Today’s post is 1650 words, 56 photos, an 8 minute read. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

This week we’ll explore the small city of Neckargemünd, the nearby hilltop village of Dilsberg, and a couple of ancient castles.

If you missed any of the previous articles in this series, click here, here, here, and here.

Neckargemünd

This city of over 13,000 people is located on a bend in the Neckar River and surrounded by the forested slopes of the Odenwald mountain range. It’s a picturesque and quintessential German town with many natural and cultural attractions. Neckargemünd  was founded as a fishing village in the 10th century. Today the area is known for its advanced engineering, specialized manufacturing, high tech services, and healthcare and biotechnology. Heidelberg, one of Germany’s most important cities, is less than 10 miles away. We needed another day to tour that historic city.

Our day started with a drive to Old Town of Neckargemünd. Below are a couple of views of the Neckar River from the shoreline. Note the hilly landscape along the river.

We parked near the City Gate that was built in medieval times. It’s a remnant of the town’s former fortifications.

In the small plaza near the City Gate was a statue of a deer mounted on top of the water reservoir. There is said to be many deer in the natural area around Neckargemünd. The basin is likely where horses were once watered and residents filled water containers.

As we were walking into town along the narrow cobblestone streets (there wasn’t much of a sidewalk), I snapped a photo of a residential compound and a couple of business establishments.

I noticed and admired this antique motorcycle in the window of this business. I learned later Fahrschule is a German driving school.

This is an example of a half-timber house that are important symbols of the German architectural heritage. They date to the Middle Ages and were widespread from the 14th to the 17th century. The wooden frames are filled with plaster, brick, or stone. They were practical and used available resources. In addition, the houses were sturdy when made by skilled craftsmen. We saw many examples of half-timber buildings as we walked through Old Town.

This yellow building is named Prince Carl. A one time tannery and restaurant with a brewery, it’s now a music school and adult education center.

Here are a couple more examples located in the Market Place of Old Town.

Also on the main plaza is St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church built in the late 1800s in the Romanesque Revival style. I’d never heard of this saint. St. John was a Bohemian priest and canon of the Prague Cathedral. He was martyred by being drowned in the Vitava River on the orders of King Wenceslas IV. The good father was killed for refusing to reveal the confessions of the Queen. Legend has it that five stars appeared over the spot where he was thrown into the river. He’s the patron saint of confessors, bridges, and silence. Sounds like an interesting guy.

During our walk in Old Town, we noticed the area tourist information office on one of the cobblestone streets. The 500 year old building with low ceilings was once the guest house “Lamb.” We had a nice chat with the staff member. She made recommendations for other things to see. One of those was nearby Dilsberg. Once back at the car, we headed that way.

Dilsberg

Dilsberg is a small historic village (about 80 families) about a seven mile drive from Neckargemünd. It’s perched on a hill overlooking the Neckar River valley. Known for its well-preserved medieval walls, castle ruins, narrow streets, stone towers, and panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

The rental car easily made the drive up the winding steep road to the entrance of the city. We parked just outside the gate as it’s pedestrian-only inside. We stopped a few times to catch our breath as we made our way to the top of the hill. We saw a few residents working in their yards or walking to the small cafe for a coffee and local gossip.

Once at the top, the first thing we see is St. Bartholomew Church with its cemetery in the well-appointed garden. Organized in the mid-1300s, the current church was built in the 1730s and added to in the mid-1800s.

The church was locked so we walked around the cemetery. I noticed a woman tending a gravesite and snapped a photo. After she left, I checked out the grave. My best guess is that it was her husband who passed a few years ago.

The main tourist attraction in Dilsberg is the Dilsberg Fortress Ruins. We paid the 4€ admission, about $5 USD. The fortress (some call it a castle) was built around 1150 to protect against invasions from the Neckar River. For many years, the fortress was deemed unconquerable until after a long siege during the Thirty Year’s War, it was occupied by a rival faction. Later it was taken by the Swedes. Despite the battles, the fortress was never successfully stormed or destroyed. After unification, it fell into disuse and used as a quarry. When the remains became a tourist attraction, partial restoration and reconstruction took place.

Here’s a little of what we saw.

Off to the right is a stairway to the catwalk above. It was quite windy up there but the views of the surrounding countryside were excellent.

This is a view of St. Bartholomew’s from the top of the fortress ruins.

I like the contrast of the rose vines against the stone wall of the fortress.

Just outside the fortress was a World War II memorial to the fallen from Dilsberg.

Just outside the Dilsberg city gate was the Evangelical Church. It was unlocked, recorded music was playing, and the altar changed colors every few minutes. It was much smaller and less ornate than the Catholic church on top of the hill. However, it was serene and calming. This is how the exterior looked from the top of the fortress.

We were in the middle of Germany where there is a mixture of Catholic and Lutheran churches. The south is predominantly Catholic and the north more Lutheran. In the middle, a mixture. 

We stopped for lunch at a park in the middle of a heavily forested area. There was a dry earthen dam nearby to catch the rushing water in the event of a heavy rainstorm. The stairway to the dam was also a gauge for the depth of the water. 

Schoss Horneck

Schloss Horneck is a historic castle overlooking the Neckar River. Originally built in the 13th century as a fortress, it later served various roles, including as a Renaissance residence and, in modern times, a cultural center. Today, part of the castle is a hotel with 32 guest rooms and hosts events such as meetings and weddings. Its hilltop location offers scenic views of the surrounding vineyards and river valley.

There wasn’t a lot to see, the cultural center was closed.

Soon we were back in the parking lot. My eye was attracted by the red convertible that was turning around. I had just a little car envy at that moment as I climbed into the plain white BMW SUV.

Burg Hornberg

Our next stop was the ruins of the Burg (Castle) Hornberg, not to be confused with the just visited Schloss Horneck, sometimes called a burg.

Burg Hornberg is a medieval castle perched high above the Neckar River about 22 miles from Neckargemünd. The first mention of this castle was in the 12th century. It’s best known as the long-time home of the knight and poet Gottfried “Götz” von Berlichingen, a famous figure of the German Renaissance. During a battle his hand was severely injured and later ampuated. For the rest of his life, he wore a hand made of iron and became known as “Götz of the Iron Hand.”

Today, the well-preserved fortress offers grand views of the river valley, along with a museum that explores its history and medieval life. Its dramatic hilltop setting and historic significance make Burg Hornberg a popular stop along the Neckar Valley.

After paying the entry fee, we toured the ruins.

The views of the Neckar River and the town of Neckarzimmern were stunning on the sunny day.  

This was the Burg chapel.

There were 12 flights of stairs to reach the highest point in the castle but the views were worth the huffing and puffing.

I took this photo of the courtyard below. The building on the left is the gift shop, straight ahead a small hotel, and a restaurant to the right.

Our admission ticket allowed us entry to the small museum. Below is a model of Burg Hornberg looked like in its heyday.

After we departed the complex, we stopped on the road for a couple last looks of the castle. We were done with touring castles and ruins for a few days.

During our travels that day, we were in the need of restroom facilities. I Googled restrooms near me. Google Maps took us into this small town where there was a public restroom across the street from the city hall. Nice!

I noticed a tent set up nearby and went to investigate. This happy fellow was from Italy selling fresh fruits and vegetables. He gave us a few samples and made offers that were hard to refuse. We walked away with a couple of days supply of tasty fresh fruit. A delightful find somewhere in the middle of Germany.

That’s it for this week. Next week I’ll take you to the Mosel Valley, one of my favorite places in Germany. But first…..

THE FIVE SENSES PLUS ONE

Saw – lots of old rocks and stones today, several churches, and trees bending in the strong wind

Heard – church bells, wind in my ears, a quiet town

Touch – railings, a touch screen in Dilsberg

Smell – garbage, diesel, food cooking

Taste – red wine, beer, a pear (the best ever), cantaloup, the sandwich I made

Learned – about Old Town, churches, and castles

Until next week, happy travels!

Tom

PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM