All right, I’m finding that writing about Dettingen unter Teck, a mini-town of sorts in Württemberg, is really difficult.
Sometimes it’s hard to find things to see and do at first glance — for crying out loud, the place isn’t even 16 square kilometers. Maybe I’m expecting more from a town in the Swabian Alb than I should be?
No, I know exactly what I’m expecting, and it’s totally up to me to find it; and find it I did, going all the way to the days of Romans, as a matter of fact.
The Kastell Dettingen unter Teck was once a Roman military camp, from sometime around the 2nd century A.D. Yeah, that’s more than eighteen centuries ago; and an object and artifact has found its way to the State Museum in nearby Stuttgart. Quite impressive, I must say.
The “kastell” of the Romans is much older than Burg Teck, but a medieval castle is nothing to sneeze at. The view from its 773 meter high “perch” above the Swabian landscape is nothing short of spectacular — and today it is a restaurant, and has a lookout tower, so no royal blood needed to visit — it’s open to everyone.
Even if Dettingen unter Teck doesn’t have anything else other than castles, it’s all right, it’s got chocolate. For the last fifty years (give or take), this has been the home-base for Rübezahl Chocolates. All is right with the world when you’ve got a chocolate bar handy. Remember to take one or two with you while you’re off exploring the Swabian Alb — part of Dettingen even lies within the Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve, so make sure you dispose of your wrappers properly. ;-)
A lot of Dettingen is “au natural,” as more than a quarter of the town is entirely forested. Beautiful, to say the least, so you’re bound to fall in love with any (or all) of it out on a hiking or biking trail.
As if that’s not enough, there are quite a number of antique shops, and outdoor recreational sports like tennis and miniature golfing, to keep you busy.
I was right on to expect more from Dettingen unter Teck; and I found so much more along the way.
