A big, hearty welcome from the town of Grafenau. Not the Grafenau in Lower Bavaria, but the one in Württemberg. Confusing a bit, isn’t it?
By the time I’m done on this Web page, maybe you won’t be. I still might though. ;-)
This Grafenau is located in the Böblingen District, and it’s very big — just a tad over 13 square kilometers; along both the Schwippe and Würm Rivers. Since this Grafenau is nearby to (deep breath to get them all out) Stuttgart, Leonberg, Calw, Weil der Stadt, and Sindelfingen, it’s quite easy to get here.
What’s the point of coming if there isn’t anything to see? Are you kidding, Grafenau lies in a sweet part of the Black Forest — so you’re bound to be happy if you don’t do anything but walk a hiking trail.
Actually it lies in the Heckengäu — a landscape defined by tumuli and Royal Celtic graves.
Lucky for us, there’s a tad more than that. For instance, there’s the Dätzingen Castle. It’s a Malteserschloss — a castle that belonged to the Order of Malta (a Catholic Order from the 11th century). Today it’s part Local History Museum and part Art Gallery.
The art found in the castle (that’s only open on the third Sunday of the month from 2pm – 5pm) takes a look at the artist styles of a post-WWII Germany.
I might be inspired to paint myself after seeing the castle’s gardens, its small side garden, and its fountain.
Nah, I’ll stick to writing about Grafenau’s Martin Lutheran Church (located at Eberhardstraße 13) in the village of Döffingen — right where it’s been since it was constructed in the 11th and 12th centuries.
Not anywhere near as old is the Leonhardskirche, not built until the 19th century. Don’t let its young age fool you — it’s still worth a trip.
After a trip to the Kapellenbergturm, a watertower from the 1950’s that’s now a cellphone tower, there’s not much else.
But, if anything, you’re not confusing Württemberg’s Grafenau with that other one. ;-)
