One thing’s for sure about the town of Weissach im Tal in Baden-Württemberg: you’ll always know what time it is.
It sounds pretty stereotypical, doesn’t it? Who hasn’t heard or made jokes about the Germans being, GASP, punctual?
OK. OK. The big sundial in town (calledso prettily decorated with zodiac symbols) doesn’t help to stop these stereotypical ideas. Neither does having a World Clock that displays not only the full and half-hour, but also the quarter hour; and shows the names of cities where the sun’s at its peak.
Go ahead, snicker, chuckle, crack a smile or joke all you want at this point. How funny is that, Germans so obsessed with time that they’ve taken to calculate the sun’s position someplace else in the world. ;-)
What isn’t a joke is how lovely Weissach im Tal is. It might be a modern town with all the 21st century conveniences, but it still manages to hold onto its Old World charm. I’d say all of its half-timbered houses could have something to do with it.
One timber-framed house is now Weissach’s Heimatmuseum (Local History Museum). Where else better to house it than in an old building from 1781, don’t you think?
Another framework barn, located at Friedenstraße 10, is now a hotel and a library. Ahh, a good book and a fine place to rest your head. Life doesn’t get better than this.
Well, strike that… sure it does. Weissach sits within the Swabian-Franconian Forest. So, why not hop on the Swabian Forest Railway for a steam train ride? Then again, a simple stroll over the Old Bridge (built 1741) can be lovely too.
You know what else is lovely? The Christmas Craft Market, the Christmas Market, the Christmas caroloing, and the gingerbread baking in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Yeah, it might be a bit chilly this time of the year, but you’ll hardly notice with all the sights, smells, and shopping.
Then follow it up with services at the 13th century church of St. Agatha (it’s now Evangelical). You just better be on-time, you know how we Germans are obsessed with time! ;-)
