The love of the German automobile ends right here in the town of Wüstenrot. No, it’s not as if the town has anything against a Porsche or Audi — it’s just that it lies along the Idyllic Route.
In the most simplest way of explaining it, the route is best enjoyed walking or cycling. This would explain Wüstenrot’s guided hikes.
A wonderful way to see the countryside is atop the Aussichtsturm Steinknickle, a 30 meter high observation tower. It doesn’t end here, climb the 66 steps of the Himmelsleiter, or Stairway to Heaven, and look up to see the 45 meter high Sequoias at the Wellingtonien.
You can go from atop the world to below it when you go see the Silberstollen, which were the old silver mines.
Have a walk over to the Finsterroter See, a lake that’s great for both boating and swimming. Right nearby is a barefoot path, so go ahead and kick those shoes off.
After walking to see Wüstenrot’s Baroque St. Kilian Church (b. 1732), visiting its Glas- und Heimatmuseum (Glass and Local History Museum), and its 18th century Rathaus you’ll be ready to get out of your shoes.
And no one said you had to have your shoes on while over at one of Wüstenrot’s BBQ areas, either. Keep ’em on while you’re at the 15th/16th century Burg Maienfels though.
What can we see after that? The Greifvogelanlage, which is all about birds of prey. You’re welcome there anytime from March to November. And the Haus Haller Straße 3 (a.k.a. Georg-Kropp-Haus), a half-timbered building from 1750 that houses the Bausparmuseum.
What? Oh, right, I haven’t told you yet that Wüstenrot is actually famous for its Bausparkasse (home loan bank) that has the name of this town, hence it makes sense to have a museum about it. ;-)
As idyllic as Wüstenrot is, it’s even better during one of its festivals. Hopefully I don’t miss any — so here goes: there’s the Ochsenfest in July, the Waldkuchenfest (Forest Cake Festival), the Dorfplatzfest Oberheimbach, the Kirchplatzfest in June, the Summer Festival (also in June), and the obligatory Christmas Market.
Yeah, I did miss some — there’s another Village Festival in early August (Dorffest Finsterrot) and the Erntedankfest (Harvest Festival) in September. Guess I got sidetracked by the Swabian-Franconian Forest and the Mainhardt Forest in the background.
Forget the car, this really is a place best explored on foot — or at least on a bike.
