You’ll find the town of Neulingen on the Baden/Swabian border. Confusing yes, but then again, there’s Swabia and then there’s Baden. Two different places in the same place.
Sounds cryptic, but rest assured there aren’t too many more beautiful places in the world. I’m biased — what can I say? ;-)
And Neulingen is famous in a way. It lies along the Bertha Benz Memorial Route, so if you’re following in the footsteps (I think that would be tire tracks) of Bertha — then you’ll find yourself here.
Before driving off, I would make sure you’ve seen the Weinbrenner style Church of St. Ulrich from 1805, built over the 1507 original in the village of Göbrichen.
Another village of Neulingen is Bauschlott, which has its very own castle. Too bad the 4-tower, moated castle is privately owned — it sure would be nice to get an insider look at Schloss Bauschlott.
Oh well, I guess I’ll have to head to Bauschlott’s Village Green with all its half-timbered houses, and its mid-16th century Rectory.
Nußbaum, the smallest and least populated of Neulingen’s villages, also has its own Village Center; and its own lovely church — the previous fortified Church of St. Stephen.
You don’t wanna just hear about all of Neulingen’s buildings, do you? No, I didn’t think so. So, I’ll mention the Böllstrichsee and the Fricksee; two cute lakes that are great for fishing or just to sit by at a beer garden.
One of the more unique attractions in Neulingen is its model-airplane airport. Tell me what boy (no matter what his age) can resist that? Let everyone else run off to play tennis or golf — you can stay here with me. ;-)
Stick around for Neulingen’s festivals. There are two Summer Festivals in July, a Straßenfest every two years, and May Day (May 1st) is ushered in with lots of music, dancing, and good cheer.
Still not enough to make you forget that you’re in the Baden region with one leg and the Swabian region with the other leg? Don’t worry about getting lost — you can always join in on one of Neulingen’s guided cycling programs.
I say in honor of Miss Benz — forget the bike and bring the car around. ;-)
