Germany’s one of those countries where you could live here your whole life and still not see it all. Why? Because of little towns like Weingarten (Baden) in the little-known, yet gorgeous, Kraichgau.
It’s not so much as all the sightseeing you can do around this beautiful wine region. Just add in all the festivals, bicycle routes, and walking paths; and you’ve got yourself a month of Sundays worth of busy!
Did I mention that Weingarten is also on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route? No? Well, I just did. ;-)
Originally, Weingarten started as a Roman settlement, then started to come into its own during the Middle Ages; and sadly there isn’t much of those two epic time periods left. By the time the Wartturm (a 16th century watchtower) was built in 1589, the medieval period was pretty much over.
Today, the tower acts as an exhibition hall highlighting Weingarten’s history.
If you stand on the 19th century Tulla Bridge (found right in the City Center) you can get an awesome snapshot of the tower, as well as the town itself. Even getting a picture of the historic Walk’scheshaus, a half timbered house built in 1701. The Walk’scheshaus is both a restaurant and a hotel; and you couldn’t ask for a better hotel address than this as it’s right on the Marktplatz!
Leading off from the Marktplatz and the Warturm is the Forest & Wine Trail. General tours along this trail can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 3-hours, so plan to be out here for a while.
Oh, don’t balk… the vineyards and forest make for great scenery. Told you the Kraichgau is one of my favorites, didn’t I… ;-)
Other outdoor activities can include a visit to the Weingarten Moor Nature Reserve, or traveling along a chunk of the Pan Europa Bicycle Route. Don’t go too far, this route travels all the way from the Czech Republic to France!
I like how the municipal pool is open all year round — despite being an outdoor pool! Who cares if it’s winter, warm up at its Roman steambath or in the Finnish sauna.
Some visitors (and locals) like the Baggersee instead (a lake). Entrance is free and there are BBQ pits for cooking some hot dogs. Oh, I’m sorry — I mean bratwurst. ;-)
In addition to all this sightseeing, Weingarten (Baden) still has all sorts of festivals going on. The most popular festivals are the Musikfest (end of July), the Christmas Market (end of November), and the Wine Hiking Day (September). Well, it’s a good thing it’s a wine day with only hiking — you certainly wouldn’t want a Wine Driving Day!
