After
World War II, Niederstetten was a quite lost village: narrow an winding streets
and houses which did not look rich at all. Since then, its historic gems were
polished up for our visitors: the downtown pedestrian area, a thriving economy,
restored historic houses, the fortified church in the centre of a lovely market
place, the near-natural creek, the restored town hall, the picturesque defense
towers, and many wells.
Today, the 1200 year-old small town has a lot to offer: piglet market, horse market, "Steidemer Herbst", craft days, outdoor games and a colorful cultural program spread a busy and joyful athmosphere.
The
remote and enchanted castle above town is home of the Hunting Museum. The
Zeppelin Museum (the last German Zeppelin Captain came from Niederstetten) is
located in the "KULT". An old restored barn is home of the the local
heritage museum. The ruins of the "Temple" at the Vorbach creek offer
the proper setting for the Niederstetten open air theatre.
The
historic walled downtown area of the small town at the river Tauber has is well
preserved. The city gate is in the renovated Gänsturm which is home of the town
museum. The marketplace is a picturesque background for special meetings: The
city church, the market fountain and the City Hall underwent an extensive
restauration. The former Tithe Barn houses the village museum, and old arcades
lead into the Renaissance chateau with its original furniture as well as a
Baroque garden, orangery and Gnome Gallery.
Earl
Karl's former summer residence was located on the "Karlsberg". Until
today, there is a wild boar park and a hunting museum. The nearby "Planet
Trail" houses a solar observatory.
The
small municipality at the confluence of Tauber and Herrgottsbach ("Lord's
Creek") consists of many villages of distinct character. Three historic
city towers survived the centuries in the historic town center of Crenglingen.
One of them, "Lindleinturm" accomodates the museum of Margaret
Botticher's home. The former bathhouse houses a Jewish museum.
In
the small village of Frauental you can visit the remains of an old monastery. In
the church, besides the Exhibition "From Monastery to a village," you
can find a rarity in our region: three real mummies. The moated castle
Waldmannshofen houses the oldest Fire Engine Museum in Baden-Württemberg.
Ulrich's Chapel at Standorf ia a rare octagonal building. The
"Landturm" in Lichtel is a remnant of Rothenburg's fortification. In
Reutsachsen, you can see a historic customs post, and at Finsterlohr, one of
Europe's biggest Celtic strongholds has been excavated. In Herrgottstal by
Münster, in an old mill you can enjoy Europe's one and only Thimble Museum.
Right next to the museum, in the "Herrgottskirche" one of the wood
carving masterpieces of the Würzburg sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider can be
admired.
Röttingen is a romantic spot in the Tauber Valley: Castle Brattenstein with its tithe barn and Bacchus Cellar (viticulture museum), a city wall with seven towers, the Parish Church of St. Kilian, and a baroque town hall. The very first "European town" (since 1953) has to offer much in its vicinity, too: : a sundial hiking trail, an archaeological hiking trail and a Museum vineyard. Kids will love the experimental playground of the kindergarten outfitting company "Eibe".
The spa town is dominated by the Teutonic castle which until 1809 was the residence of the high and German master of the Teutonic Order. Its museum houses numerous exhibitions. In Bad Mergentheim, there are numerous churches and a Capuchin monastery. In the village Stuppach, you can see a Madonna by Matthias Grunewald. The mineral and wave pool "Solymar" will enjoy friends of water sports. Just outside the village, it is worth visiting the wildlife park on B290.
Rothenburg
is probably Germany's most famous mediaeval and romantic town. You can walk
around the city on the completely preserved city wall and watch timber framed
houses, historic churches and museums. The criminal museum has the largest
collection of German legal history. Visit "Reichsstadtmuseum", doll
and toy museum, "Reichsstadthalle", "Schäfertanz Museum",
"Spitalbastei", or St. James Church with its Riemenschneider group,
just to name a few of the numerous sights of Rothenburg.
For first-time consumers, we recommend the Kitty Wolfarth Christmas village. If you'd like to take a 3 km walk, go from the castle into the valley of the River Tauber, pass the Toppler Castle until you reach Dettwang with its 1,000-year-old Peter and Paul Church which has yet another Riemenschneider altar.
In Würzburg, art is thriving. Many buildings witness Tilman Riemenschneider and Balthasar Neumann's work shaping the city: Cathedral, Neumünster with Baroque facade, St. Burkhard monastery, Carmelite Monastery "Himmelspforten", St. Mary's Chapel, Pilgrimage Church "Käppele" and much more. The prince-bishop's residence with its awe-inpiring staircase and hall of mirrors is often called the most beautiful German Baroque palace because of its uniform style. The Marienberg fortress above town houses the Main-Franconian Museum.
From Würzburg, side trips along the Main to Sommerhausen and Ochsenfurt are recommended.
The small timber-framed town of Langenburg resides on top of a hill above the River Jagst. For many centuries, the Renaissance castle has been the residence of the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. The museum shows in the regional history. The former stables nowadays accomodates the "German Car Museum Langenburg". Just below the castle, kids and those who remained young will love the "Waldkletterpark Hohenlohe" (forest climbing park).
Creglingen: Jewish Museum, Lindleinturm, Herrgottskirche, Thimble Museum
Creglingen Frauental: Church
Creglingen-Waldmannshofen: Fire Engine Museum
Ceglingen-Finsterlohr: Celtic oppidum
Creglingen-Standorf: Ulrich's Chapel
Weikersheim: Castle, Village Museum, Gänsturm, City Museum, Karlberg
Weikersheim-Laudenbach: Bergkirche
Niederstetten: Castle Haltenbergstetten with hunting museum, Zeppelin Museum
Niederstetten-Wermuthausen: Moerike room
Niederstetten-Wildentierbach: Village prison
Röttingen: Brattenstein Castle, Viticulture Museum
Langenburg: Castle and Motor Museum
Niederstetten-Rinderfeld: swimming lake
Creglingen-Münster: swimming lake, water adventure complex
Hollenbach: swimming lake
Weikersheim-Neubronn: heated forest swimming pool
Bad Mergentheim: Spa Solymar
Röttingen: Experimental Playground
Bad Mergentheim: Wildlife Park
Langenburg: Forest Climbing Park