My first thought was how lucky Immendingen was to border the towns of Tuttlingen and Geisingen. Then I got to know this town of 22-plus villages a bit better — and thought: How lucky is Tuttlingen and Geislingen to border Immendingen!
Confusing? It shouldn’t be. Immendingen is a jewel of a town if you love German castles. So what if all of them aren’t intact.
Burg Darrendobel is one of the oldest of Immendingen’s castles, originally built in the 8th century. Not too much remains of the original, just some ditches and ramparts.
Burg Immendingen doesn’t have anything left, either. According to the records, this medieval castle was demolished back in 1917. You’ll find Immendingen Castle near Ruine Hewenegg. As if its name doesn’t give it away, this 12th century castle has been in ruins since 1639. After that, its stone were used as a quarry.
There is an intact castle in Immendingen, the Oberes Schloss (Upper Castle) that’s now the town’s Rathaus (Town Hall); and the Unteres Schloss (Lower Castle) that dates to the 13th century. From the looks of it, you’d never be able to tell it had fire damage back in 1643.
Immendingen isn’t all castles, by the way. It has this totally romantic covered bridge — this one from 1825, because the French destroyed the 18th century original one.
And along the Vogel- und Baumlehrpfad (Bird & Tree Trail) you’ll find lots of information along the 15 or so info boards about the 175 or so species of plants and animals found along the way.
Nature’s an amazing thing, by the way. For (approximately) 155 days, from Summer to Autumn, the Danube River sinks around here, leaving plenty more space to hike around. It’s called Donauversinkung or Donauversickerung (Danube Sinkhole) — a natural phenomenon where Danube’s water literally disappears into the ground, only to revive again in Lake Constance. Yeah, amazing!
Another “nature” site to see would be the exhibit on the Saber-tooth tigers over at the Heritage Museum.
Sports meet up with nature in Immendingen with cross-country ski trails, plenty of hiking paths, and lots of cycling lanes.
After all that, you can be plenty tired out. No wonder there are camping sites along way, especially at the Donauversinkung.
Yeah, Tuttlingen and Geisingen are fantastic in their own right, but Immendingen manages to hold its own with the neighbors.
