All of Straubenhardt’s five local municipalities are within the Black Forest area. Oh, how exciting, how exotic — the mystic Black Forest! Land of ham, cake, and other delicious goodies!
Delicious regional cuisine isn’t the only thing of value in Straubenhardt. It’s got a castle, too. Two, actually. Don’t be disappointed when you find out Schloss Rudmersbach isn’t a Frankenstein/Dracula kind of castle. It’s not a dark and foreboding place; and in this case isn’t a bad thing. Although, that kind of castle would fit in here.
Ruine Straubenhardt is exactly what the name says it is, the ruins of Castle Straubenhardt. I would be more surprised if this old burg was still standing — it was built around 1090. Funny, it’s been leveled for more centuries than it stood, destroyed back in the 1380’s.
You know what else makes Straubenhardt unique? No? I’ll tell you. It’s that the town doubles its population with over 10,000 visitors to both the Spring and Autumn Celebrations (in April and September respectively). More than 3,000 visitors come to the Schwanner Warte Run in June.
When you visit the Schwanner Warte any other time of the year, you’re in for a treat. This observation tower’s got the most amazing views to as far away as the Speyer Cathedral, the nuclear power station in Philippsburg, and the Odenwald region.
If you got the time, energy, and stamina why not have a go of bicycle riding through the area. If you don’t want to bike it, bring your comfy cross-trainers and take to the walking paths.
As great as all these sites are in Straubenhardt, there are still more scattered about. The churches of St. Martin (Conweiler), St. Nikolaus (Ottenhausen), and Castle Church (Schwann) are just divine (yell at me about the bad pun later). The Town Hall in the village of Langenalb is a nice stop, too.
When you’re done sightseeing, find a local eating establishment that serves some Black Forest Ham with a slice of Black Forest cake for dessert. After all, you’ve earned it.
