lived; treasure chamber; local history department.

Martin-von-Wagner Museum in the south wing of the ‘Residenz‘ with art gallery (14th to 19th centu-ry), collections of prints and antiques.Museum of Art - ‘Museum im Kulturspeicher‘ - with 19th to 21st century works of art, regular ex-hibitions, non-representational art in the ‘Concrete Art‘ collection, light objects and computer art.‘Galerie Spitäle‘, ‘Domschatz‘, ‘Museum am Dom‘ and ‘Siebold‘ Museum.

Itineraryfrom April to December.Guided tours in German:January – March: Saturday at 10.30 a.m.March – April: daily at 10.30 a.m.May – October: daily at 10.30 a.m. and 2 p.m.October – November: daily at 10.30 a.m.November – December: daily at 10.30 a.m. and 2 p.m.Tours in English: Guided tours by city train (duration 40 minutes):April - December: 5-8 daily departures on the full hour. Guided walking tours for individual travellers: tours of the ‘Residenz‘; tours of ‘Marienberg‘ Fortress. For groups only (the tours can be arranged in various languages): a stroll through the Old Town of Würzburg; guided tours of the Old Town and the ‘Residenz‘, ‘Marienberg‘ Fortress, medieval Würzburg, Baroque Würzburg, women in Würzburg; art and culture tours; nature and culture walks and bicycle tours; guided tours for the disabled.Excursions: ‘Franconian Wine Country‘ (half or whole day tour), “Along the Romantic Road”, educational tours.River Main steamers: scheduled trips Würzburg - Veitshöchheim - Würzburg, daily from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., April to October; special (holiday) trips for groups of 30 or more.Stein wine trail: at the historical ‘Würzburger Stein‘, vineyard with information boards.Wine tasting in the cellars of major wine growers:‘Staatlicher Hofkeller‘, ‘Bürgerspital-Weingut‘, ‘Juliusspital-Weingut‘; ‘Weingut am Stein Ludwig Knoll‘.

Short break packagesWürzburg‘s hotels offer attractive short break packages throughout the year, including the Easter and Christmas periods.

Many of the short break packages include the Würz-burg Welcome Card, which offers price reductions on numerous sights, museums, theatres, ship excursi-ons on the River Main, tours, souvenirs, etc.

Congresses, conferencesCongress Centre Würzburg, Conference Centre at Ma-rienberg Fortress and Barockhäuser and Kulturspei-cher event rooms with capacities from 50 to 2,500 people, as well as numerous conference venues. The CTW Congress Office offers a complete service incl. organisation, reservation, registration, service and development of programs.

Fringe programmeOrganised excursions (for groups only): Romantic Road to Rothenburg ob der Tauber; Franconian Wine Country

Culinary DelightsToday’s recommendation: quaint old pubs and tra-ditional wine taverns offering regional Franconian cuisine as well as top international restaurants that can stand up to any comparison. You will find all this in a countryside that has the best conditions for wine growing, and not only in terms of the climate: this is where wine in the traditional Bocksbeutel bottles can be enjoyed best. So there is no end to our invitations!

Nature (Cycling)How about doing some sport or getting on a moun-tain bike? Or a leisurely trip on a touring bike? Das network of cycle paths has been optimally devel-oped and signposted: there are tours for every age and every requirement. The cycle track along the river Main, one of the most popular cycle trails in Germany, has already won several awards from the German Cyclist‘s Association (Allgemeiner Deut-scher Fahrrad-Club e.V.) as a high-quality route. And along the River Tauber, the Franconian Saale or the Werntal region, cycling is sheer pleasure. Together with the Romantic Road cycle path, you will find one of Germany’s most attractive cycling regions here.

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S January Christmas exhibition“Christmas-tree decora-tions in glass – past and present”MarchEaster market with Sunday shopping in the old town

April‘Night groove’ pub music festival, town centre

JuneWertheim town experience – culture & shoppingWertheim pottery market

July /August‘Schöpple’ wine festival on Neuplatz square Wertheim old-town festival

OctoberTraditional WertheimMichaelmas fair with Sunday shopping

NovemberFarmers’ market in the old town with Sunday shopping

DecemberWertheim Advent calendarWertheim Christmas marketTraditional Christmas exhibition ’Christmas-treedecorations in glass – past and present’

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Where the rivers Main and Tauber meet, surrounded by lovely countryside, lies the romantic, mediaeval town of Wertheim. The mighty ruins of a stone castle, high above the town, are an imposing landmark from a bygone age. A visit is well worthwhile at any time of the year, for a concert in the castle moat or a glass of wine on the sun terrace at the castle restaurant. Elaborately decorated half-timbered houses, small squares and narrow alleyways, as well as many other sights, characterise the townscape. Culture lovers will appreciate the top-class art collections and temporary exhibitions in the municipal ‘Grafschaftsmuseum’ and the Glass Mu-seum and in the ‘Schlösschen im Hofgarten’ fine art museum. Wertheim is also a shoppers’ para-dise, be it in the town centre or at Wertheim Village, the luxury shopping outlet. Wertheim lies in the middle of the ‘Route der Genüsse’ (Route of Culinary Delights), where you can feast, en-joy, taste and savour to your heart’s content, as well as buying directly from producers. This is culinary enjoyment at its best, for it is unparalleled to find so many producers so close together.

AttractionsWertheim CastleOnce the seat of the Counts of Wertheim, this cast-le complex, which originally belonged to the von Staufen family and dates from the 12th century, is amongst the largest and most beautiful stone cas-tle ruins in the south of Germany. During the Thir-ty Years War, the castle came under heavy fire and was severely damaged. Today it belongs to the town of Wertheim. Many concerts and other events take place against this fabulous backdrop.Historic marketplaceIn the historic marketplace, with its beautifully pre-served half-timbered houses, some of which date back to the 16th century, is one of the oldest and, indeed, narrowest houses in Franconia.Protestant Collegiate Church (Stiftskirche)The Romanesque church, predecessor of today’s three-naved Gothic basilica, was built and extended in 1383/4. A late Gothic canopy in front of the main portal, as well as a choir bay, belonging to the chapel in the tower, are pointers to its existence. The tombs of the Counts of Wertheim (15th – 18th century) can be found in the large chancel. St Kilian’s ChapelThe late Gothic St Kilian’s Chapel is considered to be one of the finest Gothic double chapels in Germany.

Construction began in 1472. A coat-of-arms frieze de-picts the ‘Wertheim monkey’ as a symbol of vanity.Kittstein GateThe view from the Kittstein Gate towards the Collegiate Church and the castle is one of the best-known views of the town. All the high-water marks since 1595 are engraved on the north side.Spitzer TurmThe ‘Spitzer Turm’ (36.5 metres high) was built in the 13th century as a watchtower and keep. It also served as a prison for ‘drunkards’ and ‘scolding wenches’. Today, it is a venue for some spectacular guided tours.Jewish CemeteryThe Jewish Cemetery, approved in 1406, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Germany. ‘Grafschaftsmuseum’ Alongside the permanent exhibitions and depart-ments devoted to folk culture, works by the famous North German painter Otto Modersohn (1865-1943) and his painter friends can be seen.‘Schlösschen im Hofgarten’ – Museum of fine art Not far from the historic old town, in a magnificent park, stands the rococo ‘Schlösschen im Hofgarten’ Museum, built in 1777. Today, it houses some very fine art collections and donated works, such as paintings and watercolours by painters from the Berlin Seces-

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▶ 7th century First settlement on the site of what is today Kreuzwertheim

▶ 779 First authentic mention of Wertheim

▶ 1009 Market rights granted by King Heinrich II

▶ 1103 First documentary mention of the ‘county’ of Wertheim

▶ 12th century Building of castle begins

▶ 1306 Wertheim receives its town charter

and thus also the right to mint coins

▶ in the 16th century Wine growing is the principal activity

▶ 1556 Death of the last Count of Wertheim,

Count Michael III, whereupon the ‘county’ passes to Count Ludwig of Stolberg

▶ from 1598 Takeover of government by Count

Ludwig of Löwenstein-Wertheim ▶ 1634 Destruction of castle in 30 Years War,

since when it has just been left as a ruin

▶ 1806 Napoleon draws up new frontiers,

which divide the region. Wertheim is incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Baden; Napoleon imposes tolls on the Main bridge between Wertheim and Kreuzwertheim

▶ 1913 Start of first incorporation into

today’s industrial region of Wertheim-Bestenheid

▶ after 1945 Establishment of glass industry by

displaced persons in Wertheim-Bes-tenheid

▶ 1972/1976 With the incorporation of 15 surroun-

ding communities, Wertheim becomes the regional administrative centre (‘Große Kreisstadt’ or major district town)

Information:TOURISMUS WERTHEIM GmbHGerbergasse 1697877 WertheimPhone +49 (0) 9342 935090Fax +49 (0) 9342 9350920info@tourismus-wertheim.dewww.tourismus-wertheim.de

sion. The museum continues to arouse more and more interest across the whole of Germany, thanks to its extraordinary collections of paintings.Glass MuseumThe only museum of glass work in Baden-Württem-berg is home to exhibits ranging from luxury glass of antiquity to today’s glass industry. Well worth seeing are, among other things, the glass pearl cab-inet, glass for science and industry, glass blowing demonstrations and a Christmas exhibition during Advent.Bronnbach MonasteryThe Bronnbach Monastery, founded in 1151, is a for-mer Cistercian monastery in the Lower Tauber Val-ley, the 326th of the order. This culturally important monastery complex combines both Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. Today it is an important conference and events centre.Eichel fortified church, Urphar fortified church Dertingen fortified church, Waldenhausen fortified church

Activities for visitorsGuided tours open to the public From March/April to October – duration 1 hourOld town: from Monday to Saturday at 5 p.m.Sundays and Bank Holidays at 10.30 a.m.Castle: Sundays at 2.30 p.m.Spitzer Turm: Sundays 11.30 a.m. (30 – 40 minutes’ duration) Special tour:Night-watchman’s tour - Fridays at 9 p.m.

Group tours (max. 25 participants)Guided tours of the town and castle, as well as a special tour through the ‘Spitzer Turm’,night-watchman’s tour and tours led by guides in traditional dressGuided tour of the town, with trip to the castle, aboard the Wertheim castle train (Wertheimer Burg-bähnle) or complete town tours including the castle.

Culinary tours of the town (minimum of 20 people)The Wertheim gourmet tour ‘A taste of Wertheim’, ‘The wine-tasting walking tour’ and a guided tour of the town with a complimentary drink, the ‘Mulled wine express’ through Wertheim in its Christmas finery, guided tour of the town com-bined with a visit to the museums.

Packages for groups (minimum 20 participants)‘1000 years in a day’, ‘Experience Wertheim Castle’, ‘The curse and the blessing of hydropower’, ‘Wine tales of the Kaffelstein’, ‘Shopping and enjoyment’ and ‘Active enjoyment in Wertheim’.

Packages for individual travellersWhatever the season, Wertheim guarantees a very special experience. There are around 50 different packages that can be booked. These have been developed to delight visitors throughout the year, including ‘Wertheim transforms your tastes’,

‘Wertheim transforms your lifestyle’ and ‘Wert-heim transforms best friends’, to name but a few.

Boat trips on the River Main April/October Sightseeing tour of the locks, scheduled service Miltenberg – Wertheim, special tours for groups.

Eating and drinking: Wine, sausage and game typify Main-Tauber-Franconian cuisine. For centuries, wine has been grown in Wertheim and its region. Wine-tastings can be enjoyed in both the ‘Grafschaftsmuseum’ and the Glass Museum, as well as at the Konrad Schlör and Alte Grafschaft vineyards, the cellars of the wine growers’ cooperative, the ‘Winzerkel-ler im Taubertal’ and at the Martin Baumann and Oesterlein vineyards. For beer drinkers, there is no shortage of fine ales in the cellars of the tradi-tional breweries.

Restaurants:Many traditional family-run inns offer a range of regional and international cuisine right up to star-rated gastronomy.

Do not miss: Bargains in Wertheim Village! On Saturdays, try the ‘Green Market’ and admire the view over the town from the castle terraces.

Don’t forget us: Come again!

Popular souvenirs:Regional specialities: Franconian wine in the world-famous ‘Bocksbeutel’ bottle, alfi vacuum jugs at factory-outlet prices, the traditional Wertheim ‘Buddescheißer’ peach liqueur, perfume ‘From Wertheim with Love’ and Wertheim jewel-lery - charms such as a pretzel, a bunch of grapes, a ship or the ‘Spitzer Turm’.

Active WertheimWertheim is the ideal place for cycling and hiking enthusiasts to set out from. Wertheim is the start or the end of the only 5-star cycle path in Germany ‘Delightful Tauber Valley – the Classic’ to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

ExcursionsBronnbach Monastery, Gamburg Castle, Freuden-burg, Henneburg Stadtprozelten Castle, Külsheim – town of fountains, Kreuzwertheim Castle – Residence of the Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg, Hasloch with the only working tilt-hammer forge in the Spessart mountains.

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September to April:Tauberbischofsheim Castle Concerts

Mid-October:‘Martini‘ fair and trade exhibition

December:Christmas Market

‘Badische Landesbühne‘:Seven theatre perfor-mances throughout the year

Tauberbischofsheim Art Society:Readings and cabaret shows at irregular intervalsFor up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de Sightseeing

Market Place with magnificent half-timbered and Baroque buildings:

‘Alte Post’, (Old Post House - 1602), ‘Stern-Apothe-ke’ (Star Pharmacy - 1670), ‘Franck-Haus’, ‘Rincker Haus’ (1678), ‘Rehe-Hof’ (1702), ‘Mackert-Haus’ (1744)Neo-Gothic Town Hall (1865) and St. Martin’s Parish Church (1910).Kurmainz Castle, built about 1280, modified in the 15th/16th centuries with ‘Türmersturm’ tower, nowadays home of the ‘Tauber-Franconia Rural Museum’.Two-storey, Gothic Sebastian Chapel (1474), St. Peters Chapel (1180), the town’s oldest sacral building, St. Lioba Monastery Church, extended later in Baroque style (1735).Remains of the medieval town fortifications.

Tauber-Franconian Rural Museum in Kurmainz Castle with a model of “Bischofsheim in the mid-18th century“Guided tours for groups on request, contribution to costs. Open from Palm Sunday to 1 November.

‘School Museum VS’The museum at the Vereinigte Spezialmöbelfabriken under the ‘The Classroom’ leitmotiv is open all the year round on week-days, entrance free. Guided tours, also at the weekend: duration 1 hour, fixed charge.

Bertold’s Bauernhofmuseum DistelhausenViewing by arrangement. Contribution to costs.

Selection of Group Offers / Information Contribution to costs.

Guided tours through the historic Old TownDuration approx. 1.5 hours. Up to 25 participants including tour of the church or a climb to the top of the Türmersturm tower. Duration 2 hours per tour

Guided tour with the tower keeper (‘Turmwäch-ter’) though the historical old townThe tour includes a climb to the top of the Türmer-sturm tower. Duration: approx. 2 hours, up to 25 participantsGuided tour for children with a climb to the top of the ‘Türmersturm’Duration: approx. 1 hour, up to 25 childrenGuided tour through the historic Old Town and visit to the Olympic Fencing Centre Duration: approx. 2.5 hours, up to 25 people

Cycling, hiking, Nordic walking and mountainbike guides are available via Tourist Information. The starting point is Tauberbischofsheim.

Tauberbischofsheim - the capital of the Main-Tauber District - is one of the oldest towns along the picturesque Tauber Valley. Kurmainz Castle is grouped around the ‘Türmersturm‘ tower, landmark of the town. Besides the numerous interesting half-timbered houses, the neo-Gothic Town Hall with its glockenspiel is the most striking building on the Market Place. Pedestrian precinct.

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▶ About AD 735 Convent founded by Bishop Bonifacius

▶ Between 1237 and 1245 Town charter granted

▶ 1688 Latin School, forerunner of

the Matthias Grünewald Grammar School, founded by

Franciscan monks

▶ From 1865 Work begins on the construction of the neo-Gothic Town Hall at the Market Place

▶ 1910-1914 Construction of the Catholic Town Church of St. Martin

▶ 1954 Fencing Centre founded by Emil Beck; today, it is the National and Regional Fencing Centre; Olympic Fencing Centre

▶ since 1973 Capital of the Main-Tauber District

▶ 2005 1250th anniversary of

Tauberbischofsheim

Insider tip Hotel St. Michael ***S

+49 (0) 9341 84950 www.hotel-stmichael.com

Information:Tourist-InformationMarktplatz 897941 TauberbischofsheimPhone +49 (0) 9341 80333Fax +49 (0) 9341 803991tourismus@tauberbischofs-heim.de www.tauberbischofsheim.de

Travel companion for Tauberbischofsheim and the ‘Lovely Tauber Valley’ concentrating on Tauberbi-schofsheim are arranged by the Tourist-Info office. Fees: all-day, up to 8 hours plus commission. The costs of guided tours outside Tauberbischofsheim and, as a rule, admission charges are not included. The bus is provided by the group.

Educational wine trail in the ‘Edelberg’ municipal vineyardWith expert guides to accompany you and numerous illustrative examples, the educational wine trail offers you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the specific characteristics of the grape vari-eties cultivated there. Duration: approx. 1.5 hour, up to a maximum of 30 participants. Wine tasting is possible.

Local taverns, wineries in the districts

Brewing Experience tour at the ‘Distelhäuser Brauerei’Visit to a brewery, multivision show, visit to the Schalander to enjoy a hearty evening snack (Ves-perteller) and delicious beers and non-alcoholic beverages. Any day can be arranged.

Hotels, inns, guesthouses, private houses of-fering bed and breakfast, and holiday apartments look forward to your visit. Information has been loaded onto the town website www.tauberbischofs-heim.de and the local Tourist Information Office in the town hall will also be happy to supply you with information.

Tauberbischofsheim is known to cyclists and ram-blers not only on account of the natural beauty and its superb routes to be found there, but also for the delicious Franconian wine and culinary delights.

There are numerous sport and leisure activities for everyone to round off the wide variety of interest-ing offers. For example, you can take a refreshing plunge in the heated open-air swimming pool on a fine summer’s day.

ExcursionsVisit to the districts of Dittigheim, Distelhausen, Dienstadt, Dittwar, Hochhausen and Impfingen, as well as to other destinations in the region that are well worth a visit.

Experience the fascination of sword-fencing at first hand!Tauberbischofsheim achieved world fame on account of the Tauberbischofsheim Fencing Club, whose sportsmen and women wrote history by winning more than 340 medals at the Olympic Games and at the World and European Championships.

IOC-President Dr. Thomas Bach – The first German to occupy the highest office in international sport.Since September 2013, Dr. Thomas Bach has not only been the highest-ranking representative of the Olympic Movement, but is also an ambassador for his home town, Tauberbischofsheim, which awarded him the Freedom of the Town in 2008.

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1st weekend in May: Wine Festival in Beckstein

2nd weekend in June: Wine Festival in Old Lauda

1st weekend in August: ‘Steam Locomotive Festival‘ in Lauda

3rd - 4th weekend in September:‘Königshof Fair‘ - the big-gest fun fair in Franconia

Concerts‘Jazz in the Assembly Hall‘Jazz concerts in the As-sembly Hall of the Martin Schleyer Grammar School in LaudaFor up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Wine town with magnificent churches dating back to the heyday of Franconian Baroque. Historical bridges, imposing half-timbered houses, a museum of local history and shrines dating back up to 600 years as well as splendid cycle paths and hiking trails make Lauda-Königshofen a charming place to stay.

SightseeingLauda:Historic Old Town with half-timbered houses:Old Hospital, ‘Pike‘ inn and ‘Badstube‘Historic Town Hall with ‘Mariensäule‘Museum of Local History - in the house where Dr. Philipp Adam Ulrich was born.Catholic Parish Church of St. Jacob (1698) with Renaissance portal.Upper Gate (1496) and Powder Tower - remains of the medieval town fortifications.Church of the Virgin Mary (1613) with High Baroque Way of the Cross in the town cemetery (1782).Gothic bridge over the River Tauber (1512) with a statue of St. Nepomuk and shrines.Steam engine monument.

Königshofen:Late classicist Catholic Parish Church of St. Mau-ritius (1836) with Baroque decor and Romanesque tower (about 1200).Half-timbered houses, such as ‘Goten‘ (1544) and the ‘High House‘. Old Watchtower on Turmberg hill.

Gerlachsheim: Former Premonstratensian monastery with the Baroque Church of the ‘Holy Cross‘ (1723-30), three-aisle colonnaded basilica, choir and dome room in light stuccowork, magnificent altar vessels and decorations, and pulpit.Grünbach bridge with Baroque statues of saints.

Beckstein (wine village):Historic wine press, wine trail, nature and culture trails, Beckstein Vintners‘ Cooperative.

Messelhausen:Augustinian monastery in the former Zobel Castle (1740-1743) and beautiful Marstadtsee Lake.

Oberbalbach:Catholic Parish Church of St. George (1738) with Baroque decor. The High Altar includes a figure of St. George made in the workshop of Tilman Riemen-schneider.

Oberlauda:Catholic Parish Church of St. Martin (1790) with late Baroque decor.‘Halbritter‘ little castle in the town centre.South Germany‘s biggest overshot waterwheel (12 metres diameter).

Sachsenflur:Elaborately renovated little castle (1583) in the town centre.Protestant Church (1785). Showing Christ and His Disciples, the paintings on the gallery balustrade appear to come from the previous church. Foun-tains and attractive half-timbered houses.

Unterbalbach:Catholic Parish Church of St. Markus built in ‘brandy distiller‘ style in 1824, late Baroque décor. The Jewish cemetery (dedicated 1590) is one of the most impressive of its kind in Germany.

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▶ AD 741/1135 1st documentary mention

(‘Kunegeshoven’ and ‘Ludun’)

▶ 1344/1415 Town / market charter for

Lauda-Königshofen

▶ 14th/15th century Work begins on the town

fortifications (Upper Gate, Powder Tower)

▶ 16th century Construction of the Town Hall and other half-timbered houses

▶ 1723-1730 Construction of the Premonst-ratensian monastery with the ‘Holy Cross’ Roman Catholic Church in Gerlachsheim

▶ 1894 Beckstein winegrowers‘

co-operative founded

▶ 1975 Town of Lauda-Königshofen reorganised and formed from

12 towns and municipalities

Information:Tourist-InformationMarktplatz 197922 Lauda-KönigshofenPhone +49 (0) 9343 501128Fax +49 (0)9343 501100tourist.info@ laudakoenigshofen.dewww.lauda-koenigshofen.de

Insider tips Hotel Becksteiner Rebenhof ***S +49 (0) 9343 6278-0 www.rebenhof.net

Becksteiner Winzer eG +49 (0) 9343 500-0 www.becksteiner-winzer.de

ItineraryGuided tours of the town in groups of up to 50 people:one or two-hour walking tour of the historic Old Town of Lauda. Tours of Königshofen can also be arranged.

For groups only:Guided tour of the wine trail (1.5 km long) inBeckstein The wine trail is marked by various information boards along the way.Ornithological and natural-history tours of the nature reserves around Lauda-Königshofen.Guided tour of Lauda Museum of Local History and the Baroque Cloister Church of the ‘Holy Cross‘ in Gerlachsheim.Wine tasting and tour of the cellars in various vineyards.

ExcursionsVisit to the surrounding wine villages of Gerlachs-heim, Marbach and Beckstein.Day trips to Langenburg Castle and Car Museum; to Jagsthausen and the Götz Open Air Theatre Festival; to the Baroque town of Amorbach in the OdenwaldForest (Abbey Church, 1742-44; Wildenburg); Bartenstein Military Museum, Bronnbach (former Cistercian monastery).Cycling along the picturesque Tauber Valley and the ‘Main-Tauber-Franconian Figure of Eight‘; cycling tours of the side valleys to Gerlachsheim (Baroque ‘Holy Cross‘ Church), Grünsfeldhausen (Chapel of St. Achatius), Wölchingen (Frankendom).

Bad Mergentheim, spa park, wildlife park, ‘Soly-mar‘ bathing and wellness centre, Teutonic Order Museum.Wertheim: castle ruin, Glass Museum.Würzburg: ‘Residenz‘, ‘Marienberg‘ fortress. Museums, exhibitionsMuseum of Local History in the former Vintner‘s House with collections depicting wine-growing, peasant life, handicrafts, railway history and the ‘Fasnacht‘ (carnival) tradition.‘das auge‘ (the eye) gallery in Lauda‘s historic Town Hall: monthly exhibitions organised by the Lauda-Königshofen Art Society. Package arrangement‘3-day wine deal’ • Welcome glass of sparkling wine• Two nights’ accommodation with a delicious

breakfast in a guest house / hotel • 3-course evening meal• A ‘Bocksbeutel’ of wine per room (traditional

bottle used for Franconian wines)• Day ticket for the municipal indoor-outdoor swim-

ming pool• On the Saturday, you can enjoy a journey of discovery with the ‘Vintasticum’ tour, “a real treat

for the senses”; includes a wine tasting (3 wines) or, alternatively, a voucher for the ‘vinoteque’ wine shop to the value of € 10 per person

Price per person:Based on two sharing, with en suite: € 99Single room with en suite: € 119Upgrade for the Weinhotel Benz: € 40/night supplement

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1st Saturday in March:Horse market

1st week after Whitsun: Wine Festival in Bad Mergentheim-Markelsheim

July:‘Kurpark‘ FestivalSongs in the Castle

1st weekend of August:Fun fair

August: Wine village of the Tauber Valley

December:Christmas Market

Concerts:Museum concerts in the Teutonic Order CastleFor up-to-the-minute details, seewww.romanticroad.de

The former town of residence of the Teutonic Order and nowadays a modern spa resort, Bad Mergentheim, is distinguished by a variety of attractions: blooming meadows along the Ri-ver Tauber, sunny vineyards, one of Germany’s most beautiful spa parks and a busy pedestri-an precinct with smart shops and lively cafés.And over everything there is the flair of an enchanting town that discreetly combines the past and present, nature and culture and health and wellness.

SightseeingCastle of the Teutonic Order with castle church and the extensive grounds of the Castle Park set out in the English style Historic old town with attractive half-timbered houses and Baroque palaces, as well as a Renais-sance Town Hall, ‘Milchling‘ fountain and one of Germany’s ten most beautiful spa gardens.St. John‘s Minster with an importantsepulchreChurch of the Virgin Mary, three-aisle basilica (14th century) with wall paintings Gothic St. Wolfgang‘s bridge with statue of St. Nepomuk, and St. Wolfgang‘s Church

Museums, exhibitionsTeutonic Order Museum in the castle with royal accommodation in Baroque, Rococo and classicist styles; One of Europe’s largest exhibitions about the Teutonic Order as well as the history of the town and special temporary exhibitions.The treasure of St. John‘s Minster consists of liturgical vessels and utensils covering a span of 500 years Stuppach Parish Church with the ‘Stuppacher Madonna‘ by Matthias GrünewaldOttmar Mergenthaler memorial, inventor of ‘Linotype’Cultural Forum: changing art exhibitions as well as cabaret and variety performances

Culinary DelightsBad Mergentheim is where three major wine- growing regions come together. Markelsheim, a district of Bad Mergentheim, is located in the Württemberg wine-growing region. Along with the usual grape varieties there is also a rarity – the Tauber black [Tauberschwarz] – that is grown only in the Tauber Valley. Local gastronomy offers something for every taste. Whether it is a typical green spelt dish or Boeuf de Hohenlohe, you’ll find the right dish to suit your taste!

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Information:Tourist-InformationMarktplatz 197980 Bad MergentheimPhone +49 (0) 7931 574815Fax +49 (0) 7931 574901tourismus@bad- mergentheim.dewww.bad-mergentheim.de

▶ 9th century AD Court of a Franconian king at

the cross roads of important trade routes

▶ 1219 Passed on as a gift from the princes of Hohenlohe to the Teutonic Order

▶ 1250-1274 Building of St. John’s Minster

▶ 1526-1806 Residence of the Teutonic Order; construction of the castle

▶ 1564 Construction of the Renaissance Town Hall

▶ 1730-1736 Castle church built with the

involvement of Balthasar Neumann

▶ 1826 Shepherd Franz Gehrig discovers the mineral springs

Insider tips BEST WESTERN

PREMIER Parkhotel****S +49 (0) 7931 539-0 www.parkhotel-mergent-

heim.de

Flair Hotel Weinstube Lochner ***S +49 (0) 7931 9390 www.weinstubelochner.de

Kurverwaltung Bad Mergentheim GmbH +49 (0) 7931 965-0 www.kur-badmergentheim.de

Wildpark

Bad Mergentheim +49 (0) 7931 563050

www.wildtierpark.de

ItineraryGuided tours of the town; daily – 2 p.m. starting from the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall)Water fountains in the spa gardens set to a musical framework from May to OctoberGuided tour of the cellars in Markelsheim every Friday from May to OctoberWandering through the seasons every Saturdaystarting from the House of the Spa Guest [Haus des Kurgastes]Historical procession every 1st Friday in the month from May to OctoberGuided tour of the Castle of the Teutonic Order every Thursday from April to October

For groups:Guided tours of the historic town centre or com-bined tours of the Teutonic Order Museum and spa grounds.Languages: German, English, French.Wine tastings and/or guided tours through the vineyard in MarkelsheimGuided tours of the Teutonic Order Museum

ExcursionsVisit to the wild-life park with one of Europe’s largest wolf packsBathing and wellness centre ‘Solymar‘ with sauna landscape and thermal waters Boat tour on the River Main from Wertheim to WürzburgBicycle tours into the neighbouring Kocher-Jagst Valley to Langenburg CastleCanoe trips on the TauberHiking on one of the ten circular hiking routes around Bad MergentheimDay trips to Heidelberg, Nuremberg or Stuttgart.

Congresses, conferences‘Wandelhalle‘ in the ‘Kurpark‘, 400 to 700 people.‘Kursaal‘ of the ‘Kurhaus‘, up to 500 people.‘Dorfgemeinschaftshaus‘, Neunkirchen, up to 300 people.Castle of the Teutonic Order, up to 180 people.

Saga of the ‘Klöpferle’In the Mühlwehrstrasse there is a large, impressivelooking house, popularly called the ‘Knights’ House’ [Ritterhaus] or even the ’Haunted House’ [Geister-haus], where the so-called ‘Klöpferle’ have been wreaking havoc since times immemorial.If there are signs of a good year for wine, in the up-per rooms of the house and especially in the vaulted cellars, you can hear the sound of the ‘Klöpferle’ banging on the barrels with their silver hammers. The noise they make is not only supposed to presage a good wine year. Occasionally they can get up to mischief and then they start knocking over the vegetables in the bowls and the plates in the cellar.

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1st Saturday in July: Grand music festival at Weikersheim Castle with craft market

End of July / beginning of August:Opera in the castle courtyard orOpen-air cinema

1st weekend in September:Weikersheim ‘Kärwe‘ fair with historical parade

2nd weekend in September:Wine Festival in Weikers-heim-Laudenbach

3rd weekend in December:Christmas Market in the castle courtyard

Concerts:‘Jeunesses Musicales‘, ‘Kultur-Szene Weikers-heim‘ and ‘Club W 71‘

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Visitors to Weikersheim enthuse about the magnificent Renaissance palace and its fabulous-ly beautiful park laid out in the style of Versailles. The almost totally preserved interior is unique. A guided tour of the palace is worthwhile for every visitor on account of the impres-sive Knights’ Hall (Open daily).In Weikersheim, wine-growing has a long tradition. Naturally the state-approved resort town has excellent catering and hotel facilities to offer. The vintners also like to invite people to a wine-tasting.For more than 50 years, Weikersheim has also been internationally recognised for its music and as the home to Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland. There are concerts all the year round. The high point is the opera festival in the palace grounds. Art exhibitions, historical festivals like the Kärwe, as well as the wine and street festivals attract many visitors.

SightseeingHistoric Market Place with Rococo fountain, Gothicparish church and stately buildings ‘Kornbau‘ (1582), today the Tauberland Village Mu-seum with traditional costumes, tools and furniture from the regionRenaissance castle with magnificent ‘Rittersaal‘ (Knights‘ Hall), ‘Mirror cabinet‘ and Baroque court gardenTown walls, many parts of which are still in good condition (14th century), with ‘Blaue Kappe‘ and ‘Gänsturm‘ towersOld town hall (after 1567, 19th Century) and the Rosenbrunnen fountain(ca. 1770)Gothic Pilgrimage Church (15th-17th century) on a hill above the Village of Laudenbach. Exceptional interior works of art

Museums, exhibitionsWeikersheim Castle Museum:Courtly life in the 17th and 18th century, orangery and Alchemy Museum.Tauberland Village Museum in the ‘Kornbau‘ provides a fascinating insight into everyday life of the Tauber Franconian peasants, vintners and craftsmen.

‘Gänsturm‘ tower with small town museum and a panoramic view over the roofs of WeikersheimArt exhibitions in the Music Academy of Wei-kersheim Castle, in the Town Hall and in ‘Galerie Steinberger‘

ItineraryGuided tour of the town for individual guests on Thursdays at 2 p.m., from the beginning of July to the end of September.Guided tours of the Castle Museum. costume and guided tours for children, plus workshopsWine tasting Schumm vineyard or Hofäcker family in Queckbronn

For groups:Guided tours of the town in groups of up to 30 people: approx. 1-hour tour of the historic old town ‘Castle and Wine’– with a guided tour of the castle and cellars, snack

and wine-tasting – bookable from 25 - 50 people.

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Information:Tourist InformationMarktplatz 297990 WeikersheimPhone +49 (0) 7934 102-55Fax +49 (0) 7934 102-58info@weikersheim.dewww.weikersheim.de

▶ AD 837 Earliest known mention in a

deed of gift of Fulda Monastery (‘Wichartesheim’)

▶ Since 1156 Seat of the Hohenlohe family

▶ 1323 Town charter; construction of

the town walls

▶ 1414 Construction of the Gothic

Parish Church

▶ 1595-1603 Construction of the Renaissance tract on the old moated castle

▶ 1709-1724 Baroque extensions and

creation of the court garden with orangery

▶ 1967 Castle sold to the country of

Baden-Württemberg

Insider tips

Weikersheim Palace +49 (0) 7934 99295-0 www.schloss- weikersheim.de

ExcursionsExcursion along the River Tauber via Tauberretters-heim (stone bridge built by B. Neumann in 1733)to Röttingen, Creglingen (Riemenschneider altar),Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Bad Mergentheim.Walk to the Gothic Pilgrimage Church above Lau-denbach and hiking trails Day trips to Würzburg, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Heidelberg

The culinary arts, nature and countrysideThe ‘Tauberschwarz’ is an old red-wine grape that has been grown in the Weikersheim region since the 16th century. Characteristic of the landscape are the clearance cairns delimiting the individual plots. Naturally, our restaurateurs and hoteliers offer a plentiful choice of regional and other specialities to go with the wine.Enjoy the beauty of our gently rolling hills and the tranquil countryside of the enchanting River Tauber with its meadows, fields, forests, vineyards and clearance cairns on foot or by bicycle. Discover wild tulips, pasque flowers, a variety of orchids and meadow sage, not to mention a host of different birds and butterflies.

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Information:Tourist-InformationMarktplatz 197285 RöttingenPhone +49 (0) 9338 972855Fax +49 (0) 9338 972849touristinfo@roettingen.dewww.roettingen.de

Whitsun:Wine Festival

May to August:Röttingen Festival -open-air theatre forchildren, young peopleand adults against thehistorical backdrop ofBrattenstein Castle

Last weekend in August:District Fun Fair

September/October:Autumn Cultural Event [Kulturherbst]

1st to 2nd AdventWinter MagicFor up-to-the-minute details, seewww.romanticroad.de

▶ AD 1103 First mentioned as

‘Rutingen’

▶ 12th/13th century Construction of St. Kilian’s Parish Church and Bratten-stein Castle

▶ Since 1275 Town charter (‘civitas’)

▶ After 1336 Construction of the town fortifications

▶ 1613 Work begins on the hospital (Julius-Echter-Stift)

▶ 1750 Construction of the Town Hall

▶ 1953 First European town

Snuggling in gentle hills and vineyards, the town of Röttingen is situated in the lovely Tauber Valley, directly on the Romantic Road. Framed by historical city fortifications with their seven well preserved fortified towers Röttingen has a medieval town centre, beautiful half-timbered houses and the Baroque town hall. Especially impressive is the approx. two kilometre-long sundial path equipped with 25 unique examples of this type of chronometer. Every year since 1984, the courtyard of Brattenstein Castle has formed the backdrop for the noteworthy open-air theatre – the Röttingen Festival [‘Frankenfestspiele Röttingen’].

SightseeingMedieval town fortifications with seven well preserveddefensive towers.Historical Market Place with Baroque Town Hall andhalf-timbered houses.Romanesque / early Gothic Parish Church of St.Kilian with 13th century tombstones and HospitalChurch (17th century).Brattenstein Castle (13th century) - the idyllicsetting for the ‘Röttingen Festival‘.With its reconstructed colour scheme from the 16th century, the entrance hall to the wine museum (including the gallery) in Brattenstein Castle is something special in Lower Franconia.

Nature and LandscapeKneipp-cure vitality path, sundial trail,Röttinger Hängepartie (‘Röttinger Adjournment’), wine trail, wine museum, indoor playground,museum vineyard, Paracelsus garden Nordic walking, mountain biking and children’s mountain-bike route, inline skating and skate park,Adventure and fantasy playgrounds, ‘eibe’ fitness trail and if there is enough snow, cross-country ski-trails in the Bürgerwald, nearby recreation area in the Mühlbachgrund. ‘eibe’ fit Active Parcours

Culinary Delights The ‘Tauberschwarz’ is a wine for special occasions. This old country variety from the Tauber Valley – brought to maturity in wooden vats – has received a new lease of life in Röttingen

Local taverns: ’Zum Winzerhof‘ Bach wine-growing estate Udo Engelhardt vineyard, Hofmann vineyard

ExcursionsDay trips along the Romantic Road to Weikersheimand Bad Mergentheim, Creglingen and Rothenburgor to Würzburg.Cycling or walking in the Tauber Valley and in theside valleys of the Rippach and Gollach rivers.

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Information:Tourist-InformationBad Mergentheimer Straße 1497993 CreglingenPhone +49 (0) 7933 631Fax +49 (0) 7933 70130touristinformation-creglingen@t-online.dewww.creglingen.de

2nd Wednesday inFebruary:Traditional horsemarket withprocession

Easter Monday:‘Krämer‘ marketFor up-to-the-minute details, seewww.romanticroad.de

▶ About AD 500 Creglingen founded by the

Alemannic prince ‘Crago’

▶ 1349 Town and market charter;

construction of the town fortifications

▶ 1386 - 96 Construction of the Church of

Our Lord by the lords of Hohenlohe-Brauneck

▶ From 1448 Seat of officials of the

Margrave of Ansbach

▶ 16th/18th century Construction of the castle

This Alemannic settlement in the upper Tauber Valley still has a historical old town with a fine ensemble of buildings. Remains of town fortifications, the former castle and numerous half-timbered houses bear witness to the town‘s history. The altar to the Virgin Mary by Tilman Riemenschneider in the Church of Our Lord is a must for visitors. As is the charming countryside around the town.

SightseeingChurch of Our Lord with altar to the Virgin Mary(1505-10) by Tilman Riemenschneider, late Gothic High Altar (14th century), two Gothic side altars, Renaissance pulpit and memorial shields of the Hohenlohe family (14th century).Old town with a fine ensemble of half-timberedhouses, e.g., ‘Kirchenstaffel‘, ‘Schlosserbuck‘,‘Romschlössle‘.Remains of the town fortifications with three towers (‘Faulturm‘, ‘Schlosserturm‘, ‘Lindlein-turm‘).Frauental Cistercian Convent: convent church (13th century) with early Gothic lower church and museum ‘from the convent to the village‘.‘Münsterseen‘ leisure and relaxation park.Former moated castle (1544) in Waldmannsho-fen, today a fire-brigade museum.Finsterlohr fortifications and keep (about 100 BC), one of the biggest Celtic ring walls in Southern Germany.www.kelten-creglingen-finsterlohr.de

Museums, exhibitionsThimble Museum in the ‘Kohlesmühle‘Fire-brigade Museum in WaldmannshofenFrauental Convent Church.Flax-processing Museum in BurgstallLindleinturm MuseumJewish Museumwww.juedisches-museum-creglinen.de

ItineraryFor groups only:Approx. one hour tour of the townGuided tours of the Church of Our Lord, Thimble andFire Brigade Museums, Frauental Convent, Celticfortifications and flax-processing museum.Bread-making courses.

Speciality from Creglingen:Thimbles have a past both as work objects and as fine jewellery. Upper-class ladies were fond of sewing, but did not want to do this with working thimbles. Their thimbles were made of precious metals and were of elaborate workmanship.In the past, occasions such as accessions to the throne, jubilees or even engineering achievements like the maiden flight of the new Zeppelin, would be used to issue new decorative thimbles.

Today the upper class has been replaced by collec-tors all over the world. The thimble museum also houses a small manufac-tory for decorative thimbles which is keeping this tradition alive.www.fingerhutmuseum.de

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Easter to October:Historical shepherd‘sdance at various times

April:Rothenburg Spring Hiking Week

Whitsun:Historical festival play ‘The Master Draught‘

June to AugustToppler Theatre

August Tauber-Valley Open Air FestivalRothenburg Wine Festival

1st weekend inSeptember:Imperial City FestivalHistorical scenescovering sevencenturies, including the shepherd’s dance and the festival play ‘The Master Draught‘

October:Rothenburg Autumn Hiking Week

November:Rothenburg fairy-tale magic

December:‘Reiterlesmarkt‘,traditional ChristmasMarketFor up-to-the-minute details, seewww.romanticroad.de

The unforgettable skyline of the former Free Imperial Town high over the steeply sided Tau-ber Valley at the intersection of the Romantic Road and the Castle Road. With its complete medieval townscape, Rothenburg is an outstanding architectural jewel.

SightseeingCompletely preserved medieval town wall (14thcentury) with numerous towers and gates. The battlements can be traversed for a length of approx. 2.5 km.Large, historical Market Place with magnificent Town Hall, consisting of Gothic western part (1250-1400), with ‘Kaisersaal‘ hall and tower (48 m), and Renaissance part (1572-78), arcade extension (1681); ‘Ratstrinkstube‘ (Councillors‘ Tavern, 1446) with the Meistertrunk clock (1910); ‘Fleisch- und Tanzhaus‘ (13th/15th centuries) with half-timbered upper storey and ‘Jagstheimerhaus‘ (1488, today the ‘Marien‘ pharmacy); St. George‘s or Herterich fountain (1608).Gothic Parish Church of St. Jacob (1311-1472) with mighty towers (55 m) and high interior; High Altar (1466) with painted panels by Friedrich Herlin; Holy Blood Altar by Tilman Riemenschneider (1501 - 04) showing the Last Supper; Sacrament Niche and valuable windows in the east choir (14th century).‘Klingentor‘ gate with bastion (16th century) and St. Wolfgang‘s Church (1475-93), which is integra-ted into the town wall and has no tower.‘Burgtor‘ (about 1360, the oldest gate const-ruction) with garden (site of the former Imperial Castle) and Chapel of St. Blaise.Franciscan Church: early Gothic, originally built as a monastery church, (1285) with artistic gravestones and St. Francis Altar by Tilman Riemenschneider.‘Plönlein‘: picturesque medieval townscape where the road forks down to the ‘Kobolzeller Tor‘ gate (about 1360, with outer courtyard, ‘Kohlturm‘ tower and the ‘Devil‘s Pulpit‘); the scene is dominated by the ‘Siebersturm‘ tower (about 1385).

‘Spital‘ (hospital - founded about 1280) with Parish Church of the Holy Ghost (14th century); recon-struction of the present three-storey building (1574-78), ‘Pesthaus‘ (Plague House) and youth hostel. ‘Spital‘ bastion: mighty fortifications (beginning of the 17th century) with two outer courtyards and seven gates. Numerous interesting patrician and half-timbered houses in the Herrngasse and Schmiedgasse, e.g., ‘Baumeisterhaus‘ with Renaissance façade (1596), ‘Hegereiterhaus‘ (1591), Gerlach‘s Forge, ‘Juden-tanzhaus‘. Toppler Castle (1388) and Kobolzell Church (1472-1501) in the Tauber Valley.

Theatres, concertsHans-Sachs plays: historical theatre – throughout the year at various times - with farces by the Nurem-berg shoemaker poet (only in German).Toppler Theatre: open-air theatre in a historical setting (only in German)Church, organ and choir concerts in St. Jacob‘s Church.

Museums, exhibitionsImperial Town Museum in the former Dominican Convent (13th - 16th c.) with medieval convent kitchen (about 1300) and collection of Rothenburg art and culture, as well as 12 panels depicting the ‘Rothenburg Passion‘ (1494) and Wasse Gallery; exhibition of Jewish artefacts, Baumann collection (weapons).Medieval Crime Museum in the building of the for-mer estate of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (1395, rebuilt in 1718): Germany‘s most

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Information:Rothenburg Tourismus ServiceMarktplatz 291541 Rothenburg o. d. T.Phone +49 (0) 9861 404-800Fax +49 (0) 9861 404-529info@rothenburg.dewww.tourismus.rothenburg.de

▶ About AD 970 Construction of a

Frankish castle

▶ 1142 Conrad III builds an Imperial Castle

▶ 1144 First documentary mention of ‘Rodenburch’

▶ 1274 Town elevated to Free Imperial Town

▶ 1356 Earthquake finally destroys the remains of the castle

▶ About 1400 Economic heyday under Mayor Heinrich Toppler

▶ 1525 Rothenburg becomes caught up in the Peasants‘ War

▶ 1544 The town converts to Protestantism

▶ 1618-1648 The town is conquered several times during the Thirty Years‘ War

▶ 1631 According to the legend, Mayor Nusch saved the town from destruction by General Tilly by emptying a large jug of wine in one draught (the ‘Meistertrunk’)

▶ 1802 Rothenburg annexed to Bavaria

▶ Since 1850 Romantic painters and poets ‘discover’ the town

▶ 1900 First listing of buildings

(preservation orders) to encourage tourism

▶ 1945 40 percent of the town destroyed

▶ Until 1970 Reconstruction of the damaged parts of the town

Insider tips

Hotel Eisenhut +49 (0) 9861 7050 www.eisenhut.com Hotel-Gasthof Zur Sonne +49 (0) 9861 2166 www.sonne.rothenburg.de Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village +49 (0) 9861 4090

www.wohlfahrt.de

important jurisprudence museum with a historical collection of objects relating to medieval law.German Christmas Museum: history of the tradi-tional family festival covering 250 square metres. A host of exhibits - including Christmas decorations from different periods, a unique display of histori-cal nutcrackers and Christmas trees of the turn of the century - bring the joy of Christmas to life even in the summer.Historical vaults in the Town Hall with an exhibi-tion on the history of Rothenburg in the Thirty Years‘ War.Craftsman‘s house (1270) with rooms showing how a craftsman‘s family lived in the past.Art exhibition in the ‘Fleisch- und Tanzhaus‘ with works by artists of the Rothenburg Art Society.

Package arrangements‘The Living Middle Ages‘: from three nights‘ accom-modation, guided tour of the town, admission fees - dates on request.

ExcursionsVisit to Detwang, the oldest part of Rothenburg: former Imperial Village and Parish Church (founded about AD 960); Romanesque Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (built around 1170, the mother church of Rothenburg) with Crucifixion Altar by Tilman Riemenschneider (approx. 1510), silver relic cross and Gothic tabernacle.Tour of the Romantic Road, via Schillingsfürst (residence town with Baroque castle, falconry) to Dinkelsbühl (historical old town, well-preserved fortifications).Day trips to Würzburg, Nuremberg, Ansbach, Schwäbisch Hall or Bad Windsheim (Franconian Museum of Rural Life).

ItineraryApprox 1.5 hour English guided tour of the town Daily at 2 p.m. from April to October and during the Christmas Market. (German tour at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.).English tour with the Night Watchman Daily from April to December at 8 p.m. (German tour at 9.30 p.m.).English tour of St. Jacob’s Church Saturdays at 3.30 p.m. during the season. (German tour Sat. and Sun. at 11 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.)

For groups onlyGuided tours of the town for groups of up to 25 people: approx. 1.5 hour tour of the historical old town.Special tour: Town Fortifications, Night Watchman Tour.

Tours of all museums on request.

ReceptionHistorical reception in the Town Hall with the Cellar Master - for groups of up to 150 people.

Congresses, conferences‘Reichstadthalle‘, up to 500 people.

CountrysideLarge number of walking and cycling paths in the unspoilt countryside of the Tauber Valley. Rothenburg Mill Walk, path of St. James plus viniculture trail and geological nature trail.

Food and drinkWine tasting in the cellar, Franconian specialities, wine bars, Rothenburg ‘snowballs.‘

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Information:Info-CenterRothenburger Str. 291583 SchillingsfürstPhone +49 (0) 9868 222Fax +49 (0) 9868 253info@schillingsfuerst.dewww.schillingsfuerst.de

June/July:‘Schillingsfürst Summer Music Festival‘Liszt Master Concerts

September:Town fair

Advent:Christmas Market in the Royal PalaceFor up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ AD 1000 1st mention in a deed of gift from Otto III to the Würzburg bishopric

▶ Since 1313 Hohenlohe possession

▶ 1316/1525/1632 Destruction of the castles

▶ 1723–1750 Construction of the Baroque Castle

▶ 1894-1900 Prince Chlodwig von

Hohenlohe Chancellor of the German Empire and Minister

President of PrussiaPresident of Prussia

Officially recognised as a health resort, Schillingsfürst lies in the heart of the forested Frankenhöhe nature park, at the highest point (550 m above sea level) on the European watershed between the Rhine and the Danube. The town‘s major landmark, visible from far around, is the baroque castle of the Princes of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, who are related very closely through family ties with the houses of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg, Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Hohenlohe-Weikersheim.

SightseeingBaroque Castle of the princes of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst.Mausoleum and Cardinals‘ Garden.‘Brunnenhaus‘ (well house - 1702) with historical ox treadmill.Water tower (1902) in Wilhelminian style. The wall paintings inside the tower show the historical deve-lopment of Schillingsfürst‘s water supply.Ludwig-Doefler-Galerie.Romanesque Church with Gothic windows in Faulenberg.

PersonalitiesPrince Chlodwig von Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst(1819-1901)Minister President of Bavaria (1865-1869)German Ambassador in ParisGovernor of Alsace and LorraineMinister President of Prussia and Chancellor of theGerman Empire (1894-1900).Cardinal Prince Gustav-Adolf zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1823-1896).Ludwig Doefler, artist (1905-1992).

Museums, exhibitionsHohenlohe Castle Museum with magnificent rooms(‘Roter Salon‘, ‘Gobelinsalon‘; living styles of the18th/19th centuries).Falconry MuseumLiszt MuseumMuseum of the French Foreign Legion‘Brunnenhaus‘ with historical ‘Ox treadmill‘ (watersupply for the castle, early 18th century) and localmuseum with collection of peasant artefacts.Local museum, with collection of peasant artefacts

The Bavarian Falconry Centre at Castle Schillings-fürst offers its visitors an opportunity to view all species of European birds of prey in open-space aviaries, in tie-stalls, and in a unique breeding sanctuary. Eagles, falcons, kites and vultures can be admired in free flight or from nearby. From March to October: flight demonstrations, plus expert commentary by the falconer, every day at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Package arrangements‘Butterfly Week for Cyclists‘A week‘s cycling around the ‘Frankenhöhe‘ hillson the ‘Bicycle Butterfly‘. Four bicycle tours, eachapprox. 70 km long. Bookable in three categories.

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10 January 1950:Founding of the working group for “The Romantic Road between the River Main and the Alps” in Augsburg. The origins of Germany’s oldest holiday route date back to the year 1900, when “Germany’s Number One Tourist Route” linked the towns and villages between Würzburg and Füssen. After the turmoil of the Second World War, the German airline Lufthansa and the Germany Tourist Board used the Romantic Road as their calling card to promote a new and friendly Germany, particularly in North America and Canada. 4 May 1950:On the first trip for the press along the Romantic Road, journalists and travel writers are able to form an impression of “the good old days in Germany”.19 May 1950:Southern Germany’s most extensive long-distance bus route comes into service. The 377-kilometre-long route is operated daily in both directions with connections to Ettal, Oberammergau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Tickets cost 6 pfennigs per kilome-tre. When the service begins, the buses are first of all accompanied by English-speaking ‘interpreters’ and then later by tourist guides. The staff’s smart uniforms are identical to those at the German airline Lufthansa. 23 May 1951:Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) starts a fast train service on the Rothenburg – Feuchtwangen – Nördlingen – Augsburg – Munich route and back. At every station, it is possible to change onto a Romantic Road bus, so that all the places of interest can be visited. 15 September 1952:The first chairman and founding father of the Romantic Road, Dr Wegele, pays homage to the Ro-mantic Road buses to mark their 100,000 kilometres travelled along the holiday route. The first driver on the Romantic Road was Johann Marquardt from Augsburg.

A trip on a ‘nostalgia bus’ will give you a flavour of ‘the good old days’. The buses in service are a NEOPLAN 6/8 (built in 1958), a Mercedes VETTER O 321 (built in 1963), a MAGIRUS DEUTZ SH 10 (built in 1979) and a SETRA S 80 (built in 1974). www.oldtimer-bus-sonja.de

12 May 1955:Deutsche Touring GmbH incorporates the Romantic Road into Route 312, the ‘Vogelflug’ (‘As the Crow Flies’) Line from Copenhagen to Innsbruck. Thus the Romantic Road becomes integrated into the Euro-pean railway companies’ EUROPABUS route network. In 1962, the rail company’s red buses are replaced by the turquoise and beige Deutsche Touring buses. At the same time, Frankfurt am Main and Munich are included in the timetable. 1 April 1968:Charly Brown takes his first trip from Frankfurt to Munich. The bus driver who always travelled with his whistle, white gloves and top hat, became the trademark of international tourism. After 25 years of service, he had covered 2.5 million kilometres on ‘his’ route, the equivalent of 60 times round the earth. April 1982:The Japanese Romantic Road, modelled on its German counterpart, is officially launched, the first imitation outside Germany. In 2007, the partnership with the Rota Romantica in Brazil is sealed and the Romantic Road of Korea opens in 2009.1 April 1992:Köksal Balikci is appointed as the first international driver on the Romantic Road. Originally from Cap-padocia, the Europabus driver fell in love with the region and finally retired on 18 October 2014 after 22 years of service. 1 April 1994:As cycling becomes more and more popular in Germany, the trend finds a response here too and all buses are equipped with bicycle trailers. 1 August 2008:In preparation for its flotation on the stock ex-change, Deutsche Bahn sells the profitable Deut-sche Touring to a foreign consortium of bus compa-nies. The EUROPABUS now becomes the ROMANTIC ROAD COACH, which has been connecting the towns and villages along the Romantic Road since 1950.

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Piano festival

End of May/beginning of June:Old Town Festival at the Market Place, Franconia‘s ‘Festive Hall‘

Beginning of June to mid August:Cloister Festival - traditional (since 1949) open-air theatre in the former cloister courtyard. The name guarantees im-aginative, high-quality and committed productions

September:Mooswiesen Fair – the highlight of the year with thousands of visitors. The procession on the Sunday presents the history of Feuchtwangen with a variety of motifs

October to April:‘Kultur-Treff‘Theatre and variety shows at various locations

Beginning of November:Fish and game days with regional specialities from the region‘s lakes and preserves

Advent:Christmas Market at the romantic ‘Kirchplatz‘

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

The festival town on the River Sulzach can look back over a history of almost 1,200 years. Witnesses of this long tradition include the Market Place, which is also known as ‘Franco-nia‘s Festival Hall‘, the unique ensemble of churches and the Romanesque cloister that, everysummer, is transformed into the setting for the Cloister Festival. Modern Feuchtwangen is represented by the Bavarian Casino with its futuristic architecture.

SightseeingMarket Place (‘Franconia‘s Festival Hall‘) with Ba-roque fountain (1726), spacious patrician housesand historical half-timbered houses.Collegiate Church (13th / 14th century): replacedthe Romanesque monastery church with Gothicchoir, Altar to the Virgin Mary (1483) with altar wingpaintings by Michael Wolgemut and carvedchoir seats (about 1500).Romanesque cloister (12th century), the settingof the ‘Cloister Festival‘ in the summer.St. John‘s Church (about 1257) with Baroque altar(about 1680) and late Gothic tabernacle.Medieval townscape with remains of the old-townwall.‘Schranne‘ (grain store) with a collection of oldfire-fighting equipment.Feuchtwangen Casino: impressive with interna-tional flair, modern architecture and a wide range ofprofitable games of chance, such as Black Jack,roulette, etc. (see page 54).

Museums, exhibitions, galleriesFranconian Museum: one of Southern Germany‘smost important museums of folk art with displaysof artistically decorated household articles, glass,pewter, costumes and religious art, as well as anextraordinarily rich collection of faiences. Changing special exhibitions.Craftsmen‘s rooms in the west wing of the cloisterwith six complete workshops (confectioner, dyer,potter, pewterer, shoemaker and weaver).

Singer Museum: centre for documentation andresearch on German choirs with permanent exhibi-tion. Unparalleled in Germany.Feuchtwangen summer of art: within the frame-work of the ‘Cloister Plays‘.‘Kleine Galerie‘ - exhibition of south German ama-teur artists.

ItineraryGuided tours of the town:From Easter to September, Sundays and public holidays at 4 p.m.Craftsmen‘s rooms: from Easter to September, Sundays and public holidays at 3 p.m.Feuchtwangen Casino: experiencedcroupiers explain the rules of the classic games ofchance, roulette and Black Jack. Please call to book (from 3 p.m. on tel. +49 9852 9006-0). As far as pos-sible, visitors will be given an introduction without prior registration.

For groups only:Guided tours of the historical old town, durationapprox. 1 hour.Franconian Museum: a variety of themed tours ofone of Southern Germany‘s most interesting muse-ums of ethnic art, duration 1 - 1.5 hours.Singer Museum: guided tours of the permanentexhibition, duration approx. 45 min.Craftsmen‘s rooms: guided tours in groups of up to a maximum of 20 persons, duration approx. 45 min.Casino: introduction to roulette.

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Information:Tourist InformationMarktplatz 191555 FeuchtwangenPhone +49 (0) 9852 904-55Fax +49 (0) 9852 904-250touristinformation@feuchtwangen.dewww.feuchtwangen.de

▶ 8th century AD Benedictine monastery (‘Fiuchtinwanc’) and the court of a Frankish king

▶ 1197 Conversion of the monastery into a ‘Chorherrenstift’

▶ About 1200 Free Imperial Town

▶ 1376 Loss of Free Imperial status

▶ About 1400 Construction of the town wall with three gates and 14 towers

▶ 1563 Dissolution of the ‘Chorherren-stift’ during the Reformation

▶ 17th/18th century Official town of the margraviate of Brandenburg-Ansbach

▶ 1806 Feuchtwangen is incorporated into Bavaria

▶ 19th century Demolition of most of the town fortifications

▶ 1949 Cloister Festival held for the first time

▶ April 2000 Feuchtwangen Casino opened

Insider tips

Gaststätte-Pension Zum Grünen Wald +49 (0) 9855 97970 www.braeutigam- pension.de

Hotel Gasthof Lamm +49 (0) 9852 2500 www.gasthof-lamm- feu.de

Spielbank Feuchtwangen +49 (0) 9852 9006-0 www.spielbanken- bayern.de

Visit to the fields of emmer wheat: informative trip, all about this useful crop, followed by tasting (mid-June to end of July).

Package arrangementsFestival arrangement during the Cloister Plays

ExcursionsDiscover the surrounding area: to Zumhaus (St.Kilian‘s Chapel: Choir Tower Church, 1528), Mosbach(fortified church, 15th century) or to the Jewishcemeteries in Schopfloch or Bechhofen.Trip along the Romantic Road, via Schillingsfürst,to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and then along theTauber Valley. Or, to the south, via Dinkelsbühl andWallerstein to Nördlingen.Day trips to Würzburg, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Ulm or to the Franconian lakes.

Congresses, conferencesBavarian Building Academy (‘Bayerische Bauakade-mie‘), up to 400 people (rooms equipped with thelatest technical facilities).

Food and drinkFish and Game Days: the Feuchtwangen Fish and Game Days at the beginning of November are a cele-bration of these regional specialities. Their culinary highpoint is the InteRRegional Tour, a six-course gourmet session.Emmer gourmet summer: During the Cloister Plays Feuchtwangen restaurateurs prepare the most de-licious specialities of their cuisine, featuring every aspect of emmer.

Sagas, fairy tales and legends‘Mythical surroundings...‘ – Sagas and myths from the Feuchtwangen country. On a walking tour you can find out in an entertaining way about the ‘mythical surroundings‘ of the Feuchtwangen coun-try. Bookable for groups. Public guided tours are available for visitors at various times.

CountrysideSplendid countryside for bicycling and walking: six circular ramblers‘ paths, a number of regional ramblers‘ paths, and various cycling paths leading through Feuchtwangen.

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S May to September:Sunday concerts Mid-May to mid-August:Summer theatre Festival in the ‘Garten am Wehr-gang‘

Mid-July:‘Kinderzech‘ Festival Week: historical play about how the town was saved in the Thirty Years‘ War with fun fair at the ‘Schießwasen‘

Beginning ofSeptember:‘Life in an Old Town‘ Festival. Nostalgic spectacle with old crafts, peasants‘ mar-ket, itinerant enter-tainers and street-bal-lad singers

September to April:Landestheater Dinkels-bühl: winter season in the Theater im Spitalhof

End of October:‘Fish Harvest Week‘ with events revolving around native fish and delicious fish dishes

November/December:Romantic Christmas Market in the Spitalhof

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

The former Imperial Town of Dinkelsbühl with its unmistakable townscape lies in the idyllic valley of the River Wörnitz. The town wall, almost completely preserved, with its towers and gates surrounds one of the best preserved medieval towns in Germany. Where the old com-mercial streets meet in the town centre, even today the gothic Minster of St. George towers above the historic mix of houses.

SightseeingComplete medieval town wall with 16 towers, bas-tions and four gates, surrounded by old trees, ponds and orchards.Minster of St George: One of the finest late-gothic hall churches of South Germany, with a Romanesque tower gate (1220-30), built 1448 to 1499 to plans by Nikolaus Eseler. High altar (crucifixion scene, about 1490), probably from a Bamberg workshop. Gothic font, pulpit and ambry from the period of construc-tion, tracery on the south choir window, the ‘Pretzel Window‘, a gift by the bakers‘ guild.Historic Market places – Wine Market, Leather Market and Old Town Hall Square – with charming half-timbered houses and representative buildings: Gustav-Adolf House (former municipal tavern) Mar-ket Hall (both about 1600) today the Town Hall with festival rooms, ‘Deutsches Haus‘, ‘Hezelhof‘ and Old Town Hall (first mentioned as the ‘stainhaus‘ in a document of 1361).Hospital buildings, including the Church of the Holy Spirit (given a baroque redesign in 1760), rare Communion Altar, ceiling fresco by Johann Nieber-lein (1764). Landestheater Dinkelsbühl, vault and concert room. Baroque Castle of the Teutonic Order with attrac-tive Rococo chapel.Carmelite monastery, founded 1290, with atmos-pheric cloisters, today the Central Franconia School of Music.St. Paul‘s Church (1840-43) in style of German His-toricism in place of the Carmelite monastery church.Battlement Garden, with original battlement. The Landestheater Dinkelsbühl summer festival takes place here.

Museums, exhibitionsDinkelsbühl House of History – of war and peace, a charming complex of buildings from the 14th to 16th centuries. The museum puts you on the trail of the more than 800 year history of the Imperial Town. Presented in a modern way as a museum of learning and excitingly arranged, it brings the ‘fascination of Dinkelsbühl‘ to life. Exhibition with documentation of the witch-hunts, in the vaulted cellars of the museum, pro-vides information on what happened in this former imperial city and clears up some of the prejudices. Open 365 days a year.Museum of the Third Dimension in the former Town Mill features optical illusions, holographs, light shows and lasers, anaglyphs etc.‘Kinderzeche‘ Armoury in a former corn storehouse is home to an accessible collection of equipment, costume and weapons from the historical festival play ‘Die Kinderzeche.‘

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Information:Touristik Service DinkelsbühlAltrathausplatz 1491550 DinkelsbühlPhone +49 (0) 9851 902440Fax +49 (0) 9851 902419touristik.service@ dinkelsbuehl.dewww.tourismus-dinkelsbuehl.de

▶ 9th century AD Fortifications and court of a Frankish king erected to protect two important imperial roads at a ford across the River Wörnitz

▶ 1188 First mention as ‘burgus Tinkelspuhel’ in a deed of gift by Emperor Barbarossa

▶ 1380-1440 Construction of the town wall with ramparts and moats as can still be seen today

▶ 1448-1499 Construction of the late Gothic Minster of St. George

▶ 1632 Siege and conquest of the town by Swedish troops during the 30 Years‘ War

▶ 1806 End of Imperial immediacy and incorporation into Bavaria

▶ 1888 Artists from Berlin and Munich discover the medieval town as a source of inspiration

▶ 1945 Dinkelsbühl survives the two world wars without damage and is nowadays considered to have ‘one of the best preserved late medieval townscapes in Germany’

Insider tip

Flair Hotel Weißes Ross*** +49 (0) 9851 579890 www.hotel-weissesross.de

Package arrangementsSpecial arrangements for individual and group travel at all times of the year, on request.

ItineraryFor individual travellers (in German only)Guided tour of the town starting at St. George‘s Minster; all year, daily at 2.30 p.m.Guided tour though the Dinkelsbühl House of History every Saturday at 11.00 a.m. and every Sunday at 2.30 p.m. Night-watchman‘s patrol, May to October at 9 p.m. (daily), November to April: 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.Horse-drawn carriage trips through the historicalold town, from April to October.

For groups only:Walking tour of the town (one or two hours) covering the most important sights in the Old Town (also possible in English, French, Italian and Spanish), two-hour guided tour also in combination with visit to Dinkelsbühl House of History.

Guided tour of the town and evening tour with historical greeting by the solo trumpeter of the Dinkelsbühl Boys‘ Band, pedlar woman and – only in the evening – night watchman.Welcome at the town gate by the pedlar woman(the gate is closed and guarded by soldiers).

Guided tours through the Dinkelsbühl House of History or the ‘Kinderzeche‘ Armoury.Tailor-made arrangements for associations, clubs, large and small groups on request. Welcome to the Christmas MarketVisitors will be welcomed by a trumpeter from the Boys‘ Band and the woman pedlar, and will be given a welcoming glass of mulled wine.

Food and drinkWhere carp and lambs have their homePools for rearing fish were once upon a time the formative element in this idyllic landscape of fields and rivers. Dinkelsbühl carp decked the tables of both of the poorer members of the community and the wealthy patricians Today, along with carp, perch and sheatfish, pike and tench are reared in the wa-ters. On the grasslands and juniper meadows of the Hesselberg graze sheep, known for the particularly tender and well-tasting meat of their lambs. Fish and lamb, in ever new imaginative recipes, invite you discover a wonderful cuisine.

The countrysideThe meandering Wörnitz and its water meadows provide a refuge and a home for many rare plant and animal species. Directly in front of the old walls, in the former grounds of the State Horticultural Show, is the Noah‘s Ark Garden of the Senses. Here you can see, hear, smell and taste the natural world in the town. No wonder that the white stork has begun living here again. The breeding pairs in the Old Town and the entire region are a particular attraction dur-ing the summer months. Last but not least because the family life of the storks on the Old Town Hall can be seen close up by webcam (www.storch.24) on the screen at the Tourist Information Centre.

Sagas and legendsWhere today a large wooden cross stands near to St. George‘s church there once lay the Dinkelsbühl Ceme-tery with the chapel of St. Vitus. According to legend, twelve life-size statues of the apostles stood there. They were of solid silver, and also most beautifully designed. When the Thirty years War came, with all its horrors, the vicar buried his silver apostles in a secret place. Not long afterwards, however, his last hour came, and so he took his secret to the grave. If today you cross the churchyard at certain times, however, you can see a woman in white, who waves to you mysteriously. If you follow her, a small man in grey appears, who gestures to you to go away. Then the woman disappears again, looking sad. It is the cook and her suspicious vicar, who will not leave the treasure in peace. But, who knows, perhaps one day visitors will come at the right time and the two of them will reveal their secret....!

A strange featurePretzel bakers‘ traceryExactly opposite the Old Town Hall you will find something unusual in St. George‘s Minster. Instead of the usual geometric figures, six stone pretzels adorn one of the high and narrow church windows. The wealthy guilds of the town, conscious of their own power, wanted in this way to demonstrate to the patricians in the ‘Stone House‘ who in Dinkelsbühl had the final say.

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Information:Markt WallersteinWeinstraße 1986757 WallersteinPhone +49 (0) 9081 2760-0Fax +49 (0) 9081 2760-20info@markt-wallerstein.dewww.markt-wallerstein.de

September:Autumn Market

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ AD 1188 Wallerstein Castle

▶ 1238/1274 1st documentary mention of the town (then called ‘Stein-heim’) and the Parish Church of St. Alban

▶ 1261 Counts of Oettingen take pos-session of the castle and town

▶ 1612-1613 Reconstruction of the Parish

Church of St. Alban

▶ 1648 Castle destroyed

▶ 16th to 19th centuries Systematic development of the market into a rural residence

▶ 1722-1725 Holy Trinity monument erected

Insider tips Fürst Wallerstein Offices +49(0)9081 805 26-0 www.fuerst-wallerstein.de

Fürst Wallerstein Brewery +49(0)9081 7075

www.fuerst-wallerstein.de

Hallmarked by its long history as the family seat of the princes of Oettingen-Wallerstein, the market town of Wallerstein lies in the heart of the Ries district. The town centre is domi-nated by the famous Plague or Holy Trinity monument and the Parish Church of St. Alban.

SightseeingPlague or Holy Trinity monument (1722-25), basedon the plague monument in Vienna by Joh. G. Bschorer, and Parish Church of St. Alban (1612-13) with double nave hall.‘Maria-Hilf‘ Chapel (1625) on the Kapellenberg.‘Wallersteiner Felsen‘: approx. 65 m high rockoffering a wonderful all-round view over the Riesdistrict. It is the starting point for excursions in the Crater Geological Park.William Berczy (1744-1813) monument in the ‘Mittelstrasse‘.Royal Wallerstein: Palace (1805), Chapel of St. Anna(1489), Royal Riding School (1741-51) and palacegarden, Moritz Castle (1803-04) and orangery.

ItineraryGuided tours of the historical market and royal town of Wallerstein (approx. 60 to 90 minutes).Guided tour of the Fürst Wallerstein Brewery, tour of the brewery followed by beer tasting in the ‘Panorama‘ tower, great for group excursions, clubs and societies.

ExcursionsDay trips to the former Free Imperial Towns of Nörd-lingen and Dinkelsbühl.Visit to the neighbouring residence town of Oettin-gen with castle and castle garden, half-timbered and Baroque houses.Tour via Kerkingen, Baldern Castle and the formerImperial Town of Bopfingen, to Neresheim (Monas-tery Church of the Holy Cross, built 1750-64 byBalthasar Neumann) and via Christgarten andHohenaltheim to Mönchsdeggingen (MonasteryChurch of St. Martin).

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W A L L E R S T E I N B I C Y C L E T O U R S

Official Cycle Guide to the Romantic Road(German or English)

With detailed 1:75,000 maps and route descriptions from north tosouth and from south to north.

To order, go to: www.romanticroad.de

500 kilometres of à la carte cycling delights.No matter whether you start in the shadow of the prince-bishops‘ palace in Würzburg in the north or at the foot of the world-famous royal castles in Füssen in the south, you will cover more ground than the almost 460 km taken by most cars. The cycle trail along Germany‘s foremost themed road is exactly 500 km long and the additional kilometres more than com-pensate you for the extra effort by giving even more pleasure...

There are more than 66 million bicycles in Germa-ny. All kinds of cycling are ‘in‘. The Romantic Road serves à la carte cycling delights in an attractive and varied setting. Unadulterated pleasure is to be found here by all who pedal the quiet roads and tracks between the River Main and the Alps, most of which are easy going with no steep hills to climb or descend as they wind their way through vineyards, the romantic valleys of the rivers Tauber, Wörnitz and Lech and the legendary Ries district against the backdrop of the mighty Alps.Well away from exhaust emissions, haste and stress, you can discover the important, world-famous highlights of this route of culture and cuisine, such as the Church in the Meadow, not to mention the innumerable natural monuments and - frequently hidden - gems in historical imperial towns and colourful villages of half-timbered houses, pictur-esque hamlets and tiny corners that only pleasure cyclists are likely to find: Madonnas, chapels, churches, monasteries, aristocratic and patrician houses.You can easily find your way around the network of routes using the detailed descriptions contained in the “Bicycle Tour Guide to the Romantic Road from the River Main to the Alps”. Or join one of the many tours and cycling arrangements with luggage transport, which are organized by the individual towns, regions and tour operators. Naturally, you do not have to cover the entire route under your own steam, although that is an unforgettable experience not only for the body and soul but also for your taste buds: the local wines and beers are ideal for quenching that well-earned thirst while regional specialties from Franconia, Baden, Swabia

or Bavaria will set you up for the next stage of your journey. You can start and end at any point on the route or, if time is getting short, board Deutsche Touring‘s Romantic Road ‘Romantic Road Bus‘, which runs daily from the beginning of April to the end of October, together with your bike and baggage and get to the day‘s destination and accommodation on time.Cycling on the Romantic Road is still possible even if you stay the whole time in one of the 29 member towns between Würzburg‘s Mozart Festival and Füssen‘s Festival Theatre. Tours from a fixed base are another trademark, e.g., gourmet tours on the ‘figure of eight‘ in Lauda-Königshofen, the poet Mörike and bock beer during the cycle marathon in Bad Mergentheim, a sporty or family ride through the picturesque Tauber Valley from Weikersheim, via Röttingen and Creglingen, to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, biking weeks in Schillingsfürst, festival and culinary excursions in Feuchtwangen and Dinkels-bühl, beer and bike in Wallerstein, tours of the Ries district or North Swabia from Nördlingen, via Harburg and Donauwörth, to Augsburg and to Mo-zart, ‘Sissi‘ and Ganghofer. Alongside the River Lech from Friedberg and Landsberg, you can roll through the Pfaffenwinkel, a delightful corner of Germany that, with its Baroque and Rococo monuments in towns such as Hohenfurch, Schongau, Peiting, Rottenbuch, Wildsteig and Steingaden, gives a new meaning to the words ‘joie de vivre‘. And, for a regal conclusion to your holiday, what could be better than Halblech, Schwangau and Füssen in the Königswinkel district? Naturally, this could also be your starting point. The choice is yours!

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N May: ‘Stabenfest’: school children‘s spring festival with colourful procession, a tradition dating back to 1406

June to August: Summer festival at the ‘Alte Bastei’ open-air theatre

June: ‘Nördlinger Mess’ – North Swabia‘s biggest public festival with colourful procession

July: ‘Scharlachrennen’ – one of Europe’s oldest horseriding tournaments (since 1438)

September: Historical ‘town-wall festival’ – Every three years Nördlingen goes back to the Middle Ages: processions, historical camp life, medieval music and dancing, and much more.

1st Advent weekend to 23rd December: Romantic Christmas Market set against a historical backdrop in the old town.

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Nördlingen is surrounded by Germany‘s only completely preserved town wall on which you can walk right round. If you climb up the clock tower of St. George‘s church, fondly called in local speech the „Daniel“, you will have a wonderful all-round view of the crater, formed some 15 million years ago by the impact of a meteorite. Still unique today is the tower keeper on the „Daniel“, whose watchman‘s reverberates across the roofs of Nördlingen all year round in the evening hours, „ So G sell so!“

SightseeingWell preserved town walls / battlements with fivegates, eleven towers and one bastion which can betraversed over a length of 2.7 kilometres.Late Gothic Hall Church of St. George with ‘Daniel‘,a 90 m high bell tower with viewing platform: Baroque-style High Altar (1683) with late Gothic carved figures (about 1462) and panel paintings by Herlin (now in the Town Museum); late Gothic font (1492), pulpit (1499, abat-voix 1681) and taber-nacle (1511-25); valuable late Renaissance organ; numerous tombstones and memorial shields.Historical market place with imposing half-timbered and patrician houses: Town Hall (13thcentury) with bay and tower extensions (about 1500) and Renaissance outside staircase (1618); ‘Brot-und Tanzhaus‘ and ‘Hohes Haus‘ (both 1442); ‘Leihhaus‘ (pawnbroker‘s shop).Impressive commercial buildings: ‘Hallgebäude‘(1541-43), ‘Alte Schranne‘ (1601/02), ‘Klösterle‘(about 1420) with attractive portal (1586); formermonastery of unshod monks, a grain store after theReformation, now the civic hall for events.Hospital with church and inside courtyard (early13th century): large complex of buildings with townmuseum.Gothic Church of St. Salvator (1442): former Carmelite Monastery Church (highly modified in 1829) with interesting west portal and High Altar (1518; Veit Stoss workshop).Semi-circular bastion ‘Alte Bastei‘ (1554), todayan open-air theatre.

Museums, exhibitions, galleriesThe Ries Crater Museum shows how the Ries land-scape was formed.In the Town Museum you will gain an insight into the turbulent history of Nördlingen. The Town Wall Museum in the ‘Löpsinger Torturm‘ tower shows the history of the Nördlingen fortifica-tions.The Bavarian Railway Museum is one of the great open-air museums devoted to the history of techno-logy, featuring more than a hundred original engines and coaches. At the ‘augenblick ‘ Museum you will find sound and vision attractions from the past 100 years.

Package arrangements‘Romantic weekend in Nördlingen’ –We shall be glad to advise you!

ItineraryFor individual travellersGuided tour of the town daily at 2 p.m. from Easterto 1 November (approx. 1 hour).Romantic evening tour daily at 8.30 p.m. from mid-May to mid-September.Guided tour of the town on Advent, at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.All tours begin at the Tourist Information and last about an hour. Groups of 10 or more are requested to book in advance.

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Information:Tourist-InformationMarktplatz 286720 Nördlingen im RiesPhone +49 (0) 9081 84116Fax +49 (0) 9081 84113tourist-information @noerdlingen.dewww.noerdlingen.de

▶ 1st - 3rd century AD Roman castle and civilian settle-ment on the site of today‘s town

▶ 898 ‘Nordilinga’ mentioned as the court of a Carolingian king

▶ 1215 Emperor Frederick II purchases the town from Regensburg: Nörd-lingen becomes a Free Imperial Town

▶ 1219 First mention of the 10-day Whitsun Fair, which was the most important supraregional trade fair in Southern Germany during the Middle Ages

▶ 14th/16th/17th century Construction, extension and reinforcement of the town fortifications

▶ 1427-1505 Construction of St. George‘s

Cathedral with its 90 m bell tower known as ‘Daniel’

▶ 1522/1555 Involvement in the Reformation

▶ 1634 Battle of Nördlingen, at the Albuch; town conquered;

population decimated▶ 1802/1803

Loss of independence and integration into Bavaria; economic decline▶ 1972-2000

Incorporation of 10 neighbouring villages; current population - approx. 20,000

Insider tips JUFA Gästehaus Nördlingen +49 (0) 9081 2750575 www.jufa.at/

noerdlingen.php

Bayerisches Eisenbahnmuseum +49 (0) 9083 340 www.bayerisches- eisenbahnmuseum.de

For groups (max. 25):Guided and thematic tours: the persecution ofwitches, towns in the Middle Ages, tour of the townwalls, tanners‘ quarter (guided tours can also bearranged in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Russian).Tours of the Ries Crater Museum, the Town WallMuseum, the Town Museum and the Museum‘augenblick‘.Church tours of St. George‘s and St. Salvator‘sVisit to a brewery with beer tasting.Visit to a schnapps distillery.Mill visit with bread tasting

ExcursionsSide trip to Holheim (mid-Stone Age caves), Christ-garten (the smallest village in Bavaria, remains of a monastery church) and Mönchsdeggingen (Benedic-tine abbey, Baroque church with horizontal organ, 1693).Excursion to Wemding, town of fuchsias, or the famous ducal seat of Oettingen. Walks on the ‘Schäferweg‘ or ‘Schwedenweg‘, straight across the meteorite crater or round the geotope adventure trail in the Ries Geopark.Trip along the Romantic Road to Harburg Castle, the former Free and Imperial Town of Donauwörth and the Fugger city of Augsburg.

Countryside, food and drinkThe Crater Geological Park, whose history began 15 million years ago, is one of the most interesting regions in Germany. The geological formations (sue-vite and coloured breccia) to which it gave rise have made the crater a mecca for geologists and geologi-cal tourists.When it comes to food and drink, the Crater Geo-logical Park features traditional dishes and fresh, regional products. We want our visitors to taste what they are eating and drinking. A typical gourmet dish at the Crater is ‘Rieser Küchle‘, dough cooked in deep fat, coated with powdered sugar. It is the traditional dessert at a wedding celebration.

Sagas, fairy tales and legendsIt is said that in 1440 a woman wanted to fetch a can of beer for her husband. At the Löpsinger Gate she sow how a runaway pig was rubbing its back against a wing of the gate. This led the woman to discover that the gate was not firmly closed. Her shocked cry, ’So, G sell, so!’ was meant for the faithless watchmen, who confessed they had been bribed by the Count of Oettingen, so that he could lead a party of armed men into the town and take it over. Even today individually designed pigs remind us of the legend of 1440.

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Information:Amt für Tourismus HarburgSchloßstraße 186655 HarburgPhone +49 (0) 9080 9699-24Fax +49 (0) 9080 9699-39poststelle@stadt-harburg-schwaben.dewww.stadt-harburg- schwaben.de

May: ‘Art in the park’

June: ‘Bockfest’ Festival

August: Bridge Festival

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ 1150 AD First documentary mention of ‘Harburg’, owned by the Hohenstaufen family

▶ 1299 Castle and market mortgaged to the Counts of Oettin-gen-Oettingen

▶ 1539 Introduction of the Refor-mation

▶ 1612 Construction of the Evangeli-cal Parish Church of St. Barbara

▶ 1731 Harburg passes to the counts of Oettingen-Wallerstein

▶ 1800 Castle besieged by French troops: ‘Bockfest’ as festival of thanksgiving (destruction of the castle) was prevented; still held today

▶ 1849 Town charter and railway connection

▶ 1971-1978 Incorporation of 10 neighbour-ing villages

▶ 1985 First Bridge Festival on the stone bridge

Insider tip Fürstliche Waldschänke

Eisbrunn +49 (0) 9080 9239100 www.eisbrunn.de

The little town of Harburg lies in the valley of the River Wörnitz between the hills of the Swa-bian and Franconian Jura. The old part of town between the Wörnitz and the castle is a maze of small, crooked lanes lined by half-timbered houses and Baroque gabled houses. Towering above the village is the mighty Harburg, one of the best preserved castles in Germany, today owned by a foundation of the Counts of Oettingen-Wallerstein.

SightseeingHarburg Castle (12th - 19th centuries): large castle complex; walls with battlements and six towers, bailey and gates; main castle with keep (12th - 13th centuries), ‘Kastenhaus‘ (1594) with stables and ar-moury, ‘Saalbau‘ with banqueting hall (stuccowork in 1719), ‘Fürstenbau‘ and St. Michael‘s Chapel (stuc-cowork in 1719).Half-timbered Town Hall (15th century) and vicara-ge; former synagogue (1754) and Protestant parish church of St. Barbara (1612) with round helm roof.Stone bridge (18th century) with nine arches and bridge mill with spiral gable and outside staircase.Bock (570 m): highest hill in this part of the Swabian

Jura with a good view over the Ries crater.

ExcursionsVisit to the Gothic church (1352-87) of the former Cistercian monastery in Kaisheim (1716-21) with splendid Baroque ’Kaisersaal‘ hall, on to Leitheim Castle (1685-90), the summer residence of the Kaisheim abbots, today owned by the Tucher family, with a small museum (porcelain, stoneware, etc.); chamber music concerts in the Rococo banqueting hall in the summer.Hike over Bock hill (570 m) and to Eisbrunn forest inn.Excursions to the surrounding districts belonging to Harburg and to the neighbouring towns of Nörd-lingen and Donauwörth.

CountrysideHeath country around the ’Bock‘ and the ’Rollen-berg‘ in Heroldingen. Charming landscape with many walking paths.

Food and drinkSwabian home cooking; numerous cafés; knight‘s dinner from medieval recipes.

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H A R B U R G Romantic Road I N T E R N A T I O N A L

First came the Japanese Romantic Road in 1982, then, in 2007, the partnership with the Rota Roman-tica in Brazil was signed and sealed and in July 2009 the Romantic Road of Korea was formerly opened. In Vietnam, too, the World Heritage Road was created, following the successful German pattern exactly.

All tourist trails take you through truly romantic regions and landscapes, full of enchanting atmos-phere where the breath of history infuses the indivi-dual towns and villages. There are regular exchanges between the ‘World‘s Romantic Roads‘ and a great deal of importance is attached to maintaining “the bonds of friendship, to the advantage and benefit of visiting guests”. One of the keys to the success of the Romantic Roads is the ubiquitous welcome and hospitality that is experienced all along the route and on the scheduled trips to the various regions, not only by visitors to Germany, but by those, too, in Japan, Brazil and South Korea.

The roots of Germany‘s oldest holiday route go back to the year 1900. At that time, the ‘German Travel Route Number One‘ linked the River Main with the Alps. In January 1950, the Romantic Road was formally created and through the German National Tourist Board and the German airline Lufthansa became the tourist symbol for the newly established Federal Republic of Germany, especially in North America. The route, which lay in the American occu-pied zone, soon found many imitators inside and outside Germany and though this prototype for all other tourist trails has often been copied, it has never been surpassed.

More detailed information can be obtained at: www.romanticroad.de/ international

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TS May: Traditional May market and opening of the tourist season

June/July:‘Mangoldfelsen’ open-air theatre, Donauwörth ‘Fischerstechen’, tradition-al fishing and boating competition on the Wörnitz (every two years, next in 2018)

July: ‘Schwäbischwerder Kindertag’Weekend: traditional children’s festival with historical procession Festival play in the Heilig-Kreuz-Garten (next event 2018) Imperial street festival (every 2 years: next event 2017)

October:Donauwörth Culture DaysMany other events

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

The former Free Imperial Town of Donauwörth lies at the confluence of the Wörnitz with the Danube and developed from a fishing settlement on ‘Ried‘ island in the Wörnitz. Forming a magnificent axis between the Town Hall and the Fuggerhaus in the old town is the Reichstras-se, one of Southern Germany‘s most attractive streets lined with imposing patrician houses.

SightseeingReichsstrasse: heart of the town with Town Hall(1236, modified in 1853), ‘Stadtzoll‘ (1418), ‘Tanz-haus‘ (about 1400, rebuilt 1973 - 75), ‘Fuggerhaus‘(1537, present-day County Council Office).Minster ‘Zu Unserer Lieben Frau‘: Gothic brick hallchurch with three naves (1444-67); late Gothicfrescos; tabernacle (1503), ‘Regelsches Epitaph‘(1515), bell-tower with ‘Pummerin‘ (1512), thebiggest tower bell in Swabia weighing approx. 6.5tonnes.Bürgerspital (hospital) with church (17th century)and classicist ‘Deutschordenshaus‘ (Teutonic OrderHouse, 1774-78) with late Baroque banqueting room (‘Enderle-Saal‘).Former Benedictine monastery (1034) with HolyCross Monastery Church (1717-20, supervised byJoseph Schmuzer): classic example of the late Ba-roque ‘Wessobrunn‘ school; crypt chapel (end ofthe 17th century) with double altar and relic of the

Cross from the Byzantine Imperial Treasure (11thcentury); numerous historical treasures inside thechurch.Remains of the medieval town fortifications onthe Wörnitz with ‘Rieder‘, ‘Färber‘ and ‘Ochsen‘gates and ‘Invalidenkaserne‘ (barracks).Fountains: ‘Marienbrunnen‘ (1854), ‘Reichsstadt-brunnen‘(1977) and ‘Zaubergeigenbrunnen‘ (1991).‘Mangoldfelsen‘: the site of Mangoldstein Castleuntil 1301.‘Kalvarienberg‘ (church, 1720) and Schellenberg(barrows from the Early Iron Age; Celtic settle-ment).

Museums, exhibitions, galleriesLocal Museum in the ‘Hintermeierhaus‘ (formerfisherman‘s house, 15th century): attractive newpresentation on commercial fishing and metalwork-ing, clothing habits and furnishing in the 19thcentury.Town History Museum in ‘Rieder Tor‘ tower: documents, sculptures, weapons and coins from the former Free Imperial Town.Käthe Kruse Dolls Museum: over 150 dolls and mannequins by the famous doll maker, Käthe Kruse, with interesting special exhibitions,Werner Egk Encounter Centre in the former Capu-chin Monastery: documents on the life and work ofthe composer and honorary citizen of Donauwörth,Werner Egk.Town art gallery in the Teutonic Order House.

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Information:Städt. Tourist-InformationRathausgasse 186609 DonauwörthPhone +49 (0) 906 789151Fax +49 (0) 906 789159tourist-info@donauwoerth.de

www.donauwoerth.de

▶ 10th century AD Fishing settlement on an island

in the Wörnitz (‘Werd’, ‘Wörth’)

▶ About 977 Construction of the first bridge

over the Danube; growing strate-gic significance on the trade

route that ran from Norway, via Augsburg and Nuremberg, to Italy

▶ 1030 Market, currency and customs

charters; rapid economic growth

▶ 1081-1218 Construction of the fortifica-tions; initially belonged to the Hohenstaufens then to the Wittelsbach family

▶ 1193 Town charter; biggest port on the Danube in Swabia and impor-tant transhipment point for salt

▶ 1301-1607 Free Imperial Town of ‘Schwäbi-schwörth’

▶ 1465 Great Freedom Charter; commer-cial centre, Reichstrasse built

▶ 1607 End of the glorious period as a

Free Imperial Town

▶ 1714 ‘Peace of Rastatt’: Donauwörth

annexed to Bavaria

▶ April 1945 Target of heavy bombing raids;

75 percent of the town dest-royed. Today, the town has been rebuilt and expanded; old town preserved

▶ 1998 Major district town

(‘Grosse Kreisstadt’)

ItineraryFor groups (up to 25 people):Guided tours of the historical old town.Guided tours of the museums and of the Minsterand the Holy Cross Monastery and Pilgrimage Church, etc.

ExcursionsDonauwörth is the ideal starting point for:Excursions to the Ries District (12 km), to the Kessel Valley (10 km), to the Lech (9 km), to Mon-heim Alb (6 km) or Altmühl Valley (17 km).Day trips to Augsburg, Ulm, Nuremberg, Regens-burg or Legoland in Günzburg, etc.Family tip: ‘Legoland Weekend‘ and ‘Holiday Week‘in Donauwörth, details on request

Leisure tipsFishing in the largest network of flowing waters in Germany Cycling around Donauwörth in five characteristicand different landscapes (Ries, Kessel Valley, Alt-mühl Valley, Augsburg Nature Park, etc.).Hiking on over 100 km of signposted hiking trails.Golf on almost 100 ha at ‘Gut Lederstatt‘ Golf Park(18-hole course).Boat tours.

Indoor playgroundIndoor climbing hall

NatureFive characteristically different landscapes stretch out around Donauwörth: the meteor crater of the Ries, the gentle hills of Schwäbisch Alb, the steep slopes of the Franconian Jura, the river landscapes of the Danube and Wörnitz and the Lech plain, which forms part of the Western Forest of the Augs-burg Natural Park.

Food & GastronomyCulinary delights and specialities based on the three traditional pillars of Swabian, Franconian and Old Bavarian cuisine combined with the original cooking of the Danube and Ries regions, with regional produce and the ‘Geopark kulinarisch‘ - an association of caterers and producers committed to natural and organic food.

Tales and Legends Donauwörth is the home of legendary tales such as that of ‘Wichtel vom Wichtelsberg‘ the ‘Maikaefer‘ and the ‘Donauwörther Mondspritzer‘

The Donauwörther Mond-Spritzer (the ‘Moon-sprinklers‘ of Donauwörth)...or how sweets remind us of the town‘s history. In former days, every child in the town knew the story of the ‘Donauwörther Mond-Spritzer‘. There was a time when nick names were the ‘in‘ thing. The football team of the Donauwörth local administra-tion and other dignitaries took this name more than 30 years ago and have since then played regularly in matches for charitable causes. Every town has a nick-name like this – always one that has to do with some humorous or painful episode from its history. The people of Donauwörth are called the ‘Mond-Spritzer‘ (moon-sprinklers). Anyone who doesn‘t know the story will find out about it at the end of each historical tour of the town. And, indeed, participants will be given a round, deep red ‘Mond-Spritzer‘ sweet, which they always eat with a wry smile on their faces as they remember the bizarre episode from the town‘s history.

The storyThe inhabitants of Donauwörth were once rudely awakened from their well-earned slumbers in the middle of the night by the strident tones of the fire bell. ‘Fire on the Schellenberg‘ shouted the lookout on the tower of the town‘s parish church. The firemen rushed to the fire-station and, in no time at all, the fire engines were rolling over the uneven cobbles up to the Schellenberg. The horses strained in the shafts seemingly understanding the need for the greatest urgency. In the east, the night was filled with a burning glow. But what astonishment there was amongst the helpers - who by this time were soaking with sweat from their efforts - when they got there and realised that everything was completely quiet. Only then did the good folk real-ise their unfortunate mistake. The fire was on the other side, in the neighbouring village of Zir-gesheim! So they turned round and set off in the other direction. Alas, they were not needed to quench the fires there either, but the answer to the puzzle had become clear: the full moon had risen above the peaks of the night-filled Jura and had bathed the entire Schellenberg in a deep red glow, so that it appeared to be in flames. Deflated, the fire-brigade returned to the town and, instead, quenched their inner fires with a long, cool drink. Since this event of earlier times, the people of Donauwörth are affectionately, and with a twinkle of the eye, known as ‘Mond-Spritzer‘ – the Moon-sprinklers!

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Four markets every year, with a tradition that goes back to the 14th century

May Market: last Sunday in April

St. James’ Market: last Sunday in July

Autumn Market: second Sunday in September

St. Martin’s Market: second Sunday in November

Annually on 2nd weekend in July: Town festival whose fame stretches well beyond the confines of the town.

December:Every year during the 3rd weekend of Advent: Christmas market at the castleFor up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

This town on the Lech was established more than 750 years ago as the north western bastion of Old Bavaria. Evidence of the former stronghold, such as the remains of the old town wall and the ‘Leutnantschanze‘ can still be seen. Particular attractions are the main street with its unique ensemble of patrician houses from the 17th and 18th centuries and the Tilly Me-morial. The majestic construction of the rococo town hall is especially eye-catching.

Local sightsHistoric old town centre: the main street is a unique ensemble of 17th and 18th century patrician housing; the Tilly Memorial can be found on the town-hall squareRococo Town Hall: majestic construction, now made famous by the television series ‘Der Kaiser von Schexing‘Nature on the ramparts: the Leutnantschanze and the Ziegelschanze are a reminder of Rain‘s fortifi-cations that were so important right up until the 18th century and now form a wonderful green girdle around the town offering an inviting place to walk. The Schwabtor has been reconstructed on the basis of historical evidence and illustrations.Former castle: the official ducal residence of the 15th century still appears, in spite of the loss of its defensive moat and in spite of all the reconstruction work that has been carried out, as a magnificent, stately construction. Lutheran church and ‘Bible Garden‘ (Bibelgar-ten), municipal parish church of St. John the Baptist (St. Johannes der Täufer), the late gothic All Saint‘s Chapel (Allerheiligenkapelle) with its basement ossuary.

PersonalitiesJohannes Bayer (1572-1625)Man of the law and amateur astronomer, he studied philosophy and jurisprudence and worked initially as a lawyer. In his spare time, he developed an intense interest in astronomy, mathematics and archaeology. In 1603 he published the ‘Uranomet-ria‘ star atlas.

The musician brothers Franz, Ignaz and Vinzenz LachnerBorn in Rain, the brothers Franz (1803-1890), Ignaz (1807-1895) and Vinzenz (1811-1893) Lachner were directors of music and composers of the Romantic era. All three began their great careers in Vienna. Franz was an organist and choirmaster in Munich from 1836 to 1865 (from 1852 onwards Royal Director of Music in Bavaria). Ignaz, ‘the wanderer‘, worked at various courts in Europe. Vinzenz, in contrast, was Kapellmeister to the Royal Court in Mannheim for 37 years. Georg Tannstetter (1482-1535)Known as ‘Collimitius‘, he was a scholar and huma-nist, a student and teacher of mathematics, astro-nomy, astrology and medical science in Ingolstadt and Vienna. He founded the learned society known as ‘Collimitiana‘. The personal physician of Emperor Maximilian I, he was raised to the nobility in 1516.

Museums, exhibitions and galleriesMuseum of local history (Heimatmuseum)The permanent exhibition includes the history of local costumes, household activities, care of fabrics, guilds and crafts of the hat makers and chimney sweeps, history of the town, including the salt trade and the Battle of Rain in 1632; work of the monks and religious art, with attractive special exhibitions too.

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Information:Stadt RainHauptstraße 6086641 RainPhone +49 (0) 9090 703-333Fax +49 (0) 9090 703-319tourismus@rain.dewww.rain.de

▶ Around 1250 Establishment as a town

▶ 1257 First recorded mention in written documents

▶ 1359 Market, coinage and toll rights

help the town to gain economic prosperity

▶ 1398 Town wall built, raised higher in

1417

▶ 1455 Introduction of a ‘cobble tax’

(for using the cobbled streets) and salt duty

▶ 1480 Completion of the municipal

parish church, church tower erected in 1558

▶ 1632 Battle of Rain; Marshall Tilly is

wounded and dies shortly after-wards in Ingolstadt

▶ 1762 Building of the new town hall is

completed

▶ 1921 and from 1947 onwards many new companies established

▶ 1972 Re-organisation to form the

Donau-Ries administrative district – first municipal incorpo-rations and school building work

▶ 2001 Creation of the new ‘Dehner Blu-

men-Park’ (Dehner Flower Park)

▶ 2009 Regional garden exhibition

‘Nature in Rain 2009‘

Insider tips DEHNER Blumen Hotel **** +49 (0) 9090 760 www.dehner- blumenhotel.com DEHNER Blumenpark +49 (0) 9090 770 www.dehner.de

Museum of the Lachner Brothers (Gebrüder-Lach-ner-Museum)In the 19th century, the brothers Franz, Ignaz and Vinzenz Lachner were amongst the most respected musicians of the age. Documents, manuscripts and printed music make clear their place in musical history. The museum has been created in the house in which they were born on the Kirchplatz.Jean-Daprai MuseumForum for surrealist and modern painting. Daprai was born in 1929 in Rovereto, lived for several years in Rain and now lives in Paris.

Leisure-time suggestions and excursions Fishing – in one of the surrounding lakes and in the river Lech. The Oberndorf Tillyweg (named after Marshall Tilly) leading to the meadows in the Lech valleyCycling and walking on sign-posted pathways in the Danube-Lech regionSwimming in the indoor swimming pool or in one of the man-made lakes Stroll through one of the parks

ExcursionsVisit to the former Free Imperial Town of Donau-wörth or the renaissance town of Neuburg a.d. Donau, the ‘Ferienland Donau-Ries‘ (Danube-Ries Tourist Area) and the Ries Geopark with Harburg and Nördlingen.The ‘Donaumoos‘, Southern Germany‘s largest lowland fen, with the ‘Haus im Moos‘ and the neigh-bouring Hallertau, where 17,800 hectares are given over to hop cultivation. The Altmühltal nature reserve with the diocesan town of EichstättDay trips to Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Munich and Nürnberg

ItineraryOn request or at: www.rain.de -> Events calendar

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TS February:Augsburg Brecht Festival

March/April:Augsburg Cabaret Days

Easter: ‘Osterplärrer’ and Spring Fair

May to December:‘The Fuggers and Music’ concertsAugsburg Mozart Festival

June/July:‘Historical Citizens‘ Festi-val’ or historical festival at the Wertachbrucker Tor with costumes, music, dancing, market life and handicrafts as in 1620

July: Performances on an open-air stage with 2,400 seats in front of the historic scenery by the ‘Rotes Tor’

July/August:Augsburg Jazz Summer, summer-evening concerts in the Botanical Garden and pub concerts with international jazz stars

8 August:Augsburg Peace Festival - holiday in the Augsburg region in remembrance of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, with fringe programme

September:‘Herbstplärrer’ and Autumn Fair

December: Christmas market in front of the historical Town Hall

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Founded more than 2,000 years ago under the Roman Emperor Augustus, Augsburg is one of the oldest German cities. The economic heyday of this former Free Imperial Town was during the 15th and 16th centuries when it flourished thanks to foreign trade and the banking businesses of the Fuggers and Welsers. Reminders of these glorious days can be seen in the historical city centre with the splendid Maximilianstrasse and the Renaissance and Baroque façades of the palaces and patrician houses.

Sightseeing (selection)Town Hall (1615-20): one of the most attractivesecular Renaissance buildings north of the Alps,built by Elias Holl; magnificent ‘Golden Hall‘ withsplendid portals, wall paintings and coffered ceiling.Perlachturm (11th / 12th centuries): 70 m hightower with lantern belfry and ‘Welscher Haube‘ roofby Elias Holl (1614-16).St. Mary‘s Cathedral: first documentary mentionin AD 823; crypt (10th century) and glass paintingsof figures, thought to be the oldest in Germany(about 1140); ceiling and wall frescos from theRomanesque and Gothic periods, panel paintingsby Hans Holbein the Elder.St. Ulrich and St. Afra: originally an Abbey church(1474); late Gothic basilica (15th / 16th centuries)with onion tower (93 m); altars (16th / 17th centuries).St. Anna (1321, extended in the 15th century):former Carmelite monastery church with Gothic walldecorations and valuable paintings (Lucas Cranachthe Elder); sepulchre chapel of the Fuggers (1509);considered to be the earliest German Renaissancebuilding; goldsmiths‘ chapel with frescos (1420/96), redesigned Museum Lutherstiege.Fugger City Palace (1512-15): home and businesspremises of Jakob Fugger with charming Renais-sance-style inside courtyards (Damenhof).Fuggerei (1516-19): the world‘s oldest social settle-ment.Fountains in the Maximilianstrasse: Augustus(1589-94), Herkules (1596-1602) and Merkur (1599)fountains.

Water towers by the ‘Rotes Tor’ (the Red Gate) The ‘Upper Works’, as they were called, situated at the ‘Rotes Tor’, provided drinking water for Augsburg right up until 1879. This complex is the only one of its kind in Europe that remains complete. The ensemble consists of three water towers as well as the lower and upper pump rooms. Can be visited as part of a guided tour: www.augsburg-tourismus.de

Museums, exhibitions, galleriesMunicipal museum of textiles and industry, tim: The ‘tim’ is a museum, designed to give visitors a sense of living history. A rich mix of men and machines, patterns and fashions.Maximilian Museum with collection on the culturaland municipal history of Augsburg; local works ofart in gold and silver.Schaezler Palace with German Baroque Gallery andCity Gallery: German paintings from the Baroqueand Rococo periods (16th - 18th centuries); oldGerman and, in particular, old Swabian paintings.Bert Brecht Memorial Museum: a survey of the lifeand works of Bertolt Brecht; documentation cover-ing the Augsburg years.Mozart House: impressive presentation on Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus and his first love, his cousin (‘Bäsle‘) from Augsburg.

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Information:Regio AugsburgTourismus GmbHSchießgrabenstraße 1486150 AugsburgPhone +49 (0) 821 5020733/28Fax +49 (0) 821 5020745stadtfuehrungen@regio-augsburg.dewww.augsburg-tourismus.de

▶ 15 BC Drusus and Tiberius, step sons

of Emperor Augustus set up a military camp on the site of the present-day city

▶ AD 304 Martyr’s death of St. Afra

▶ 955 Battle of Lechfeld

▶ 1156 First Augsburg city charter

▶ 1276 Second Augsburg city charter

▶ 1316 Augsburg granted Free Imperial Town status

▶ 1519 Construction of the Fuggerei

▶ 1530 Confessio Augustana

(Augsburg Confession)

▶ 1555 Religious Peace of Augsburg

▶ 1650 Augsburg Festival of Peace

▶ 1770-1772 Johann Heinrich Schüle founds the first continental calico manu-factory

▶ 1806 Incorporation of the Imperial

City of Augsburg in the Kingdom of Bavaria

▶ Around 1816 Augsburg is Bavaria’s leading

banking centre: Augsburg Bourse

▶ 1840 Completion of the Munich-Augsburg railway line; the first train runs

▶ 1929 Open-air theatre opened

▶ 1970 Augsburg University founded

▶ 1985 2000th anniversary of the city,

Golden Hall in the Town Hall restored

Insider Tip

Böhme event Marketing +49 (0) 821 44951630

www.boehme-event.de

Natural History Museum and Planetarium.H2 Centre for Contemporary Art in the Glass Palace.Museum of the Augsburg Puppet TheatreFugger and Welser MuseumNewly opened museum in a lovingly restored Renaissance building, the “Wieselhaus”. In the mu-seum, you get a real sense of the influence exerted on European and worldwide business and trade by the Patrician families of Augsburg in the early 16th century. In the interactive displays, a whole new form of story-telling brings history to life and gives a feel of what it was like to be alive at the time. Further information can be found at:www.fugger-und-welser-museum.de

ItineraryGuided walking tour of the sights, including theindoor visits, daily from April to October, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.November until the end of March: Sat. and Sun. 2 p.m. Sightseeing tour by bus; April to October, at 3 p.m. on Friday, at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday,during Advent at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday

For groups only(tours also available in foreign languages):Special tours, e.g., The Roman City, Augsburg - City of Fairy Tale, The Augsburg Craftsmen‘s Trail, The home town of Mozart‘s father, The buildings of Elias Holl, Augsburg‘s water towers, The Body in the Lech canal, The Perlach Murder, Heinous Crimes of the Past

Guided tours conducted by actors in costume: ‘Jakob Fugger, up close and personal’,‘Brecht live’, ‘The Romans, with Emperor Augustus’, ‘Bäsle – Mozart’s first love’,‘Jakob Fugger at home’ – narrated by his wife, Sibylla Arzt ‘Beggars, jugglers and outlaws’

Augsburg‘s Roman Meal: this meal, consisting of several courses, provides a mouth-watering invitation to some unusual gastronomic delights in an atmosphere of antiquity. Food is served as it was in ancient Rome, waiters and waitresses wear tunics and you can, if you wish, even lie down to eat with authentic table settings. Further information can be obtained from the Hotel Alpenhof,info@alpenhof-hotel.de, Phone +49 (0) 821 42020

ExcursionsOrganised excursions and art-history trips, e.g.,Romantic Road North / South, along the romanticDanube, Augsburg and the foothills of the Alps,Bavarian Baroque, in the footsteps of the wealthy Fuggers, to the seat of the Wittelsbach family.Holzen: one of the most important and oldest monasteries in Swabia - high over the Lech Valley - with monastery inn.Thierhaupten: Baroque monastery, founded as aBavarian monastery by Duke Tassilo. And the Thier-haupten Monastery Mill Museum with three mills and a rag-paper stamping mill.Königsbrunn: Info pavilion ‘The Battle of Lechfeld’, with an impressive audiovisual presentation of the Siege of Augsburg.

Neusäss: Titania fun baths with the only funnel shoot of its kind in Germany. Open all year round.Schwabenmünchen: Geyerburg Castle, 15th century(former Fugger castle) and ‘Hexentürmchen‘ tower(17th century), ‘Frauenkapelle‘ chapel (1489) withBaroque altar by Jörg Pfeiffer, Chapel ‘Zur schmerz-haften Mutter Gottes‘ (1742), Schwabenmünchen Museum and Gallery.

Congresses, conferencesCongress Centre, Exhibition Centre, conference facilities in the region with capacities from 250 to over 2,000 people.

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Information:Touristinformationder Stadt FriedbergMarienplatz 586316 FriedbergPhone +49 (0) 821 6002-450Fax +49 (0) 821 6002-190touristinfo@friedberg.dewww.friedberg.de

February:Shrove Tuesday carnival parade through the old town

June:Midsummer pottery market in the ‘Stadtgarten‘ park

Historical festival in the old town ‘Friedberger Zeit‘, held every 3 years since 1989 (next festival – 2019). Activities authen-tically reflect the styles and resplendence of life in the 17th and 18th centuries beneath baroque

September to May: Town Hall Concerts

October:Poetry slam ‘Moet for the Poet‘

December: Romantic ‘Friedberg Advent‘ - Market with ‘Night of Stars‘

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ AD 1264 Town founded by the

Bavarian Duke Ludwig II as a bastion against the bishops of Augsburg and to protect the salt route

▶ 13th/14th century Town destroyed on several

occasions

▶ Early 15th century New town fortifications

▶ 1552-1559 Construction of the castle

▶ 1674 Construction of the Town Hall

in the style of Elias Holl

▶ 1731-1753 Construction of the

‘Herrgottsruh’ Pilgrimage

▶ End of the 19th century Construction of St. Jacob’s

Parish Church

Friedberg, that ‘Old Bavarian ducal town on the banks of the Lech‘ lies in the middle of the region formerly owned by the Wittelsbach family, which is laden with history. Particular at-tractions for the visitor are the renaissance town hall, the central ‘Marienplatz‘ square, the romantic little streets and alleys of the old town, with their watchmakers‘ cottages and the old town fortifications, with their almost completely intact towers.

SightseeingRenaissance Town Hall (1674) with fountain.The Wittelsbachers‘ Castle (currently closed for renovation)Rococo Pilgrimage Church ‘Herrgottsruh‘ (ThePeace of God) with outstanding choir (C.D. Asam)and dome frescos (Matthäus Günther), as well asartistic stuccowork by F.X. Feichtmayr; ‘Bruder-schaftsaltar‘ (Fraternity Altar) and ‘Gnadenaltar‘ (Altar of Grace).Remains of the old town fortifications with towers(water tower, wooden battlements).Parish Church of St. Jacob, ‘Maria Alber‘, PlagueChurch of St. Stephan and Church of St. Afra in theField (about 1700) with stuccowork by JosephSchmuzer.

Museums, exhibitionsMuseum in the Wittelsbach Castle (currently closed for renovation)Art exhibitions in the ‘Archivgalerie‘, the ‘Kunst-Werk‘ and the ‘Nest der Kunstspechte‘.

ItineraryFor groups only (up to 35 people):Guided tours of the town and churches Romantic and Advent-tide guided tours of the town in autumn and winter followed by candle-lit dinner.Guided tours of the historical brewery cellars.Art and culture hikes and bicycle tours.

ExcursionsExcursions to the neighbouring towns of Munich,Augsburg and Landsberg am Lech, Southern GermanKarl May Festival in Dasing, ‘Sisi‘ Castle in Unterwit-telsbach‘, ‘Der Bayerische Hiasl‘ World at GutMergenthau, Legoland Günzburg and to the Alps,11 signposted cycling tours through the Wittels-bach countryside, ‘Sisi Tour‘ to the roots of the Wittelsbach family, 16 cycling tours: „New-found Joys of Cycling“ region, Augsburg. ‘Paar Valley Tour‘ in the Bavarian cycling network, ‘St. James‘ Way‘, ‘Ox Way‘, ‘Jesuit Way‘.The Lech Gorge Activity Park by the Friedberger See with water-ski station

Nature‘s pleasures – the Paar GapThe little river Paar leaves the Lechfeld region and flows on through the hills of Wittelsbach. Because of this gap, caused by receding erosion, the Paar flows not into the Lech but into the Danube. There is a circular walk sign-posted: ‘Zum Paardurchbruch‘. (To the Paar Gap)

Food ‘Spezialitätenwirte im Wittelsbacher Land‘ (Speciality chefs in the Wittelsbach region)An association of restaurateurs, in whose establish-ments top priority is given to the quality of the food and the use of regional ingredients. Awarded the Bavarian Tourist Board‘s ‘Bavarian Prize for Innova-tion‘. Unique specialities with ox from the Wittels-bacher countryside, rotating, thematic, seasonal weekly menus – straight from farm to table!

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Historical, classical, culinary and folksy-traditional: 365 days of festivals and festival plays. Where else but on Germany’s oldest and most popular holiday route would you find such a multi-facetted variety of festivals and festival plays on offer. It is not only in summer that Germany’s Romantic Road sparkles as a festival stage. Approx. 500 kilometres long - and every-where people are involved in festivals - from the Baroque splendour of Würzburg, which pays its homage to Bach, Jazz and Mozart at the same time, to Füssen with its many-sided, many-stringed festival of stringed instruments held against the panoramic backdrop of the Alps.And if it should happen that one of the 29 member towns and villages along this number-one road of experiences is not ‘playing along‘ with a festival of music, opera or drama, then at least they will be ce-lebrating in festival style! Full of cheer and a warm welcome, the regions of Franconia, Swabia and Ba-varia offer plenty of opportunities for this, from the vineyards of the Main and the Tauber to the Royal Castles and the ‘Zugspitze‘ mountain. And plenty of styles to celebrate in, too: historical, ecclesiastical, classic, culinary, cultural, modern, popular, roman-tic, sporting, sweet and light, traditional, trendy, folksy, Christmassy ...It is a brightly coloured kaleidoscope. There are tra-ditional favourites such as the Cloister Festival Plays in Feuchtwangen, the ‘Kinderzech‘ week in Dinkels-bühl, Rothenburg‘s historical ‘foursome‘ - the Shep-herds‘ Dance, the Hans Sachs Plays, the Imperial City Festival Days and the ‘Meistertrunk‘ historical drama – the ‘Schwäbischwerder Kindertag‘ children‘s fes-tival in Donauwörth, the German Mozart Festival in Augsburg or the Castle Concerts in the ‘Sängersaal‘ of the iconic Neuschwanstein Castle. There are in-timate music festivals and festival plays to delight and enthuse you in the magical Weikersheim Castle, there are the Summer Serenades in Donauwörth, the Festival Days of the Ries district, with 200 events in Nördlingen and unforgettable experiences of the ‘Festival Summer‘ in the Wies, which includes con-certs in churches of the Pfaffenwinkel area in Schon-gau, Hohenfurch or Wildsteig and reaches its Rococo climax in the world heritage site of the Church in the Meadow. There are fascinating, top-quality gems for

connoisseurs in unusual locations: ethereal chamber music in the vaulted cellars (‘Gewölbekeller‘) of Röt-tingen (which also boasts its own festival plays), the ‘Pianoforte Summer‘ at the Castle in Schillingsfürst, Piano Festival and Master Classes in Feuchtwangen, Rosetti Festival Days in Wallerstein, Cabaret Days in Augsburg, Landsberg Summer Music with the solo en-semble of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Alpine Country Advent Singing in Schwangau, chamber mu-sic, jazz and modern concerts in the ‘Fürstensaal‘ of the St. Mang monastery in Füssen.The festival and market traditions are just as varied and exciting as the festival plays. Old Town Festivals, Wine and Gourmet Festivals in Tauberbischofsheim and Lauda-Königshofen, St. George‘s Days of the Company of the Teutonic Order and Bock Beer Festi-val in Bad Mergentheim, the Rose Blossom Festival in Creglingen and the Rose Market in Nördlingen, Bockfest Festival and the Castle Festival in Harburg, Town festival in Rain, a meeting place for young and old alike, the Midsummer Pottery Market in the castle courtyard in Friedberg, Farmers‘ Markets in Peiting, Cattle Market and Mountain Mass in Halblech, the traditional ‘Leonhardiritt‘ in Rottenbuch, Pilgrimage Procession in traditional costumes in Steingaden, and not least of all, the atmospheric Christmas markets in romantic settings. And the crowning glory of authen-tic tradition and warm hospitality is offered by culi-nary delicacies which are typical of the countryside, Franconian wines in their traditional ‘Bocksbeutel‘ bottles and delicious beer specialities. For whether you are here for the festival or going to see a festival play, the way to the heart is through the stomach ....

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TS June to September:International Landsberg Organ Summer

Beginning of July: Landsberg summer music festival with soloists from the Berlin Philharmonic. ‘Ruethenfest’ (every four years, next festival in 2019): Upper Bavaria’s biggest historical children’s festival (over 1,000 children) with historical costumes, dances, procession and army camps of the lansquenet and Swedish troops at the Bayertor gate

September:South German pottery marketLong night of art

October to May:Chamber music in the library

December:Christmas Market

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

The town of Landsberg am Lech - founded by Henry the Lion - can look back on over 850 years of history. The heart of the old town beside the river is the wide market place with the im-posing Schmalzturm tower, stately patrician houses and Town Hall with its richly decorated stucco façade by Dominikus Zimmermann.

SightseeingTown fortifications with towers and gates, includingthe ‘Bayertor‘ gate (1425), the most interestingand biggest late Gothic gate in Southern Germany(with viewing platform, 36 m above ground level).‘Hauptplatz’ with stately patrician houses aroundSt. Mary‘s fountain (1783) and Town Hall (1700),the town‘s most attractive secular building with arichly decorated stucco façade (1718-20) by Domini-kus Zimmermann; banqueting hall with frescos,colossal painting by Hubert von Herkomer in thecouncil chamber.Parish Church of St. Mary of the Ascension (1458-88): colonnaded basilica with high middle nave,long choir and onion tower; the inside was redecora-ted in Baroque style about 1700; the choir windows(15th / 16th centuries) rank among the best glasspaintings in Germany; Rosary Altar by Zimmermannwith a Gothic Madonna by Hans Multscher (1437).Holy Cross Church (1752-54) with Jesuit monastery;on a high point over the town; rich Baroque andRococo decorations with stucco ornaments andfrescos, paintings and fine carving work on theconfessionals; former Jesuit school around an arcaded courtyard.St. John‘s Church (1750-52): built by DominikusZimmermann with artistic Rococo ornamentationand beautiful stucco altar.‘Mutterturm‘ tower (1884-88): built as a studio bythe Anglo-German painter, Sir Hubert von Herkomer;exhibition of the Herkomer collection.Lech weir (14th / 15th centuries).

Museums, exhibitionsHerkomer Museum and ‘Mutterturm‘ tower: por-traits, landscapes, drawings and etchings by theartist.Changing exhibitions in the new Municipal Museum (Stadtmuseum)Historical Shoe Museum.

Theatre and concertsThe Landsberg Stadttheater, Film forum and s’Maximilianeum Variety Theatre.Culture Festival

From May to OctoberConcerts in Landsberg Town Hall

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Information:Tourist-Information Landsberg am Lech Hauptplatz 15286899 Landsberg am LechPhone +49 (0) 8191 128246Fax +49 (0) 8191 128160info@landsberg.dewww.landsberg.de

▶ About AD 1160 Heinrich the Lion constructs

the ‘Landespurch’ on Schlossberg hill to guard the salt route

▶ 1268 Landsberg passes into the

possession of the Wittelsbach dukes; 1st town fortifications

▶ About 1280 Town charter

▶ 1320 Ludwig the Bavarian awards

Landsberg the ‘Salzpfennig’ (‘Salt Penny’); economic prosperity through the salt and textile trades

▶ 1425 The last part of the town

fortifications with ‘Bayertor’ gate

▶ 1458-1488 Construction of the Parish

Church of St. Mary of the Ascension

▶ 1576-1578 Jesuit noviciate founded

▶ 1618-1648 The town is taken by storm

and plundered several times during the 30 Years War

▶ 1720 Completion of the Town Hall

▶ From 1740 Construction of the Ursuline

convent and church; Dominican since 1845

▶ 1749-1754 Dominikus Zimmermann mayor

▶ 19th century Town of civil servants, schools

and craftsmen; garrison town

▶ 20th century Post-war years

Expansion of the municipal area; founding of several barracks

▶ Today 28,000 inhabitants

Insider tip Ammersee-Lech

Tourism Association +49 (0) 8191 128247

www.ammerseelech.de

ItineraryFrom May to October there are regular guided tours of the town in Landsberg am Lech on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. There is no need to book in advance.

Group visits can be booked all year roundThematic tours are offered from April to October• Dominikus Zimmermann (builder of the Wieskirche) and his times• History in stories• Landsberg by night• Men are not always easy!• Musical walk• Music and poetry• Local legends

A nightwatchman and a professional soldier, in costume, take participants back to long-lost era and a visit to the Bayertor (Bavarian Gate), the Jungfernsprungturm (Tower of the Maiden Jump) and the Schmalzturm (Tower of Lard) with some quite new perspectives of the town.

ExcursionsBoat trips on the Ammersee Hiking / bicycle tours in the Landsberg ‘PössingerAu‘ park: approx. 75 ha. park with numerous biotopes and natural woods.From Landsberg am Lech via the Windachsee reser-voir to Diessen on the Ammersee lake. This idyllic spot on the lake is a veritable Eldorado for lovers of ceramics and pewter. Also well worth seeing in Diessen is the Marienmünster (Church of Our Lady). And, not to be missed by visitors to Utting, is the Villa Gasteiger (former home of the Munich artists Mathias and Anna Gasteiger, now a museum).Visit to the Abbey of St. Ottilien (monastery church and Mission Museum).

Food & GastronomyLandsberg am Lech lies exactly between Upper Bavaria and Swabia. Bavarian knuckle of pork with dumplings is a dish that is just as much at home here as Swabian noodles. Come and visit the old, traditional pubs, the weekly markets in the old town centre and enjoy the rich range of very local produce.

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Festive Summer: Concerts in the Church in the Meadow and other churches in the Pfaffen-winkel district

Music in the Pfaffenwinkel:Concerts in various churches of the Pfaffen-winkel, e.g., Church in the Meadow, Rottenbuch, Polling. Evening concerts in the Church in the Meadow, Iffeldorf Master Concerts; Concerts in the Polling Library.

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Pfaffenwinkel, the land of ‘peasants, artists and monks‘ in the foothills of the Upper Bavari-an Alps, encompasses the countryside bounded by the rivers Lech, Ammer and Loisach and from the south of Ammer and Starnberg Lakes to the Ammergau mountains. In this lands-cape, churches and monasteries are more densely packed than in any other part of Germany. They attracted art and artists and were the inspiration for a host of Bavarian Baroque and Rococo monuments and artistic treasures. The founding period of the Upper Bavarian Pfaf-fenwinkel covers the years from AD 739 (founding of the ‘Benediktbeuern‘) to 1719 (found-ing of the Carmelite monastery in Schongau). The Romantic Road passes through the villages of Hohenfurch, Schongau, Peiting, Rottenbuch, Wildsteig and Steingaden in the west of the Pfaffenwinkel.ExcursionsTours of the Pfaffenwinkel with its important art historical monuments, such as the Church in theMeadow (‘Wieskirche‘), Rottenbuch MonasteryChurch, Altenstadt Romanesque Basilica, Wessob-runn Monastery, Welfenmünster Church in Steinga-den.Royal Castles: Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau,Linderhof.Oberammergau: Ettal, Garmisch-Partenkirchen,Zugspitze.Boat trips on Starnberg and Ammer Lakes.Trip to Andechs Monastery on the ‘Holy Mountain‘with beer tasting.Hill-top views from the ‘Hoher Peissenberg‘ and‘Auerberg‘Day trip to Munich or Augsburg.Osterseen Nature Park.Expressionism in local museums: can also be booked as a day excursion with guide

Museums in the PfaffenwinkelBuchheim Museum in Bernried with a large collec-tion of expressionist works. The museum can alsobe reached using the Museum Ship from Starnberg.Mining Museum in Peissenberg with deep under-ground galleries and geological mining trail.Mine Museum in Penzberg.Open-air Museum in Glentleiten.

Local Museums in Polling, Peiting and Bad Bayer-soien.Villa Rustica in Peiting.Town Museums in Schongau, Weilheim and Penz-berg.Ski Museum in Peiting and much more.

Cycling and hikingThe Pfaffenwinkel has a dense network of cyclingtrails and footpaths. A brochure entitled ‘Radel-touren im Pfaffenwinkel‘ contains ten suggestions for tours rangingfrom gentle family excursions, via culture-orientedtrips, to mountain-bike tours in the mountains. Thebrochure is available free of charge from Pfaffen-winkel Tourismusverband. Also available are the following brochures: ‘Hiking in the Pfaffenwinkel‘, ‘Long-distance hiking trails in the foothills of the Alps‘ and ‘Pilgrims’ hiking trail – the sacred land-scape of the Pfaffenwinkel‘, which describe the hiking, pilgrim and adventure trails (some of them newly designed) for all age groups and requirements.

Long-distance cycling trailsRomantic Road from Würzburg to Füssen.Via Claudia Augusta from Donauwörth to Füssen,following the track of the old Roman Road, whichruns to Italy via Tyrol.

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Information:Tourismusverband PfaffenwinkelBauerngasse 586956 SchongauPhone +49 (0) 8861 211-3200Fax +49 (0) 8861 211-4000info@pfaffen-winkel.dewww.pfaffen-winkel.de

Long-distance footpathsRomantic Road from Würzburg to FüssenLechErlebnisWeg from Landsberg to FüssenKönig-Ludwig-Weg from Berg at Lake Starnberg to Füssen Experience the “Sacred landscape of the Pfaffen-winkel” – three circular routes will lead you on a spiritual journey, step by step through the beau-tiful landscape, to the cultural highlights of the Pfaffenwinkel. Package arrangements for easy hiking and cyclingon all routes.Cycling and hiking with luggage transport.

Sport and leisure facilitiesAngling in lakes, e.g., ‘Deutensee‘ near Peiting or‘Schongauer Lechsee‘.Boating, e.g., on ‘Schongauer Lechsee‘.

Bathing in the numerous peat lakes and ponds, aswell as the various indoor and outdoor swimmingpools.BallooningTandem parachutingFlights over the Pfaffenwinkel

Golf package Golfing holiday in the lake Starnberg region with four nights‘ accommodation and three green fees for eight golf courses for as little as € 380 per per-son, based on two sharing.Coach and horse-drawn sledge trips, e.g., to theChurch in the Meadow.Mud baths and wellness in Bad Bayersoien.Cross-county and downhill skiing, ice skating andBavarian curling on natural ice.

Nearest airports: Munich II (110 km)Memmingen ‘Allgäu Airport‘ (80 km)

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Information:Tourismus-InformationHauptplatz 786978 HohenfurchPhone +49 (0) 8861 9081798 Fax +49 (0) 8861 9081799fremdenverkehr@hohenfurch.de www.hohenfurch.de

▶ 15 BC Original settlement from the Roman times

▶ 1189 First mention as a town

Surrounded by meadows and forests, Hohenfurch (pop. 1,500) lies in the Schönach Valley and forms the gateway to the Pfaffenwinkel. Here, in a rural setting, travellers can enjoy re-laxed summer freshness and the view of the Alpine spring. A wide-ranging network of cycling trails and footpaths, as well as a variety of leisure facilities, including riding, tennis, cross-country skiing, etc., make it an ideal holiday destination. Hohenfurch is also an outstanding base for exploring the world-famous sights of the Pfaffenwinkel and the Alps. Long-distance hikers can reach the attractive village on the River Schönach via the Lech Highway, which runs from Landsberg am Lech to Füssen.

SightseeingParish Church of St. Mary of the Ascension: towerand choir from the 14th / 15th centuries; rebuilt inRococo style, 1750-54; pulpit with stuccowork andGothic Madonna (1420).Late Gothic Chapel of St. Ursula, which can be seenon a green hill to the south of Hohenfurch (east ofthe Romantic Road). Built in 1520 / 1521, the LateGothic Chapel is dedicated to St. Ursula, the patronsaint of raftsmen. Here, raftsmen from Hohenfurchand the surrounding villages gave their thanks toher for a safe return after taking logs down the Lechand Danube to the Black Sea.The focal point of the chapel is a late Gothic wingaltar of extraordinary quality. Unfortunately, mostof the precious figures have been stolen. Still to beseen, however, is a predella showing the martyr‘sdeath suffered by St. Ursula and her companionson the Rhine. According to a legend, St. Ursula wasthe daughter of an English king and, during herreturn from a pilgrimage to Rome, was killed by Hunarrows on the Rhine in 452. Also extant are thefigures of St. John the Evangelist and Magdalenawith the pot of ointment and two relief works: thebaptism of Jesus in the Jordan and St. John onPatmos. Two figures from the altar, which have been re-discovered after 40 years, can be found, together with other originals, in the Stadtmuseum in Schongau. All the figures in the chapel itself are reproductions.

From the hill-top chapel, there is a splendid viewover Hohenfurch and its wonderful meadows andforests, the ideal setting for hiking and cycling.

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Information:Tourist Information SchongauMünzstraße 1-386956 SchongauPhone +49 (0) 8861 214-181Fax +49 (0) 8861 214-881touristinfo@schongau.dewww.schongau.de

June to August: Classical concerts: ‘Festive Summer in the Meadow’

July: Art and collectables market‘Schmankerlfest‘ (Festival of Culinary Delights)

August: Historical market with music

End of August: Forest Festival

November:‘Leonhardi’ procession

2nd to 4th weekends of Advent:Christmas Market

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ About 1060 AD First mention of the present

day Altenstadt (‘Scongoe’)

▶ End of the 11th century The town begins to shift to a

nearby hill, the Lechumlauf-berg

▶ 1331 Town and coin charter under

Ludwig the Bavarian; econo-mic upswing as a storage and transhipment place on the ‘Via Claudia Augusta’

▶ 1419 Construction of the Town Hall, the ‘Ballenhaus’

▶ 1445 Construction of the Holy Ghost Hospital Church of St. Erasmus, today the Town Museum

▶ 1490 Secondary residence of the

Wittelsbach family, Duke Christoph the Strong

▶ 1753 Reconstruction of the Parish

Church of St. Mary of the Ascension

The medieval townscape with its fortified walls, gateways and towers is living evidence of the town‘s rich history. At the end of the 12th century, having been granted a variety of privileges, Schongau developed into the administrative focal point, a residence of the Wit-telsbachs and a Bavarian border fortification on the Swabian Lech.

SightseeingLargely intact town walls (oldest parts dates backto the 13th and 15th - 17th centuries), in placeswith traversable battlements and five gates andtowers (‘Frauentor‘, ‘Polizeidienerturm‘, etc.).Gothic ‘Ballenhaus‘ (1419/1515): former TownHall (up to 1902) with steep, stepped gable; councilchamber with carved beamed ceiling.Parish Church of St. Mary of the Ascension (1750-53): choir by the architect of the Church in theMeadow, Dominikus Zimmermann; richly decoratedHigh Altar by F.X. Schmädl (1758-60).Basilica of St. Michael (about 1220) in Altenstadt;one of the most important Romanesque buildingsin Old Bavaria.Town Museum with valuable coin collection.‘Märchenwald‘ with game park.

Food/EatingCandle-lit dinner in the Hotel HollHistoric wine-bars in the FrauentorGuided tour of the town with convivial drink

NatureWalking tours• Stories from the town and the river Lech – including the old town. • The Romans and the Welf family by the Lech – walk up to the Schlossberg

Cycling tours of the Pfaffenwinkel• Romantic Tour• ‘Sachsenrieder Bähnle‘ - along the old railway line

Guided toursGuided tour of the picturesque old town at 4 p.m.on Fridays, from May to October; also in July and September, every Tuesday at 2 p.m. and on request

Guided theme tours as follows:‘With the hangman‘s daughter through mediaeval Schongau.‘ ‘Hidden gems, forgotten treasures and little jewels‘‘Towers and gateways of the ancient town of Schon-gau – formerly seat of the Prince-Bishops and a Bavarian border town.‘‘Stories from the town and the river Lech‘‘Down there with the hangman‘‘Guided tour of the town for Advent‘

Accompanied tours of the Pfaffenwinkel with visits to the Wieskirche, the Romanesque Basilica in Alten-stadt and other treasures. For groupsGuided cycling tours and walks in the Pfaffenwinkel, pilgrimage walks

Guided tours for children‘Around the town wall with a typical citizen in olden days‘ and ‘Discover Schongau with the witch‘s child, Hagasusa‘

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Information:Tourist-InformationAmmergauer Straße 286971 PeitingTel. +49 (0) 8861 6535Fax +49 (0) 8861 59140touristinfo.peiting@t-online.dewww.peiting.de

Corpus Christi: Gastro tour

Every 1st Friday of the month: Farmers’ market on the main square

At the start of the summer holidays:Citizens’ Festival

1st weekend in August: Fishing festival on the Deutensee

1st weekend in Advent: Christmas Market

Varied holiday program-me for children during the months of August/September

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ AD 1055 First documentary mention;

Duke Welf I of Bavaria builds a castle on the Schlossberg

▶ 1155 Emperor Frederick Barbaros-sa stays in Peiting

▶ 1167 Welf VI dies in Italy

▶ Until 1343 Firstly in the possession of

the Hohenstaufens, then the Wittelsbacher

▶ 1618-1648 Swedish troops destroy the

town and the remains of the Welf castle

The “hospitable market town between the rivers Ammer and Lech” is one of the oldest settlements in the Lech and Ammer region. The castle of the Dukes of Welf in the Lechrain stood on the site of the present-day Schlossberg hill. “On with the walking boots” or “Up on your bike”? Peiting‘s unique location never fails to inspire people to discover this fairy-tale landscape for themselves. No matter whether it is the beauties of nature or the treasures of the past that do it for you, whether you like an extensive range of sporting activities or prefer the convivial society of agreeable people …. We very much look forward to seeing you in Peiting!

SightseeingRoman ‘Villa Rustica‘ (100 A.D.) Main building with baths; partially excavated Parish Church of St. Michael with Gothic choir, sculptures by Schmädl; tower and crypt date back to the 11th/12th centuries.Pilgrimage Church of ‘Maria unter der Egg‘ (1660)with Rococo stuccowork and pilgrimage board.Parish Church of St. Anna in Birkland: Baroque village church, Wessobrunn stuccowork (18th cen-tury); altars by Dominikus Zimmermann.

Nature – Walking toursCalvary with discovery trail through the forestKing Ludwig walk through the Ammer GorgeAmmer walk – nature trail and work of artFootpath around the Dorfweiher Gumpen lake

Discovery-trail walk: ‘The Romans and the Welf family by the Lech‘

MuseumsMuseum im Klösterle with sections on:History and religious objectsMiningSkiingBee keeping, hunting and fishing between the Lech and the Ammer rivers.

ItineraryTours of the allotments, farms, educational forest trail, Villa Rustica.Guest programme from June to September: horse drawn carriage rides, guided cycling and hiking tours.

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Information:Tourist-Info RottenbuchKlosterhof 4282401 RottenbuchPhone +49 (0) 8867 9110-18Fax +49 (0) 8867 9110-38 tourist-info@rottenbuch.de www.rottenbuch.de

July: Schönberg Village Festival (every second year)

August/September: Germany‘s biggest heavy-horse foal market

Beginning of November:Traditional ‘Leonhardi‘ procession

December: Alternating: Advent mar-ket or Christmas concert by the brass band and Advent singing

Variety of other interest-ing events

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ 1073 At the behest of Bishop Altmann of Passau, Duke Welf I of Bavaria

changes a hermitage in Rotten-buch into an Augustinan monas-tery

▶ 1090 and 1092 Through pontifical privilges,

Rottenbuch becomes a pontifical monastery and then the centre of canon reform in Bavaria and pontifical base in the investiture dispute

▶ 1803 The flourishing foundation is

abolished following the conversion of the monastery church to Baroque style and the reconstruction of the monastery. The communities of Rottenbuch, Böbing, Wildsteig and Schönberg emerge from the former ‘Hof-mark’ (district) of Rottenbuch

▶ 1956 Rottenbuch receives its coat of arm, a beech with roots and seven red leaves on a silver background. The beech is first recorded in the coat of arms of Rottenbuch Augustinian monas-tery in 1433

▶ 1978 Schönberg becomes part of Rottenbuch

This officially recognised health resort lies atop the steep sides of the gorge-like Ammer Val-ley. In the centre of the town is the venerable, 900 year-old Augustinian monastery with the famous ‘Mariae Geburt‘ Monastery Church.

SightseeingFormer Augustinian monastery: founded by DukeWelf I in 1073. The ‘Fohlenhof‘, the gate buildingand brewery wing (now the medical teaching insti-tute of the Regens-Wagner Foundation), ‘Schloss‘ (former monastery pharmacy and now the edu-cational building and home for the elderly of the Sisters of Don Bosco) and, above all, the monastery survived the destruction of secularisation.‘Mariae Geburt‘ monastery church (11th/12th/15thcenturies): a magnificent Gothic church with a separate bell-tower was erected on the foundationsof a Romanesque three nave cross basilica in the15th century; Rococo decorations by the Wesso-brunn artists J. Schmuzer and son, Matthäus Gün-ther and F.X. Schmädl with valuable stuccowork, colourful frescos, artistic altars and wooden sculptures (1737- 46).Frauenbrünnerl Pilgrimage Chapel (1708): smalloctagonal building with Madonna (14th century).Echelsbach Bridge (1929) crossing the 76 m deepAmmer Gorge.Wonderful countryside against the backdrop of theBavarian Alps with signposted footpaths leadingfrom the depths of the dramatic Ammer Gorge toheights of around 900 metres (hiking map with route description).

ItineraryGuided tour of the monastery church.Guided tour of the Rottenbuch monastery trail.Guided tour along the ‘Pfaffenwinkel Milk Way‘July to September: programme for guests.

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Information:Tourist-Info WildsteigKirchbergstraße 20a82409 WildsteigPhone +49 (0) 8867 912400Fax +49 (0) 8867 9124018info@wildsteig.bayern.de www.wildsteig.de

Whit Sunday: Choir concert

3rd Sunday in October: ‘Leonhardiritt’ -procession withblessing of the horses

Saturday before theFirst Day of Advent:Annual brass-bandconcert

Sundowners and concerts, folkloric evenings and peasants’ theatre, air rifle shooting for guests, creative handicrafts with instruction

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ 1110 1st documentary mention of Wildsteig

▶ 1408 1st mention of the Parish Church of St. Jacob

▶ 1073-1803 Wildsteig part of the ‘Hofmark’ of Rottenbuch monastery

▶ 1818 Wildsteig becomes an inde-pendent community

SightseeingParish Church of St. Jakob (St. James) with its onion tower, it sits majestically on the ‘Kirchberg‘ and can be seen from far and wide. It was remo-delled in its present form in 1785, with its baroque decoration in fine Wessobrunner stucco work and brightly coloured ceiling frescos by the Bavarian-school façade painter (‘Lüftlmaler‘) from Oberam-mergau, Franz Zwink. Important Virgin of Mercy.

Beneath the parish church on the eastern side of the Kirchberg stands the most important group of grottos in Southern Germany, a replica of the Lourdes Grotto, with cave-like walkways. This was built in 1908 with calcareous tufa brought from the Ammer Gorge.Jakobusbrunnen (St. James‘ Fountain) in the town centreVantage points: Niederbleick (1589 m) and Eckberg (962 m) with a view over the foothills of the Alps.Mühleck (926 m) with a panoramic view of the Alps from Wendelstein in the Chiemgau to Grünten in the Allgäu.Sport / Leisure: Wildsteig Nordic Walking Center – 30 km tracks across an amazing landscape. Varied cross-country ski trails with plenty of snow in winter.

The parish, with its 1300 souls and 19 districts and hamlets, lies in the midst of nature and among protected areas of natural beauty; it is centrally placed between the castles of Neu-schwanstein and Linderhof, nestling in the foothills of the Alps with its landscape of high moors and lakes and framed by the Ammer and Allgäu mountains. Known as ‘Wilde Steige‘ in the Middle Ages, the officially recognised health resort of Wildsteig has lost none of its naturalness today.The diversity of meadows, pastures, spruce and mixed forests, wetlands and high moors bear witness to the fact that people here live in harmony with nature. It is an ideal cycling and hiking area for everyone wanting to get away from it all and relax.

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Information:Tourist Information SteingadenKrankenhausstraße 186989 SteingadenPhone +49 (0) 8862 200Fax +49 (0) 8862 6470tourist-info@steingaden.bayern.dewww.steingaden.de

Weekend after St. Ulrich’s Day (4 July): ‘St. Ulrich’s Ride to the ‘Kreuzberg’ on Sunday morning

Concerts: ‘Festive Summer in the Wies Church’ ‘Music in the Pfaffenwin-kel’ ‘Evening Concerts in the Wies Church’

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

▶ 1147 Premonstratensian monastery founded by Duke

▶ 1176 Completion of the Monastery Church the ‘Welfenmünster’

▶ 1670-1676 Construction of the ‘Mariae Heimsuchung’ Pilgrimage Church in Ilgen

▶ 1746-1757 Construction of the Pilgrimage Church ‘Zum gegeisselten Heiland auf der Wies’ in Wies

The holiday resort to the south of the Pfaffenwinkel district, at the intersection of theRomantic Road and the German Alps Road, is well known through the world-famous Rococo Church in the Wies (UNESCO World Heritage Monument). The jewel of the former monastic vil-lage of Steingaden is its magnificent cathedral church, the Welfenmünster. A particular high-light is the Romanesque cloister. The picturesque market place, the monastery gardens, the monastery museum and the monastery fountain make for an inviting place to linger. Steinga-den lies in the middle of a walkers‘ paradise in the magical landscape of the mountain foothills.

SightseeingPilgrimage Church ‘Zum gegeisselten Heiland‘ in the Wies district (1746-57): a gem of Bavarian Rococo architecture and a late work of theartistic Zimmermann brothers: wonderful inter-action of architecture, colours and light; UNESCO World Heritage Monument.Former Premonstratensian monastery: founded byDuke Welf VI in 1147; monastery life ended with thesecularisation in 1803.Monastery Church of St. John the Baptist (1176)known as the Welf Minster; one of the most impor-tantRomanesque churches in Upper Bavaria; three-navecolonnaded basilica with two towers; redecorated in Baroque style (1660-70, about 1740); Wessob-runn stuccowork and ceiling paintings; pulpit and ‘Crucifixion Group‘ in Rococo style; well-preserved west wing of the former Romanesque cloister (13th century, Gothic arches).‘Mariae Heimsuchung‘ Pilgrimage Church in Ilgen (1670-76); designed by J. Schmuzer with early Wessobrunn stucco decoration (1670); ‘Gnadenbild‘ (picture of a saint, reputed to be able to work mira-cles - about 1430).

MuseumSteingaden Monastery MuseumPilgrimage Museum at the Wies Church.

ItineraryGuided tour of the Welf Minster in Steingaden, the

Wies Church, the Steingaden Monastery Museum, the Wies Pilgrimage Museum.

Programme of events by the Tourist Information Office. Walking, cycling, horse-drawn coach rides, guided nature walks with herb and nature trails.In winter: cross-country skiing, small chair lift, horse-drawn sleigh

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TS On weekends Village and summer festivals of the individual associations (Angling Festival, Village Festival,...).

Mid August:Lime Kiln Festival at the historical lime kiln.

3rd Monday in September:Buching Autumn Festival with Livestock Market.

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de In its fabulous natural setting, with views of the spectacular mountain backdrop and pic-

turesque lakes, lies Halblech, close to the Wieskirche, Neuschwanstein Castle and Füssen. This idyllic village in the Allgäu is the perfect starting point for cultural tours and offers a multitude of walking and cycling paths both in the broad valley and in the mountains. TIP: Take the chair lift or the hikers‘ bus up to the mountain huts.

SightseeingParish Church of St Michael in BayerniederhofenParish Church of St Andreas in TrauchgauSt. Peter‘s Chapel in BerghofWankerfleck Chapel in the Ammer Mountains Nature Conservation AreaVillage Museum in the ‘Hölzlerhaus‘ in Trauchgau‘Ammer Mountains‘ Nature Conservation AreaFour lakes around Halblech: Forggensee, Bannwaldsee, Illasbergsee and HegratsriedseeHides for bird watchers

Sport and leisure200 km of walking and hiking paths, cycle pathsDouble chair lift, ski lifts and hiking busTrauchgau Alpine open-air swimming poolMountain hiking and climbing in the Ammer MountainsParagliding from Buchenberg mountainTennis (indoor and outdoor)Swimming, wind surfing, fishing in the surround-ing lakesMountain biking, inline skatingAlpine skiing and 30 km of cross-country ski tracks, snow-shoe hiking, cleared winter hiking paths, ice skating, Bavarian curling, winter to bogganing

ItineraryGuided mountain hikes in the Ammergebirge nature preserveGuided tours: village, nature, landscapeGuided mountain-bike toursFamily vacation programme in the summer holidays

Sledge and horse-drawn carriage tripsAllgäu evenings, local-culture evenings with theatreAlphorn music, evening of wind music Guided tours of the ‘Hölzerhaus‘ Village Museum.

ExcursionsWithin 15 km:Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohen-schwangau, Füssen with its late medieval town-scape (St. Mang‘s Monastery, castle), the wonderful Rococo Church in the Meadow, ‘Welf Minster‘ in Steingaden.

Within 60 km:Rottenbuch Monastery Church, Oberammergau, Linderhof Castle, Ettal Monastery, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Zugspitze mountain, Oberst-dorf with Breitachklamm, interesting towns like Schongau, Landsberg, Kaufbeuren and Kempten.

Within 100 km:Augsburg, Munich, Lindau (Lake Constance), Innsbruck/ Tyrol.

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Information:Tourist Information HalblechBergstraße 2a87642 HalblechPhone +49 (0) 8368 285Fax +49 (0) 8368 7221 info@halblech.dewww.halblech.de

▶ 15 BC The Romans conquer the country

▶ 8th century AD The Welfs occupy the Lechrain district from Säuling to bey-ond Schongau

▶ 1172 First documentary mention of the men of ‘Druchgo’ under the leadership of Duke Welf VI

▶ 1191 Land passes to the Hohen-staufens

▶ About 1275 ‘Buchengau’ mentioned for the first time in the records of Duke Ludwig the Severe relating to the ducal lands in the Lechrain region

▶ 1535 Sovereignty sold to the

Augsburg patrician, Johann vom Paumgarten

▶ 1567 Sovereignty passes to Duke Albrecht of Bavaria

▶ 1803 The three communities of Buching, Trauchgau and Schwangau formed under the district Schongau

▶ 1880 Becomes part of the Swabian District of Füssen, later Füssen Rural District

▶ 1972 Dissolution of Füssen Rural District and formation of a new Rural District, East Allgäu

▶ 1976 Voluntary merger of the communities of Buching and Trauchgau to form the new community of Halblech

Landscape and natureTravellers heading south along the Romantic Road reach the edge of the Alps in Halblech. This Allgäu village in Bavaria‘s largest nature reserve, the Ammer Mountains, lies immediately at the foot of the mountains and offers an imposing natural setting. Many unusual plants and animals have their habitats here. Walking through this scenery is an experience for all the senses, as we are con-stantly surprised by new and interesting views, find particular alpine flowers, hear the babbling of the brooks and waterfalls and wander along the banks of shimmering lakes.

And the reward at the end is a hearty meal in, for example, one of the two rustic mountain huts. You can, of course, also get there by chair lift or the hikers‘ bus. The bus route takes you up to the un-mistakable summit of the Geiselstein, onto the high plain (2,100 m) and into ‘Kenzen‘ hiking country.

Stories from the past King Ludwig loved the Kenzen region back in his time, too. He had taken over a hunting lodge from his father, quite close to where today‘s mountain hut stands and converted it so for when he stayed there. He had a pavilion built just by the Kenzen wa-terfall, had it lit up with Bengali-style illuminations and often ate in this magical setting.

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Carnival:Procession, Shrove Mon-day ball, fire-brigade ball

May to September:Walking, cycling tours, theatrical performances, concerts by ‘Musikkapelle Schwangau’, Alpenhorn performances, peasants’ theatre

July/August weekends:Summer festival of clubs and societies

August:Pottery market

2nd Sunday in October:St. Coloman’s Festival and Procession with horse parade – in memory of the patron saint of the Pilgrimage Church. St. Coloman

DecemberAlpine Advent Carols in the Schwangau church of WaltenhofenChristmas markets in vari-ous parts of the town.

Sunday before St. Nicholas (6 December):St. Nicholas food market

Folklore evenings

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Surrounded by four lakes, the ‘Village of the Royal Castles‘ is set against the backdrop of the Ammer Mountains nature protection area. The unspoiled appearance of the climatic health resort is hallmarked by old farmhouses, as well as traditional inns and modern hotels. At the foot of the mountains are the two world-famous Royal Castles – Neuschwanstein and Hohen-schwangau – you can visit the castle by a guided tour.

SightseeingHohenschwangau Castle (1832-36): built in theneo-Gothic Tudor style of an English castle by CrownPrince Maximilian in accordance with plans by Dome-nico Quaglio; the castle is dominated by the four-tower cube of the palace; frescos with scenes from German history and the sagas of Moritz von Schwind (Hall of the Knights of the Swan, Tasso Room);‘Kavalierbau‘ (1851-53) by Ziebland.Neuschwanstein Castle (1869-86): built in a stun-ning mountain location above the Pöllat Gorge inthe style of Wartburg Castle by King Ludwig II. inaccordance with plans by Jank and supervised byRiedel; the ‘Castle of the Holy Grail of the IdealSovereign‘, a five-storey palace with towers andbalconies; magnificent living and reception roomsdecorate with scenes from prehistory and figuresfrom German mythology; the Singer and ThroneRooms form the focal point of this imposing building.King Ludwig IILudwig II is certainly the best-known ambassador for Schwangau. His extraordinary life and myste-rious death have turned the ‘Fairy Tale King‘ into a legend. ‘I wish to remain an eternal mystery – to myself and to others,‘ he once wrote for. His castles are monuments in stone to a human dreamer and idealist and, to this day, they prove a magical attraction for visitors from across the globe. You can find and follow the story of the royal family in the new ‘Museum of the Bavarian Kings‘ which deals with the history of the Wittelsbach family from their beginnings to the present day.

Pilgrimage Church of St. ColomanBaroque church, built in honour of Saint Coloman. The Irish pilgrim is said to to have stopped at this spot on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem at the turn of the first millennium. The church was built by the young Johann Schmuzer from Wessobrunn, in the year 1670. The church stands on its own in the middle of a field at the foot of the mountains and, because of its proximity to Neuschwanstein Castle, is also one of the best-known sights in Bavaria and is much sought after for photo-opportunities and as a wedding venue. Four lakes around Schwangau: Alpsee, Schwansee,Bannwaldsee and Forggensee (Bavaria‘s fifth big-gest lake) Ammer Mountains nature-protection area.Tegelberg cable railway (1,730 m), summer tobog-ganing, winter-sports arena for downhill skiing. Cross-country skiing centre - 32 km of cross-coun-try pistes, Alpine sports centre with graded climbs, 120 km of walking and hiking paths, 90 km cycle routes, nature and culture trails on the Tegelberg.Hang-gliding and paragliding; a paradise for hang-gliding and paragliding enthusiasts, international championshipsMountain huts, ‘Königliche Kristalltherme‘ thermal baths, Roman villa (Roman excavations).

ItineraryGuided walks through the town and park, as wellas guided hikes in the lowlands and highlands, from May to October.Guided tours of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwan-gau Castles, St. Coloman‘s Pilgrimage Church andthe Roman villa.

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Information:Tourist Information SchwangauMünchener Straße 287645 SchwangauPhone +49 (0) 8362 8198-0Fax +49 (0) 8362 8198-25info@schwangau.dewww.schwangau.de

▶ 2nd century BC Traces of a Roman settlement (bathhouse)

▶ 6th century AD Alemannic village

▶ From 12th century Seat of the Lords of Schwangau (Welf officials)

▶ 1538 ‘Schwanstein’ Castle is

demolished and rebuilt

▶ 1809 Destruction of ‘Schwanstein’ Castle

▶ 1832-1836 Hohenschwangau built on the foundations of the medieval castle as a summer residence for Crown Prince Maximilian

▶ 1869-1886 Construction of Neuschwanstein Castle under King Ludwig II

▶ 1926 Health resort

▶ 1985 Climatic health resort

▶ 2016 Allergy friendly districct

Insider tips Neuschwanstein Hotels & Events +49 (0) 8362 93040 www.neuschwanstein-hotels.de

Royal Crystal Thermal Baths +49 (0) 8362 8196-30 www.kristalltherme- schwangau.de

Forggensee ships: June - October.An evening of regional tradition in the spa build-ing: Music and entertainment with the Regional Costume Society, brass band, children‘s programme.

Tegelberg cable car, SchwangauThe Tegelberg cable car gives access to the lar-gest nature reserve in Bavaria. A hikers’ paradise par excellence, with hiking trails that follow the footsteps of kings, ranging from easy to difficult. The cabin cable car takes you up to a height of 1,730 m; a large panoramic terrace with spectacular views; group tariffs on request; barrier free.

Royal Crystal Spa, SchwangauNot far from the royal castles, a truly regal crystal spa, incorporating the most modern and finest bathing facilities, awaits you. 15 tonnes of precious and semi-precious stones adorn the spa and sauna facilities, in line with the teachings and medical recommendations of Hildegard von Bingen. Neu-schwanstein Castle can be seen from every part of the pools.

Museum of the Bavarian Kings At the foot of the royal castles, the museum pro-vides insights into the history of the Wittelsbach dynasty from its beginnings to the present day. The exhibition focuses on King Maximilian II, who had Hohenschwangau Castle built as a summer residence, and his son, Ludwig II, the creator of Neuschwanstein Castle. What make the exhibition special are the views of the surrounding landscape and the castles, the subtle use of the most modern, interactive museum technology and the extensive, staged scenarios. Individual visits or guided tours (up to 40 people) possible; audio guides in 8 differ-ent languages.

Forest Adventure Centre, ZiegelwiesPicturesquely situated on the banks of the turquo-ise-coloured river Lech, formerly the frontier be-tween Germany and Austria, the Forest Adventure Centre at Ziegelwies offers a limitless experience of nature. The tree-top walk (480 m long) introduces visitors to the fascination of this tree-top world. At a height of up to 21 m, you get new vistas of the unspoiled river landscape of the Lech, as well as of the mountains of Bavaria and Tyrol. Entry is free for people with disabilities and for children under 16 years of age. There are discounts for groups and bus parking is available. The adventure trails, suitable for school classes in particular, the mountain forest path (approx. 1.7 km) and the lowland forest path (approx. 1.5 km) explain, in an entertaining way, the important protective functions that the forest fulfils.

Day Trips Thanks to its superb position, Schwangau pro-vides the perfect starting point for day trips to, for example, Augsburg (approx. 100 km), Munich (approx. 130 km), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (approx. 63 km), the Zugspitze (to Ehrwald approx. 50 km, to Grainau approx. 70 km), Kempten (47 km) and Innsbruck (approx. 115 km), which are all possible from Schwangau.

TipsFrom Schwangau you can comfortably reach inter-esting destinations, such as the Pilgrimage Church of Wies, a rococo masterpiece and UNESCO World Heritage Site (approx. 24 km), Linderhof Palace, which was also built by King Ludwig II (approx. 45 km), the Welfenmünster Church at Steingaden Abbey (approx. 18 km), Ettal Abbey (approx. 48 km), Plansee Lake (approx. 27 km) and Reutte (approx. 20 km) or you could do a short round trip in the Alps – Wies Church, Oberammergau, Ettal Abbey, Linderhof Palace, Plansee Lake, then back to Schwangau via Reutte.

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TS May until September:Concerts in the Kaiser-saal – Chamber music, jazz & modern, with international ensembles

June:Start of the Forggensee boat-trip seasonHistorical Festival Procession

July:Marathon round the Romantic Royal CastlesFüssen goes Jazz – international bands play open-air

August:’Schindau‘ festival in the old townFestival on the banks of the Hopfensee and Weissensee lakesFestival in the historic town centre

September:Festival of stringed instruments - with many strings to its bow.Musical direction: Verdi Quartett

December:Füssen Christmas market in the enclosed baroque monastery courtyard of St. MangFüssen New-Year Party – open-air New Year‘s Eve celebrations

For up-to-the-minute details, see www.romanticroad.de

Bavaria‘s highest-lying town is situated right on the edge of the Alps and just 4 kilometres from Neuschwanstein Castle. Here the Romantic Road meets the German Alpine Road and the Via Claudia Augusta. The romantic old town centre offers an inviting place to stroll and shop and is home to many historic monuments and artistic treasures from the 2000 years of Füssen‘s history. High above the river Lech, the baroque monastery complex of St. Mang and the Hohes Schloss create an impressive ensemble.

SightseeingHohes Schloss (1291 – 1503): the extensive late-gothic fortified castle was, for centuries, the summer residence of the Prince Bishops of Augs-burg, who were also the Lords of Füssen. The mag-nificently coloured trompe-l’oeil paintings on the courtyard walls and the gallery in the north wing with pictures belonging to the Bavarian State Col-lections are well worth visiting and include works of art from the late gothic and baroque periods as well as painters of the 19th century Munich School (including Spitzweg and Pocci). The drop tower and clock tower (above the gallery) offer the most beautiful views over the old town.

Former Benedictine Monastery of St. Mang (1701 – 1717): the present baroque buildings were constructed on medieval foundations. In the Mag-nuskrypta (Crypt of St. Magnus), which lies beneath the monastery church, the oldest remaining fresco in Bavaria (around 980 – Reichenau School) can be seen. The monastery buildings house Füssen’s Heri-tage Museum with information about the history of the monastery: the richly decorated baroque halls in the monastery, one of Europe’s finest collections of historical lutes and violins, a section on King Ludwig II, as well as the oldest extant Bavarian ‘Dance of Death’, can all be admired here.

Historic old town centreLate gothic streets and squares (Schrannenplatz, – where corn was stored and sold and Brotmarkt – the bread market), Kornhaus (corn exchange), remains of the medieval town walls with defensive towers

and battlements near the St. Sebastian Cemetery (Sebastiansfriedhof), the Hospital Church of the Holy Ghost (Heilig-Geist-Spitalkirche) with its rococo frescos, St. Nicholas ‘Krippkirche’ (Church of Cribs) with its high altar by Dominikus Zimmermann - and several other baroque churches.

Nature’s pleasuresAround the central town of Füssen, its dependent parishes lie deep in the countryside: Bad Fau-lenbach in the largely car-free nature reserve of the Faulenbach valley; Hopfen am See, with its first-class views of Alpine peaks and the ruins of Hopfen Castle is celebrated as the ‘Riviera of the Allgäu’; Weißensee with its many hamlets nestles in the countryside. All these villages are recognised spas. Füssen offers an extensive network of hiking trails and cycling circuits at three levels and six natural lakes for bathing and water sports – there are opportunities all year round for almost limitless active enjoyment of nature. In wintertime, Füssen focuses on many different pleasures: winter walks to where the wild game feed, tobogganing on the alpine pastures, snow-shoe tours, curling on the frozen lakes, the fine ski-pistes and cross-country skiing in the region…..

Trilogy of walks through the Allgäu: the new long-distance walking network covers some 870 kilometres of the region’s most beautiful paths and byways. Füssen is the centre of an area packed with new experiences, effectively the castle grounds surrounding Neuschwanstein.

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Information:Füssen Tourismus und MarketingKaiser-Maximilian-Platz 187629 FüssenPhone +49 (0) 8362 93850Fax +49 (0) 8362 938560tourismus@fuessen.dewww.fuessen.de

▶ 4th century AD Roman castle (‘Foetibus’) on the Schlossberg to protect

the ‘Via Claudia Augusta’

▶ 8th century Cell of St. Magnus

▶ About 850 Founding of St. Mang Benedictine Monastery

▶ About 1295 Town charter

▶ 1313 Town mortgaged to the Archbi-shops of Augsburg who remain lords of the town until 1802

▶ About 1335 Town fortifications erected; economic boom and prosperity as place of transhipment for transit goods

▶ 15th/16th century Birthplace and European

centre of the lute and violin making trade

▶ 17th/18th century Repeated severe destruction through war

▶ 1701-1717 Construction of the Baroque Church and Monastery of St. Mang

▶ 1745 Peace of Füssen ends the Bavarian-Austrian War of Succession

▶ 1802/03 Secularisation (St. Mang

dissolved) and incorporation of the town into Bavaria

▶ Today Centre of tourism for the East Allgäu (14500 inhabitants)

Insider tips

LUITPOLDPARK Hotel**** +49 (0) 8362 9040

www.luitpoldpark-hotel.de

The Lech falls: just a few minutes’ walk from the old town centre, the Lech finds its way out from the mountains. The view of the narrow gorge from the Maxsteg is a particularly impressive one. The Ziegelwies Forest-Experience Centre (Walder-lebniszentrum): A new highlight is the 480-metre-long tree-top path, which was opened in 2013. Fa-milies with children particularly enjoy the discovery trails – through the hills on the ‘Bergwaldpfad’ and the lower woods on the ‘Auwaldpfad’. www.walderlebniszentrum.eu

The Fairy-Tale King becomes walkers guide: discover the favourite walks of Ludwig II and his family around Neuschwanstein and Füssen. You can find more detailed information on this in our brochure “Wanderklassiker”

Guided tour for lovers of the ‘Seegrund’ detective novels: the angular Allgäu Commissioner Kluftinger created by detective novelists Volker Klüpfl and Michael Kobr has now become something of a cult figure. Walking tours, starting in Füssen, to the scene of the Kluftinger stories will be on offer on a regular basis throughout the summer.

‘KönigsCard’: the all-inclusive ‘KönigsCard’ in-cludes more than 250 services free of charge, inclu-ding mountain railways, swimming baths, walking and cycling tours, museums and much, much more. Anyone booking their holiday accommodation at one of the members of the KönigsCard scheme for the whole of their stay will receive the KönigsCard free of charge from their hosts.

Standard offersRegular guided tours of the town: every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. You will find further times and dates for guided tours of the town and museum, guided walks and the programme for children ‘Hits for Kids’ in our online events calendar at www.fuessen.de.

Special offers and information for groups can be found in our Sales Guide Füssen, which can be requested from the Füssen Tourism and Marketing Office or downloaded at www.fuessen.de. Bookings can be made for, amongst other things, guided tours of the town (1.5 hours or more), thematic town tours, guided tours for children and gastro tours, guided tours of Füssen’s Heritage Museum or the gallery that houses part of the Bavarian State Paintings Collections in the Hohes Schloss. Guided church toursTravel guides for coach excursions (2 hours or more, as well as regional whole-day trips) Guided walksGuided cycling toursGuided snow-shoe outings, evenings at a mountain shelterVisits to a cheese dairy

Forggensee boat tripsThe most beautiful views of the mountains and Neuschwanstein Castle are to be enjoyed on a boat trip on the Forggensee. From 01 June (depends on the waterlevel of the sea) to 15 October 3 longer trips (2 hours) and 6 shorter trips (55-minutes) are scheduled to leave daily from Füssen’s boat harbour. www.forggenseeschifffahrt.de

www.romantischestrasse.dewww.romanticroad.de

Romantische Straße ®Touristik-Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbRSegringer Straße 1991550 DinkelsbühlTel.: +49 (0) 9851 551387Fax: +49 (0) 9851 551388info@romantischestrasse.dewww.romantischestrasse.dewww.romanticroad.dewww.romanticroadcoach.de c

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Picture Guide to the Romantic Road With over 160 colour photographs,fold-out road map, tips and events at all townsin

€ 7.50Sauer Verlag & Design, Sindsheim

The Romantic Road from Würzburg to Füssen (English)a Cycle Guide from North to South and South to North

€ 18.00Bergstrasse Bike Books, Viernheim

Hikeline – Romantic Road Long Distance Hiking Route (German)Hiking guide and 1:35,000 mapsPart 1 – From Würzburg to DonauwörthPart 2 – From Donauwörth to Füssen

€ 13.90 eachEsterbauer Verlag, Rodingersdorf

Romantic Road welcome setWith an original Romantic Road ‘Zwickel’ Beer and a Romantic Road certificate

€ 3.45

Romantic Road certificateWith 29 images of the individual towns

€ 1.20

Romantic Road Nostalgic Tour certificate High-grade ivory card

€ 1.50

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