Known as the Stadt der Brunnen (City of Fountains), the town of Külsheim is found in the very north of Baden-Württemberg, not all that far from the Bavarian border. It’s location is important, how else are you going to find it. ;-)
Another thing about its location is the town is all into the wine thing. Yup, every year the town chooses its Wine Queen at the Külsheimer Wine Festival in July, and even offer guided Wine Hikes and Wine Bike Tours for anyone interested.
There’s more to Külsheim than just its viticulture — right, remember about the whole being a City of Fountains? There are eighteen of them, with names like the William Grimm Fountain, Römerbadbrunnen, and Chapel Fountain. As beautiful as these are, they’re even more lovely around Easter, when they’re brightly decorated for the holiday.
I know, the wine and the fountains are reason enough to come, but I think you need to see the Chirotherium, too. These are 240-million year old fossil footprints, made by some prehistoric lizard of some sort. And I think you should come see the pretty pink-hued Templar House from the 14th century; although it wasn’t that color way back then.
The 14th century seems pretty gosh darn old, but the Keep of the Külsheimer Schloss is more than a thousand years old. Today its tower stands as the town’s landmark, while the castle itself is now a government building.
Is this enough for you? No? Good, because Külsheim still has more to offer both local and visitor alike. Come August, everyone gears up for the 5-day Großer Markt, and every April is the Spring Fair, however it is only every three years the Medieval Market takes place. The one in May 2013 was a very big hit.
Oh well, you’ll just have to keep yourself busy hiking or biking along the many marked trails through town. The Geological Trail is short, just 5.5 km; while the Baden & Bavarian Imperial Trail is a whopping 23 km.
What a wonderful town the City of Fountains turned out to be, maybe they should have named it the City of Awesomeness. ;-)
