This has to be some kind of sick German joke — I’m German and the town of Windischeschenbach can barely get off my tongue to say today. I know, maybe I should add a little feature here on MyGermanCity.com that’ll allow you to hear how to actually say these totally off-the-wall sounding names.
Sorry, Windischeschenbach, I am totally in love with your town, but your name is killing me. ;-)
I might joke about the name, but I’m serious in telling you that you’ll have the time of your life in this Upper Palatinate town of twenty districts. Neuhaus has to be one of the best, and not just because it has a castle.
Neuhaus Castle is famous for its free-standing tower, but the castle itself is more than 700 years old — plenty of time to make a name for itself, wouldn’t you say? Today the medieval castle is home to the Waldnaabtal Museum, full of exhibits about the natural side of the Upper Palatinate; open from Easter Monday to October.
Speaking of the Waldnaabtal, Windischeschenbach is known as its “Gateway.” Call it what you want, but the region is known for all its fantastic recreational fun. Camping is big around here, as are activities like hiking, cycling, and even E-biking. If you’re afraid of getting lost, there are 10 circular hiking trails, by the way.
And Windischeschenbach is also known for its history of beer brewing at the Kommunbrauhaus. I’m not quite sure how to explain this, but if you lived here during the 14th to 16th centuries, you’d come here to help you brew your own beer, known as Zoigl. These days you can still drink the Zoigl — especially at the Zoigl und Backofenfest every June; which isn’t, by the way, to be confused with the Zoiglfest in July.
Thankfully, Windischeschenbach isn’t a one festival town, there’s plenty of parties to go around. It seems the festivities kick off at the Pfingstfest, then you’ve got then Fischerfest (June), the Pfarrfest (July), a Wine Festival (July), and the Straßenfest in August.
Oops, I forgot about the Bürgerfest (1st Saturday in July), the Brunnenfest (August), and the obligatory Kirchweih (September) for a minute there. Sorry, I was still trying to practice saying Windischeschenbach. ;-)
And I also almost forgot about the Drill Tower, and this although one can see it from afar… Known as GEO-Zentrum an der Kontinentalen Tiefbohrung, the derrick’s drill drilled 9.1 km (5.65 miles) deep into our earth for geological science.
