Last night I had the most awful dream. I dreamt that you, my wonderful reader friends, got (gasp!) bored reading about Germany. Yeah, I know, how could I ever write such a thing, especially when Baden-Württemberg keeps throwing out great nuggets like Güglingen.
For the wine lover in all of you, this is the place to be. It’s totally surrounded by vineyards, and it’s the spot for an annual Wine Festival every September. Because wine is important to Güglingen, it’s forever immortalized in one of the town’s fountains.
There are a whole bunch fountains to be found here, by the way (like the Marktbrunnen from 1568); along with some 50 pieces of sculpture and art. It’s like a treasure hunt to find them all, so make a game of it to find the Four Seasons, Sphinx, Guardian, and Aquatic Animals to name a few.
Of course it’s easy to get distracted by Güglingen’s historical buildings. You can’t miss the light blue half-timbered Town Hall, which is also a Roman Museum.
No, it isn’t out of place here, because the entire region was once crawling with them; along with the Celts and Stone Age folks. Just not at the same time. ;-)
Ah, back to what I was going on about… the buildings. Bring lots of film (or leave room on your digital camera card) so you can get pictures of the 16th century Herzogskelter, the Chapel of St. Leonard, and the Steinhaus (Stone House, built in 1349).
Don’t miss seeing Güglingen’s Mauritiuskirche, originally built in 1241 — only to be rebuilt in the 1850s because of a fire. The Marienkirche is a wonderful church from the 15th century, so come here too.
Me? I’ll take the bleak stone ruins of Burg Blankenhorn any day of the week. Once the dwelling of the Hohenstaufen’s, this 13th century castle ruin is now accessible to anyone interested. Oh yeah, and it’s free to do it, too.
Then again, if you prefer all the eco-touristy stuff, you can run off to do that instead. There are three well-marked hiking and biking trails found throughout Güglingen, making it really easy to get around.
And Güglingen makes it really easy to eat. Come the end of August when there’s the Bakery Festival, while the Maytime Festival takes place at Pentecost.
Wasn’t I happy to wake up from my nightmare, only to realize that I was in a dream town. Thanks, Güglingen — I’ll sleep restfully from now on. :-)
