Volcanoes don’t care about political borders. So the extinct volcanoes that are found around the town of Endingen am Kaiserstuhl don’t care that the town’s on the border of France. I’m sure you travelers care, don’t you like to know where you’re at?
This is a town that’s famous for more than just a low mountain range created from these long-gone volcanoes. This town was one of the last places where Witch Trials where held in Europe in 1751. Poor Ms. Anna Schnidenwind, she was the last woman executed here for “witchcraft.”
No need to worry about being accused of witchcraft today. You can enjoy the Dairy Museum, the Cherry Museum, the Local History Museum, the Kaiserstuhl Museum, and the Hexenwahn Museum (Witches Museum) all in relative ease.
Most visitors like to visit the Alte Rathaus (there are three Town Halls here, actually) that also houses a museum. One of the more interesting museums in Endingen is its Austria Museum. How nice to have a piece of Austria in Germany this close to France. Isn’t our united Europe fantastic?
Tourists and locals alike always manage to find themselves in Endingen’s historic Marktplatz. I guess that’s kind of silly since that’s where you’ll find those Town Halls. So make sure you get lots of pictures and don’t leave out the Königschaffhausener Tor (or Gate in English).
Look around Endingen some more and you’ll find the lovely Church of St. Martin (with a War Memorial), the 18th century St. Peter Church, and the St. Katharinenkapelle.
There’s more than just stuffy old historic sites in Endingen. Of course, being on the posh Kaiserstuhl helps, so hiking and walking around the volcanic area is a definite must.
So is shopping at the annual Endinger Büchermarkt that attracts thousands of avid book readers from all over. Who cares if they’re all written in German — book lovers of the world unite! ;-)
And there’s no worry about a language barrier during Endingen’s annual Carnival, which kicks off the season of Lent (usually February). Join in the revelry, eat the street food, and just have a sweet old good time (without worrying about any volcanic eruptions)!
