Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [379]
All the more evocative for its lack of adornment, the 11th-century former Benedictine Kloster Alpirsbach ( 951 6281; www.schloesser-und-gaerten.de; Klosterplatz 1; adult/concession €4/3.30; 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat mid-Mar–Oct, 1-3.30pm Thu, Sat & Sun Nov–mid-Mar) sits opposite. The monastery effectively conveys the simple, spiritual life in its flat-roofed church, spartan cells and Gothic cloister, which hosts candlelit concerts (www.kreuzgangkonzerte.de, in German) from June to August. It’s amazing what you can find under the floorboards, as the museum reveals with its stash of 16th-century clothing, caricatures (of artistic scholars) and lines (of misbehaving ones).
The tourist office ( 951 6281; www.stadt-alpirsbach.de, in German; Hauptstrasse 20; 10am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, closed Wed afternoon) next to the train station can supply hiking maps and, for cyclists, information on the 84km Kinzigtalradweg from Offenburg to Lossburg.
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Schiltach
07836 / pop 4000
Schiltach looks and feels like something out of a children’s fairy story, nestling below thick forest and hugging the banks of the Kinzig and Schiltach Rivers. The lovingly restored half-timbered houses, which once belonged to tanners, merchants and raft builders, are a riot of crimson geraniums in summer. Drop off the map for a spell to unwind in what is, perhaps, the fairest village in the Kinzig Valley.
INFORMATION
The tourist office ( 5850; www.schiltach.de; Marktplatz 6; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Thu, 9am-noon Fri) in the Rathaus can help find accommodation and offers free internet access. Hiking options are marked on an enamel sign just opposite.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Centred on a trickling fountain, the sloping, triangular Marktplatz is Schiltach at its picture-book best. The frescoes of the step-gabled, 16th-century Rathaus opposite depict scenes from local history. Clamber south up Schlossbergstrasse, pausing to notice the plaques that denote the trades of one-time residents, such as the Strumpfstricker (stocking weaver) at No 6, and the sloping roofs where tanners once dried their skins. Up top there are views over Schiltach’s red rooftops to the surrounding hills.
Museum am Markt ( 5875; Marktplatz 13; admission free; 11am-5pm Apr-Oct) romps through local history with exhibits from antique spinning wheels to Biedermeier costumes. The highlight is an interactive display on the devilish Teufel von Schiltach, a woman accused of witchcraft and of starting a devastating fire in 1533.
Schiltach is at the confluence of the Kinzig and Schiltach Rivers. Until the 19th century, logging was big business here and enormous rafts were constructed to ship timber as far as the Netherlands. The Schüttesäge Museum ( 5850; Hauptstrasse 1; admission free; 11am-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct) spotlights Schiltach’s raft-building heritage with reconstructed workshops and a watermill that generates hydroelectricity. The willow-fringed riverbanks outside attract grey herons and kids who come to splash in the shallow water in summer.
SLEEPING & EATING
The Altstadt has some first-rate places to stay and eat.
Campingplatz Schiltach ( 7289; Bahnhofstrasse 6; per person/tent/car €4/3.50/2.50) The affable Brede family runs this riverside campsite. Tots can let off steam in the playground and sandpit.
Gasthof Sonne ( 957 570; Marktplatz 3; s €42.50-50, d €72-80) So is it to be the rose-tinged love nest or the knight’s chamber with shining armour? Pick a room to suit your mood at this half-timbered guesthouse. The restaurant (mains €8 to €14.50) serves Swabian fare like Katzagschroi (beef, onions, egg and fried potatoes); the name refers to the cat’s whine when it finds no leftovers in the kitchen.
Weysses Rössle ( 387; www.weysses-roessle.de; Schenkenzeller Strasse 42; s/d €49.50/74; ) Rosemarie and Ulrich are the 19th generation to run this 16th-century inn. Rosewood and floral fabrics dress the country-style