Sometimes you gotta have a little faith. Then, there are times when something of a more divine nature presents itself, as in the case of Walldürn.
Although the city of Walldürn has been a place of pilgrimage for quite a few centuries, the Romans made their way through here long before that. There’s a UNESCO Cultural Site here because of the Roman ruins (including a castellet).
Really though, the entire town is a living time line of history. Walldürn’s City Hall is the oldest of its kind in all of Germany (built in 1448) and remainders of the original fortification wall (both mid to late 15th century).
Then there’s the miracle of the blood. This is where your faith comes into the picture and why more than 150,000 people flock to this tiny town in the Odenwald each and every year.
Back in 1330, a local priest at St. George’s Church spilled wine on the alter linen. The resulting spill looked like Jesus on the cross. A bit startled, Father Otto hid the linen for the rest of his life, only telling the tale on his deathbed.
For more than six centuries, the linen and the church have been a major focal point for visitors and the faithful. The divine artwork found inside the church tells a tale of history, love, and devotion.
There are also quite a few statues of the Madonna found around town. And one memorial stone dedicated to the town’s Jewish population that was deported in the 1940’s.
That’s not to say that Walldürn is all divinity and history (though that’s a HUGE part of it). No, it has a great pedestrian district with shops and restaurants. There is even a outdoor pool to swim, a sauna to relax, and tennis & golf to play.
Don’t miss out on any of the walking or cycling paths that lead around through town and the Nature Park Neckertal-Odenwald. That’s another place that will seem like the divine.
