Recently, we had the chance to get away for a very nice weekend trip to the Altmühl region, the laziest river in Germany meandering slowly through some beautiful landscape in Upper Frankonia just south of Nürnberg. Just before entering into the valley proper, we first stopped to explore the imposing Renaissance-era (one of the best-preserved in all of Germany) fortress call Wülzburg.
It reminded us of the monumental works of Vauban that we had the chance to explore in France in terms of scale and design. Originally a cloister, it was converted to defensive use and had seen many different incarnations over the years: during the First World War, the fortifications were used as a prisoner-of-war camp, which counted a young Captain Charles de Gaulle as an inmate, and after the wars, as a refugee camp.
Next, we went on to the town of Pappenheim at the head of the Altmühl to visit the castle that dominates the surrounding area. After walking through the historic Altstadt that bridges the river, we had a nice view of the valley from the towering Burg, which is still in the family of the duchy of Pappenheim and who seem to still hold sway over the town.
The next stop was Solnhofen, where the first Archaeopteryx was discovered among the rich fossil deposits of the area. The evidence of this feathered dinosaur and seeing the transition from the unfamiliar monsters that fossils had heretofore been dismissed as, something pre-deluvian that was stricken from the earth, into something that people could relate to advanced scientific knowledge and made dinosaur research a very Victorian craze.
Passing through Dollnstein on an avenue that hugged the shore, we saw some breathtaking natural scenery and came to the Cloister of Saint Walburg at Rebdorf, now a boarding school, and the promentory of Willibaldsburg.
Though uncertain, one could drive right through the castle gate and park in the keep. Today the majority of the interior is dedicated to the Jura Museum, only many of the prominent fossil-finds from the area, including the Archaeopteryx.
Eichstätt was also an absolute jewel and we were treated to a traditional procession, which I was sure was a daily obligation by the residence, year-in, year-out. We saw some more nice scenery and villages along the river but had to keep going to find a campsite, which turned into a bigger challenge than we expected, but after Gungolding and Kipfenburg, we found a very pleasant place to stay for the evening in Beilngries.
The next day, we explored the village and visited the Abbey just up the road at Plankstetten before heading back home. There was certainly a lot to discover here and it would definitely be worth the return, like so many places, to cruise in a canoe down the lazy river.
It reminded us of the monumental works of Vauban that we had the chance to explore in France in terms of scale and design. Originally a cloister, it was converted to defensive use and had seen many different incarnations over the years: during the First World War, the fortifications were used as a prisoner-of-war camp, which counted a young Captain Charles de Gaulle as an inmate, and after the wars, as a refugee camp.
Next, we went on to the town of Pappenheim at the head of the Altmühl to visit the castle that dominates the surrounding area. After walking through the historic Altstadt that bridges the river, we had a nice view of the valley from the towering Burg, which is still in the family of the duchy of Pappenheim and who seem to still hold sway over the town.
The next stop was Solnhofen, where the first Archaeopteryx was discovered among the rich fossil deposits of the area. The evidence of this feathered dinosaur and seeing the transition from the unfamiliar monsters that fossils had heretofore been dismissed as, something pre-deluvian that was stricken from the earth, into something that people could relate to advanced scientific knowledge and made dinosaur research a very Victorian craze.
Passing through Dollnstein on an avenue that hugged the shore, we saw some breathtaking natural scenery and came to the Cloister of Saint Walburg at Rebdorf, now a boarding school, and the promentory of Willibaldsburg.
Though uncertain, one could drive right through the castle gate and park in the keep. Today the majority of the interior is dedicated to the Jura Museum, only many of the prominent fossil-finds from the area, including the Archaeopteryx.
Eichstätt was also an absolute jewel and we were treated to a traditional procession, which I was sure was a daily obligation by the residence, year-in, year-out. We saw some more nice scenery and villages along the river but had to keep going to find a campsite, which turned into a bigger challenge than we expected, but after Gungolding and Kipfenburg, we found a very pleasant place to stay for the evening in Beilngries.
The next day, we explored the village and visited the Abbey just up the road at Plankstetten before heading back home. There was certainly a lot to discover here and it would definitely be worth the return, like so many places, to cruise in a canoe down the lazy river.
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