Seligenstadt has been a major center for craftsman, traders, fisherman, and mercenaries, and you can catch a glimpse of how they lived their lives by visiting any of the many museums around town.

The Benedictine abbey is a popular spot for tourists to visit. This abbey church has been preserved for more than one thousand years. Visitors enter through the Carolingian basilica, which is one of the most magnificent architectural gems that I have ever encountered throughout all of Europe.

There are detailed statues and figurines dotting the building on both the inside and out. It is truly a wonderful sight to see. There is also a grinding plan for the abbey that was built in 1574 and has been recently restored.

Even if you decide to not do any of the “touristy” things in Seligenstadt, you’ll still enjoy your visit. Just walking through the town, you’ll enjoy traveling the small streets with picturesque corners and colorful half-timbered houses all from different eras. There are many impressive sites to see throughout the town as you explore it’s 1000 year history.

The locals in Seligenstadt are very friendly. This has been my experience in every German town, but you’ll especially notice it here. Many of the local shops and restaurants are family owned, and the business has been passed down through the family for many generations.

You never feel like people are just going about their jobs just to collect their paycheck. Everywhere you go, you are treated like you are a guest of the family’s house.

As for food, you’ll find no shortage of variety. There is a lot more than just German cooking here. Seligenstadt is a bit of a cultural melting pot and you’ll be able to enjoy everything from far eastern Asian delights to delicious Australian cooking, and of course all many different European cooking influences make their way into the food as well.

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The Burg Altena castle was the historic center of the county in the past and is still marked as a historic and cultural center even to this day. It is well worth the trip just to visit this single massive fortification on the Wulfsegge.

Another quite unique place to visit while traveling through Altena is the German Wire Museum. After a trip through this museum, you’ll realize just how unthinkable a world without wire would be. Wires comprise many things that we don’t think about very often, everything from the electrical infrastructure of the entire world, to cableways, to everyday household items like paperclips.

The museum demonstrates the many different techniques of creating and working with wire and the history of wire in Germany.

As far as accommodations go, you can’t do better for cheap living than one of the many hostels available in Altena. In fact, Richard Schirrmann developed the first permanent youth hostel in the world here.

The historical Altena hostel was created in 1934 and has been continually improved on to this day. It now has 58 beds and is often booked years in advance, but they still welcome walk-ins when there is room available.

If you have an urge to go hiking, you can get your fix by traveling the more than 250km (155 miles) of exciting hiking trails and witness all of the awe-inspiring German nature at its best. You’ll witness magnificent views over hills, meadows, forests, and perhaps you can take a walk along the Fülbecker dam. Hiking along these trails is the perfect way to chill out and relax from the hustle and bustle of the busier cities.

And, after your hike is over, you can enjoy the evening by dining in one of the numerous restaurants around town that serve delicious authentic home-cooked German cuisine.

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