Bad Wimpfen:A Medieval German City
Hilltop Towers, Chapel and Ancient Houses, Crown the Neckar Valley
Dec 26, 2008
The Neckar River flows calmly through fields and forests here while high above the riverside forest the towers and spires of the ancient town stand tall. A gem of the Middle Ages untouched by the wars of the twentieth century, it offers exciting places to visit with markets and festivals, hospitality and water adventures on the river.
Refuge Of Ancient Emperors
Staufer Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa ordered the construction of the castle and fortifications about 1182. Great stone defensive walls and a pair of towers made it an impressive and safe refuge. The town boasts more than 800 very old houses of which about 400 are original half-timbered structures. The old neo-renaissance 19th century railroad station just under the walls on the hillside serves as the local Tourist office and is a good place to park and get information. During the season guides dressed in Staufer era costume are available to take visitors through the town.
Follow the walk uphill, taking Hauptstrasse. A narrow street leads through an ancient gate and 800 year old walls tower above. Look for a knight in armor standing guard above. On the right the Schwibbogen Tower (Flying Buttress Tower) was once the main entry into town. Through it passes Schwibbogogasse. Number 16 is the oldest house in the town, the lower story dating to about 1200. The street passes a row of houses built into the town wall.
Red Tower And Royal Chapel
Ahead, the Red Tower (1204) was named for a peaked roof of red tiles burned in 1645 at the end of the 30 Years War. It was added to over time, look for changes in three distinct surface finishes of the stone Burgviertel street, opposite the Red Tower in a section known as the Kaiserplatz, leads past the site of the Staufer palace of which only the chapel and a beautiful Romanesque arcaded wall at the hillside edge of a small park remain. The Imperial St. Nicholas Chapel dates from 1200 and is the Ecclesiastical Museum (Kirchenhistoriches Museum). The nearby stone stone stepped gabled Steinhaus with tiny Middle Age windows is the town Historical Museum.
Blue Tower and Gothic Glory
Further on the Blue Tower with its witch’s peak roof and four matching corner spires was once accessible only by ladder. The climb to the top is through a small museum collection, in season take time for a snack or drink at the top. From the vertiginous walkway round the outside of the top there is an eagle eye view of the ancient red tile rooftops of the old town.
Down the lane, stands the double spired StadtKirche, built as a Catholic church at the beginning of the Reformation but taken over by Lutherans when it was finished. It has a stunning Gothic choir and nave in the late Gothic style and regular concerts are performed on its original Johann Erlich organ (1748). The 15th century altarpiece is by a student of Albrecht Durer. Don’t miss the primitive and powerful Pieta dated to 1370.
Market Square and Festivals
Be sure to take time to admire the Town Hall in Market Square. At the end of June it’s the site of the Talmarkt (Valley Market) which has been held annually for over a thousand years. It features not only kids rides, food, raffles, games and a beer fest but over 130 stalls of skilled craftsmen. In mid-July the town hosts a “Montmartre” fest featuring local artists and at the end of September a medieval Craft Fair (Zunftmarkt) of traditional crafts such as woodcraft and carving, brush making, potters along with jugglers, singers, dancers, all in medieval costume. Marktrain Strasse leads to Hauptstrasse and its boutique shops. The town's other attractions are thermal baths, spas and comfortable small hotels.
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