At the end of the S1 S-Bahn line from Stuttgart, you’ll find the small town of Herrenberg. You can’t really miss it, since it’s utterly dominated by the tower of the Herrenberger Stiftskirche*.
The hall church has loomed over Herrenberg since the 13th century, with several rebuilds to reflect the tastes of the time. It once had two towers, but these were demolished in the mid-18th century after a series of lightning strikes.
It’s not lightning that poses the greatest threat to the church, however. You’d have to watch it over hundreds of years to notice, but the church is slowly sliding down the hill, due to it being built on an unstable layer of stone. Without regular maintenance, it would gradually start moving down towards the Marktplatz.
In the tower of the church is located a museum dedicated to bells - rather fittingly, since the bells of the Stiftskirche can be heard far away, long before the church can be seen. There are a few kept outside, and it’s easy to see how they can make so much noise. I wouldn’t want to be within fifty metres once they start swinging.
Inside the church, you’ll find a warm, glowing interior, with many painted wooden memorials from the 16th and 17th centuries lining the walls. For hundreds of years, this was where a masterpiece of 16th-century art once stood - the Herrenberg Altar, now in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart.
The altarpiece is the work of Herrenberg’s most famous visitor - Jörg Ratgeb (1480 - 1526). Between 1495 and the 1520s he painted a number of works that, to my eye, hold a lot more colour and vibrancy than many of his contemporaries, Durer included. His work has also been considered a lot more political, railing against poverty and injustice.
This political streak tracks with his later life - in 1525 Ratgeb threw his lot in with the peasantry during the German Peasant’s War. He was quickly elected to a chancellor of the peasants, and became a key negotiator when approaching towns surrounding Stuttgart. This put a target on his back, and after the rebellion was crushed, he was executed by being pulled apart by horses in Pforzheim, probably in early 1526.
Today, the Jörg Ratgeb Sculpture Trail* winds around the town, with a number of local artists making statements about what the artist says to them - well worth a look.
If you’ve got the energy, you can climb the hill behind the Stiftskirche to the site of a former castle that served as a watchtower for the town. There’s nothing left apart from a few ruined walls, but there’s a nice bar and some stunning views across the countryside.
Back in town it’s very easy to spend a few hours wandering among the picturesque fachwerk, or half-timbered houses. Much as been preserved and you can really get a good sense of how a prosperous town may have appeared during the Early Modern Era.
Along one street you’ll find a memorial post outside a house with a number of blue and white tiles. This is a memorial to the Schickhard family, Herrenberg’s homegrown geniuses.
Heinrich Schickhardt the Elder* (1464 - 1540) carved the Herrenberg Altar, His grandson, also Heinrich Schickhardt* (1558 - 1635), became the court architect in Wurttemberg and created some of the finest architectural masterpieces of the German renaissance. Heinrich’s nephew, Wilhelm Schickhard* (1592 = 1635), was a talented mathematician and astronomer, and were it not for the plague, would have perfected the first computer. The family exists to this day, and still lives in the area. I wonder what they’ll throw up next?
There’s plenty more to see and do in Herrenberg, and I highly recommend sitting on the Marktplatz if there’s a sunny afternoon. If you’re a photographer, you can get some great shots of typically quaint fachwerk, and there are loads of cute little shops selling local produce.
Just keep an eye on that church.
More info:
* - Links in German
Before I go…
I was recently invited to the press preview of the new museum at Landesmuseum Wurttemberg, ‘A Heady History: 10,000 years of Wine and Beer’. You can see my photos here. If you’re in Stuttgart (and I know a number of you are) it’s well worth your time.
Last week I was invited on to ‘Germany in Focus’, a weekly podcast put out by my employer, The Local, to speak about ‘haunted’ locations across the country. You can listen to that here. I also wrote a piece for The Local Germany, which you can read here.
Apologies for no Wunderkammer last week - a very tight week for deadlines, and I had my parents visiting from Australia!