Only a few minutes south of the Stuttgart Airport, you’d never in a million years think that that small cute village you just saw in the airplane is that interesting. Aichtal is like a time warp back to the bygone days of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Aichtal is also a fantastic place to shop. Not in big overcrowded, overpriced supermarket chains either! Aichtal has two weekly markets on Thursdays (7:30am-12:30pm) and Fridays (8am-12n) filled with all sorts of fresh produce, cheeses, and pastries! Yum!
A few times a year Aichtal has its Shopkeepers Markets, usually on/around February 2nd, the 4th Saturday in March, and 3rd Tuesday in November.
For as many markets as Aichtal has, it has just as many museums. There’s the Local History Museum (called Heimatmuseum, located at Mozartstrasse 11) that’s open on the second Sunday of the month from 10am-6pm. As well as the Baker’s Shop Museum (found at Waldenbucher Str. 1) with a look at how its been done over the last hundred years.
After you’ve sampled a few of the many delicious pastries, better go work the calories off in the Nature Park Schönbuch. Don’t look at it as exercise, just enjoy the tree lined walking or cycling trails along a few lakes and valleys. ;-)
You know, a nice stroll on the Hindenburgstrasse is a good idea, too. You’ll find many framework houses along the way, one dating back to the 15th century! Keep a lookout for Aichtal’s original defense wall, known in German as a Stadtmauer. Not nearly as old (but still lovely) is the “New” Town Hall (built 1845) and the “Old” Town Hall (built 1742).
One modern site in Aichtal is the Aichtalbrücke (built 1979), which is the longest highway bridge in Germany.
Oh, I’m sorry, another one is Aichtal’s indoor pool, perfect for day of fun if the weather isn’t cooperating!
Lastly, you might want to stop by and see the 13th century grave plate of Diepold of Berne (died 1286), who was the founding father of Aichtal, just to let him know how much you liked his town!
