Wow, there’s no getting out of Baden-Württemberg this week, that’s for sure. It doesn’t matter to me all that much, I love this part of Germany. Today it’s the rolling green hills town of Zimmern ob Rottweil that’s got my full attention.
And just when I thought I couldn’t find anymore scenic routes, guess what? I found another one.
For the record, it’s the village of Horgen in Zimmern that lies on the Schwarzwald Querweg Rottweil Lahr (that’s a long name). Oh yes, that’s right, Schwarzwald is German for Black Forest — so now you know where you are. Horgen is the second stop on this 4-day, 99km hiking route that kicks off in neighboring Rottweil, ending in Lahr.
What is there to see in Horgen? How about the ceiling paintings over at the Church of St. Martin? Or, if you’re lucky enough to be here for Christmas, there is the Nativity scene created from wood carvings, including about 180 figures. Now that’s art.
Horgen’s also where you’ll find the ruins of Burg Wildenstein, once lorded over by the Herren von Falkenstein. They knew how to impress, that’s for sure, the walls of this 13th century hilltop castle are over three-and-a-half meters thick. Still, they didn’t save it from being destroyed back in 1564.
Don’t skip out before going to Flözlingen, another one of Zimmern’s villages. The town’s Protestant Church is quite pretty, and the town was once crawling with Romans — so it has a history.
Which isn’t as old as Stetten’s history, by the way. Have you heard about the ancient graves from around 2,000 B.C. that were found here? Yeah, that’s kind of old, isn’t it?
The modern town of Zimmern is quite nice, it’s a hiking and biking paradise (hello, Black Forest), has a game reserve where you can learn all about animals like deer, a Kneipp area for tired achy feet after a day of hiking, and miniature golfing for some wholesome family fun.
Zimmern ob Rottweil got my full attention, and I think it deserves yours as well. History, culture, and family fun — what else more could anyone ask for in one place?
