Culture in Gengenbach & Excursion Destinations in the Ortenau Region
Picturesque Gengenbach in the Ortenau
Exciting excursion destinations beckon you to discover the Ortenau. But wait – first you can stop and explore Gengenbach! Every corner exudes history here – it is the history after 1689. After the French troops destroyed the town, the town was rebuilt and the townscape that now charms guests from all over the world was created. Newly built, the free imperial town prospered with its active craftsman guilds and the oldest market rights in the region of central Baden. The impressive city hall, built in 1784, is a witness to this. Since 1955 the whole town center has been protected as a historical monument.
Benedictine Abbey in the Old Town
The city history was characterized by the Benedictine Abbey for centuries, an impressive building in Gengenbach's old town. It was founded in 725 as a proprietary monastery, and put directly under the authority of the emperor in 1366. It was dissolved in 1803 and is a technical college today. The monastery church, which houses the second largest Romantic organ in Baden, and the monastery's herb garden are worth a visit. The wood-burning bread bakery with the historic monastery mill are also worth seeing.
Our tip: The night watchman's tour through Gengenbach's Old Town! (May - October, Wednesdays and Saturdays, free of charge)
Experience Culture in Gengenbach's Museum
- Narrenmuseum in the Niggel Tower, the Carnival Museum Probably the most beautiful Carnival Museum in Southern Germany
- Wehrgeschichtliches Museum in the Kinzigtor Tower – the town's landmark The history of Gengenbach's municipal guard and militia (1460-1848).
- Flößerei- und Verkehrsmuseum, the rafting and transport museum In the former signal man's house at the Kinzig Bridge.
- Museum Haus Löwenberg Changing exhibits and events
Excursion destinations Kinzig Valley / Ortenau / Black Forest ...
- Strasbourg: charming Alsatian metropolis (approx. 40 Min.)
With little lanes full of timber-frame houses, thousand-year-old cathedral, romantic Petite France and the EU parliament building. - Triberg Waterfall: Roaring natural spectacle (approx. 1 h)
The highest natural waterfall in Germany (Cascades begin at 163 m), with Advent Market and shows at Christmas time. The world's largest cuckoo clock in Triberg. - Vogtsbauernhof: Black Forest Open-Air museum (Gutach, approx. 30 Min.)
Experience tradition and craftsmanship in 30 approx. 400 year-old Black Forest houses - Dorotheenhütte: the last active glassworks in the Black Forest (Wolfach, approx. 30 Min.)
With a glass museum, exhibits and a year-round Christmas village. And you can come and blow your own vase. - Freiburg im Breisgau (approx. 1 h): ecological model city with a rich history. World-famous cathedral, old town with an unusual system of gutters (called Bächle), Martin's Gate and Swabian Gate.
- Baden-Baden (approx. 45 Min.): a little spa city with a long history. Burda Museum, historic Friedrich's Bath, Festspielhaus, Lichtentaler Allee
KONUS Guest Card: Free rides to your excursion destination in the Ortenau region and beyond
As our guest you can ride the bus and train for free – to a total of 80 attractions, destinations and sightseeing locations in the vacation region Kinzig Valley / Ortenau. The ride with the famous Black Forest Railway alone (36 tunnels to St. Georgen) is an adventure.