Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from Triberg following signs to Schwarzenbach, Weissenbach and the K5730 to Martin-
skapelle.
Villingen-Schwenningen
07221 / POP 81,020
Villingen and Schwenningen trip simultaneously off the tongue, yet each town has its own
flavour and history. Villingen once belonged to the Grand Duchy of Baden and Schwen-
ningen to the duchy of Württemberg, conflicting allegiances that apparently can't be re-
conciled. Villingen, it must be said, is the more attractive of the twin towns.
Encircled by impenetrable walls that look as though they were built by the mythical
local giant, Romäus, Villingen's Altstadt is a late medieval time capsule, with cobbled
streets and handsome patrician houses. Though locals nickname it the
Städtle
(little town),
the name seems inappropriate during February's mammoth weeklong
Fasnet
celebrations.
Sights & Activities
Münsterplatz
The main crowd-puller in Villingen's Altstadt is the red-sandstone
Münster
with dispar-
ate spires: one overlaid with coloured tiles, the other spiky and festooned with gargoyles.
The Romanesque portals with haut-relief doors depict dramatic biblical scenes.
Right opposite is the step-gabled
Altes Rathaus
(Old Town Hall) and Klaus Ring-
wald's
Münsterbrunnen
, a bronze fountain and a tongue-in-cheek portrayal of charac-
ters that have shaped Villingen's history. The square throngs with activity on Wednesday
and Saturday mornings when market stalls are piled high with local bread, meat, cheese,
fruit and flowers.
SQUARE
Franziskaner Museum
(Rietgasse 2; adult/concession €3/2; 1-5pm Tue-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun)
Next to the 13th-
century Riettor and occupying a former Franciscan monastery, the Franziskaner Museum
skips merrily through Villingen's history and heritage. Standouts include Celtic artefacts
unearthed at Magdalenenberg, 30 minutes' walk south of Villingen's centre. Dating to 616
BC, the mystery-enshrouded site is one of the largest Hallstatt burial chambers ever dis-
covered in Central Europe and is shaded by a 1000-year-old oak tree.
MUSEUM
