No one, and I mean no one, can ever say they came to the town of Stühlingen and didn’t have a good time. Really, any place with as many festivals and cultural events as Stühlingen is the right place to be for party animals.
It’s also the right place to be for nature and history lovers. You see, Stühlingen lies right along the Southern Black Forest Nature Park. Those ambitious enough to tackle the Gorge Trail (all 118km of it) will find themselves visiting Stühlingen without even trying.
Listen, I’m not even going to hike one-tenth of that — though I still appreciate the beauty of the Black Forest.
What I (and I’m not the only one) also do appreciate are old medieval castles; although I’m not sure if Stühlingen’s landmark, Schloß Hohenlupfen, qualifies as one. Maybe it does, but its current structure wasn’t built until 1624, and the original castle was built atop a Roman site.
Burg Blumegg is the other must-see castle. Just don’t go expecting to see a fully intact castle from the 12th century; the Burg was destroyed more than 450 years ago.
As with many towns in Germany, when you have old castles — you can generally find old churches, and Stühlingen is no different. The Kapuzinerkloster (Capuchin Monastery) might still be a working monastery, but you’re welcome at the monastic church. And you’re welcome to come see the beautiful 19th century paintings at the Church of St. Fridolin; and you really shouldn’t miss out on a visit to the former pilgrimage Church of St. Nicholas.
With all that out of the way, it’s time to party Stühlingen style. Hey, I started with talking about the town’s parties, so why not finish with them too?
Anyway, it seems Stühlingen has something going on just about every month of the year. Come May there’s the Summer Festival and Gartenfest, while August is the time to enjoy the multi-day Mittelalterfest (Medieval Festival).
The cooler months bring on the Oktoberfest (October), the Martinimarkt (November), and the Christmas Market. Plus, if you like music, then be sure to get tickets for the Klosterkonzert (concerts at the monastery) and/or the Easter Concerts.
Yup, it’s official, there’s a great time to be had in Stühlingen.
