In the very southwest of Germany lies the small town of Heitersheim.
A lot of history took place here, but not the kind of epic battles and such. No, it’s more like a continuous history — a steady stream instead of a rush, so to speak.
The first of the history makers were the Celts, followed by the Romans who made a real impact. They brought wine making to the region, for which we get to enjoy the fruits (literally) of their labor.
A great place to see how the Romans lived around here is over at the Villa Urbana, a first century house that had running water, a pool, and an atrium. This Roman Museum is the place to be on Heritage Day in September — where it holds all kinds of events.
After the Romans left came the Alemanni and Franks, followed by the Knights of the Middle Ages. These last guys also left a mark on this Markgraves’ Land town by building the Malteserschloss, belonging to the Order of Malta.
As history loving as I am, even I got a bit boggle-eyed trying to figure all this Crusader Knight kind of thing out. What I am clear on is the castle has a fine museum that details the Order’s history, some of the armor and robes worn by its members, and 600 volumes of books.
FYI, the museum is open April to November with guided tours available on the first Sunday of the month.
In between museum openings, how about enjoying one of Heitersheim’s festivals or cultural events? The Klausmarkt is a December event full of Christmas cheer, wine, and food. The Erntedank-Pfarrfest is a blending of Thanksgiving & Church festival that’s also all about the food. Seems to be a good match with all the wine tastings at the local wineries.
Still, if you’re hungry again try visiting one of the local eateries with everything from Chinese to ice cream.
Makes me ponder the question — what do you think some of Heitersheim’s history makers think of the place now?
I know I like it. ;-)
