Did you know that, as a town name, Kronau is quite popular? No, I didn’t either — having found out there’s one in Canada, a few in Austria, and two in Bavaria.
None of these, however, are the Kronau I’m at right now. That’s right, you’ll find THE Kronau in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, right between Heidelberg and Karlruhe.
No disrespect to any of the other Kronaus, but this one is quite special. How? Some four (yes, 4) scenic routes wind their way through this tiny town of just around 5,500 people.
The Paneuropa Radweg is a start, a cycle route that runs across Southern Germany between France and Czech Republic. The Rheintal-Weg is another, a 520 km bike route, as is the slightly shorter Heidelberg-Schwarzwald-Bodensee-Weg at a mere 303 km; and we can’t leave out the Kraichgau-Hohenlohe-Weg comes through either.
As if that’s not enough, Kronau has some great neighboring scenic routes — like the Bertha Benz Memorial Route, and the Baden Asparagus Route. Even if the King’s Veggie route doesn’t come directly through, it’s still in the vicinity so you’ll eat deliciously here.
The other way to eat great in this Kronau is at one of the many festivals held throughout the year. Wait, food’s not on the agenda for June’s Musikfest (Music Festival), but you’ll definitely be thinking about eating and drinking at the Fisherman’s Festival (July), followed by the Summer Festival, Oktoberfest, Kerwe, and Christmas Market.
Not too shabby for a place that lost ninety percent of its population during the Thirty Years’ War, huh? Instead of fleeing the area, people are flocking to it for camping at the Althäuser See, swimming at the Lußhardtsee, sightseeing at the St. Laurentius Church (built 1861), and to see many of its half-timbered houses.
With all this going on, you’d never guess this Kronau isn’t even eleven square kilometers. Yes, there might be many towns with the same name — but they might not all have the same panache as this one — showing you that bigger isn’t always better.
