Top Ten Things To Do In Heidenheim An Der Brenz

An industrial town in Swabia might seem an unusual holiday destination, but Heidenheim an der Brenz combines the facilities of a modern town with a charming old centre, a remarkable castle and historic destinations, along with a renowned music festival. Find out more here.

Explore Schlossberg

Hotel

The first thing you notice is the castle on its rock, the Schlossberg, which looms 70 meters above the town. There are countless ways up to the Schlossberg from the town to help you explore. The Schlossberg is home not only to the castle, but to a good modern hotel and congress centre, as well as the Eichert Wildlife Park (Wildpark Eichert), a bird of prey sanctuary and a modern sports arena, all surrounded by green space in which to walk and relax.

Hellenstein Castle

Museum

Hellenstein Castle, towering above Heidenheim, is a landmark visible from miles around. The castle was originally built in the medieval period, and has had a somewhat chequered history but the striking location makes it well worth a visit. The location combine the ruined Knights Hall with fine 16th century buildings which now house local museums, including the Museum for Carriages, Chaises and Carts.

Old Town

Nestling below the Schlossberg is the old town, it still follows the medieval street pattern with houses tight up to the rock. The buildings are a characterful mixture of restored medieval timber frames, historic 19th century (including the striking Schloss-Apotheke), Art Nouveau and modern. Hintere Gasse, a tiny street crammed between the high street and the cliff, is most charming and has some delightful cafes.

Museum im Römerbad

Museum

The medieval town walls are still visible in places, folded into the more modern town environment, and a short distance away the Museum im Römerbad (Roman Baths Museum) allows you to explore the street-scape of Aquileia, the Roman settlement which lies three metres below current street level.

Picasso, Art Nouveau and contemporary art

The town’s Art Museum is now housed in a striking Art Nouveau building which was formerly the town baths. The former baths are now an exhibition hall, and elsewhere the collection includes fine Picasso engravings and the world’s largest collection of Picasso posters. Thanks to the town’s Sculpture Symposium, which ran from 1997 to 2013, the townscape has a number of striking contemporary artworks and the Tourist Information Office can provide a tour.

Kunstmuseum Heidenheim, Marienstraße 4, Heidenheim an der Brenz, Germany, +49 7321 3274811
Tourist Information, Hauptstraße 34, Heidenheim an der Brenz, Germany, +49 7321 3274910

Neresheim Monastery

Church, Monastery, Museum

Worth a detour is the Monastery of Neresheim, some 10 kilometres from Heidenheim. This is still a functioning Benedictine monastery and to see the museum you need to book a guided tour, but the church is open during the day and worth a visit. Built in the 18th century to designs by Balthasar Neumann (best known for his work in the Würzburg Residenz), the Rococo interior includes ceiling frescoes which are the largest single continuous fresco in the world. There is also a remarkably preserved Baroque organ by Johann Nepomuk Holzey.

Green oasis

Park

The River Brenz runs through Heidenheim, providing a focus for the verdant area, the Brenz Park which is now a green oasis in the town. The river was an important water source for industry (in the 19th century Heidenheim was known as the Manchester of Swabia). There is still industry in the town, but it doesn’t dominate and exists comfortably side by side with the more historic elements.

Königsbronn and cakes

Cafe

The source of the Brenz is at nearby Königsbronn, worth a visit for the fine Baroque Rathaus (town hall) as well as the restored hammer mill, not to mention the delightful café Ver-Edelt (opening hours are limited so check).

Further afield by bike

Heidenheim is at the centre of a fine array of cycle routes and the route along the River Brenz enables you to cycle all the way to the Black Sea via the river Danube. The Heidenheim Tourist Office has leaflets detailing the wide variety of themed cycle tours, and both Neresheim and Königsbronn are accessible by bike.

Opera Festival

A feature of Heidenheim in the summer is the opera festival which presents a range of activities including opera, concerts and children’s theatre in June and July. Opera is presented both indoors (in the Congress Centre Theatre) and outdoors (in the atmospheric surroundings of the Knights Hall in the castle). Currently the festival features the early operas of Verdi with Nabucco and I Lombardi in 2018.

About the author

Robert Hugill

Robert Hugill is a London based composer, journalist, blogger and lecturer. Robert runs the highly regarded classical music blog, Planet Hugill. Robert’s setting of Ruth Padel’s Learning to Make an Oud in Nazareth was premiered by Alistair Dixon and Chapelle du Roi in July 2015. Robert's cantata The Testament of Dr. Cranmer was issued on the Divine Art label. His opera When a man knows was performed in 2011 at the Bridewell Theatre, London, and his short one act opera The Genesis of Frankenstein is being premiered by The Helios Collective in October. Robert has recently completed Tempus per Annum, a cycle of 70 motets for the church’s year with over 45 hours of music. His songs were placed in the English Poetry and Song Society’s A E Housman and the Ivor Gurney competitions. Robert has given a number of lectures for Divas and Scholar’s study days at the Cadogan Hall, including an illustrated lecture on Rossini’s Neapolitan operas, a study of Verismo which was combined with a masterclass by Rosalind Plowright and a study of the life and work of Bellini which included and interactive collaboration between Robert and the soprano Nelly Miricioiu. Robert will be giving a course of five, two hour lectures An Introduction to Opera for the The Course at the Mayfair Womens’ Club in 2016.