The love of beer comes in full swign in the Hops & Beer town of Spalt, located in the Middle Franconian region just north of the Franconian Lakelands.
What’s even nicer about Spalt is it isn’t just about the hops, which they’ve been cultivating here just shy of 700 years. Nope, the town has some great old buildings to explore, too. The Kornhaus (Granary) being one of them, a grand half-timbered design from the 15th century.
And I could never leave out telling you about the Church of St. Emmeram, once a Stiftskirche from the 12th century.
Just about a century older is Burg Wernfels, a medieval castle from the mid-13th century that’s a youth hostel these days. It makes me chuckle to think some crusty old Count probably never thought his fortress would be crawling with, gasp, tourists? ;-)
Speaking of the Middle Ages, throughout Spalt you’ll find parts of the original 14th century Stadtmauer, its defense wall. And, quite a number of its towers — like the Reifenturm and the Oberes Tor (Upper Gate) — both of which were built in the 15th century. The Schäferturm, by the way, is a bit older — it’s from the 14th century.
You’ll also see some strange looking half-timbered buildings here in Spalt, like the Hopfengut Mühlreisig. Its unique design is all for the drying and storing of the hops. Another odd looking half-timbered building is the Schlenzgerhaus; you’ll find it right near the Reifenturm, by the way.
When you’re done looking at all that, why not head over to the Hops & Beer Museum (Hopfen- und Biermuseum)? Sounds like a great place, doesn’t it? Of course it does, and there’s also a Fire Station Museum if you’re interested in that, too.
Afterwards a walk along the pedestrian/cycling bridge is also a great place to be — nothing is as grand as a day in Franconia’s fresh air. Which, by the way, you can also enjoy if you’re here for the Hopfenzupferfest every August.
They crown a Hops Queen every year — too bad it won’t be me. So I’ll just have to drown my sorrow with a sail on the Brombachsee, or maybe I’ll forget my disappointment by walking along the 2km long Barefoot Path.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is a Hops & Beer Town — give me one of those instead. ;-)
