For the most part, I’ve been pretty straightforward about most of Germany’s towns and cities. There’s usually something to do or see, and I find an angle that’ll highlight the very best of one particular place. Sometimes I find a place where I could very well spend the rest of my days, living life to the fullest.
Yup, you guessed it, Königsfeld im Schwarzwald is one of those places.
It isn’t one thing that makes me want to pack my bags and move in. It’s the whole kit-and-kaboodle. It’s the fact that this is a healthy climate as well as Kneipp resort. It’s the fact that the natural scenery of the Black Forest makes for a great backyard. Etcetera, etcetera…
To see the most of the area, rent an e-bike. No, it isn’t a computerized tour — it’s an electric bicycle. How cool is that?
And for the true culture lover, Königsfeld falls on a number of scenic routes. Some are pretty self-explanatory, like the German Clock Route and the Schwäbische Dichterstraße (Swabian Poet Road); and then you’ve got the Ostweg, a long distance hiking route for the truly adventurous.
I’m not that ambitious. Can I have that e-bike in my size, please? ;-)
Whether you’re using that e-bike, or the power of your own feet — there’s a lot to see, starting with the ruins of two castles. The more famous of them is the Burgruine Waldau, built in 1127 and destroyed some 400 years later during the Peasants’ War. Burgruine Burgberg (say that fast five times) is the older of the pair, built 10 years earlier and destroyed almost a decade earlier.
This is but a snippet of Köngisfeld’s history. No wonder Albert Schweitzer came to live here. As a matter of fact, he once confessed that he had the time of his life here.
Don’t know who Herr Schweitzer was? He was a French/German theologian, missionary, and philosopher — as well as a Nobel Prize winner. His former house (to be found at Schramberger Straße 5) is a museum to his life.
Another museum, the Dorfmuseum (Village Museum) in the Buchenberg district, shows previously exercised crafts such as carving, glass blowing, weaving, watchmaking and pottery.
Königsfeld is also famous for being a center for the Moravian Church. It’s more than just some building, the church holds cultural events in town throughout the year.
One church that’s a must-see is St. Nicholas, built some ten centuries ago. Now, that’s tradition — and there’s nothing a German loves more than tradition.
Can you see why Mr. Schweitzer wanted to move to Königsfeld im Schwarzwald? I certainly do, and wouldn’t mind hangin’ my hat here for the next forty or so years.
