Baden-Wuerttemberg

RED: HEIDELBERG (6 Chapters). Naturally with such a fabulous city near my home, I've spent plenty of time showing people around Heidelberg. I can't say enough great about it -- it's fantastic! From the mile-long Hauptstrasse with its fabulous market squares to the incredible sights of Philosopher's Way along the north bank of the Neckar River, and the famous Heidelberg Castle sitting high above the old town, this city has it all. It also has its champion, in the form of Mark Twain himself, who once proclaimed Heidelberg to be the perfect city -- not too big, and not too small! But to give a full picture of the city, I offered two additional chapters to help those living in the city (and Germany in general). These are the Southern Suburbs which is where most of the affordable residences are and a practical piece on Living in Heidelberg	PURPLE: Along the Rhein Valley to the North. The northwestern section of Baden-Württemburg comprises the Rhein-Neckar Kreis, or the Rhine and Neckar Circle, a region of low lands to the east of the confluence of these major rivers. The major city in this region is Mannheim, with its massive factories on the confluence itself. Mannheim is a sprawling metropolis with a very active cultural center downtown. The city of Ladenburg (pictured above) is a famous Roman City located on the Neckar just east of Mannheim, with a beautiful market square and old city wall still intact. Further east is the town of Schriesheim with the lovely Castle Strahlenburg among the vineyards on the hill. At the north edge of the state is Weinheim (pictured below) with the Schloss Landeck and a heavily fortified and beautiful downtown.
BLUE: The Neckar Valley. The Neckar Valley essentially begins the famous Burgstrasse, or Castle Road, that extends all the way from Mannheim to Prague in the Czech Republic. But most will equate the Castle Road with the stretch of the Neckar River running from Heidelberg to Bad Wimpfen (pictured above), a brilliant hilltop town with a signature Blue Tower and the odd Pig Museum. I devoted full travelogues to some towns, like the port town of Neckargemünd, and the hilltopped town of Dilsberg. I include a link to Neckarsteinach also, though it is actually in the state of Hessen. The remainder of the valley I collected into a photo gallery called the Neckar River tour that includes the great Hirschhorn Castle, the Burg Hornberg castle over Neckarzimmern, and the palace and vineyards of Gundelsheim. That stretch is one of the greatest driving tours you'll ever see.	ORANGE: The Black Forest. The Black Forest is the mountain range that follows the Rhein River south of Karlsruhe down to the Swiss border. The Black Forest is famous for its timber and woodworking industries -- much of Germany's best timber is produced in this region, consisting primarily of pine that grows incredibly straight and with very few branches. It is hardy word, also, and most wood products are built to last forever. The best known wood product of the region are cuckoo clocks, and clock museums and shops are very common. Four travelogues of the region are offered here, beginning with a general overview of the Black Forest. Next is the city of Baden-Baden, a world-reknowned spa town. Deep in the Black Forest is the tourist town known as Triberg (pictured above), which is home to Germany's tallest waterfall. The fourth travelogues is of the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse, or Black Forest High Street (pictured below), a mountainous road that connects various spa and ski resorts.
GREEN: STUTTGART. The city of Stuttgart is simply amazing. Located inside a huge two-mile long U-shaped park, the downtown seems to stretch for miles with palaces, churches, massive market squares galore. It's also the site of the largest zoo in Germany, the Wilhelmina, which I visited once. I've hit its Christmas Market twice and have visited it in winter and summer and always had a great time. Stuttgart is also the rail and road gateway into the Black Forest region between France and Munich, so it's a very busy place. But, it never had that "big city" feel -- it's clean and friendly.	DARK GREEN: Western Swabia. Swabia was once a kingdom that covered the arch of mountains from the northern Neckar Valley to the border of Bavaria in the east, to just east of the Black Forest below. The travelogues offered here include Ludwigsburg (pictured above) with its three fabulous palaces, including the Schloss Ludwigsburg, the Schloss Favorite, and the Schloss Monrepos. Further south is Tübingen, a famous university town on the Neckar River, and Hechingen, which lies at the base of one of Germany's newest and most magnificent castles, the Burg Hohenzollern.
BLACK: Eastern Swabia. The cities in this part of Germany are colorful, showing both Bavarian and Hessian influence -- meaning the combination of decoratively painted facades with half-timbered buildings situated over rivers. The town of Schwäbisch Hall (pictured) is one of the prettiest in the region, with its half-timbered houses nestled on high artificial banks over the Kocher River and a great center square. Schwäbisch Gmünd is a pleasant town located on the way to Stuttgart, another small river town with a beautiful market square amidst lots of color and old churches.	OLIVE: KARLSRUHE and Northern Baden. This is Baroque land, filled with several fantastic cities and towns in a small concentration, all worth a visit. Karlsruhe (pictured above) sits at the corner of French Alsace and has one of the most unique circular layouts I've ever seen in a city. At the center is the bright yellow Schloss with two wings that spread out like an eagle, and the streets are laid out in concentric circles around it. Just to the south is Rastatt, another Baroque town with a lovely palace. To the east is Pforzheim (pictured below) which is a famous shopping spot for outlet malls. Finally, there are Bruchsal, with its magnificent Baroque palace of reds, yellows, greens, and oranges; and the beautiful monastery town of Maulbronn.
TEAL: Western Suburbs of Heidelberg. The towns listed in this section are definitely not to be ignored. The beautiful palace town of Schwetzingen (pictured) has one of the most impressive castle gardens in the region and is home to a fabulous Mozart festival. Its downtown is quaint and cheerful as well. Further to the south is Hockenheim, which is the home of a major Formula 1 raceway. Formula 1 is still king in auto racing in Europe, and the Hockenheim circuit is one of the premier circuits around.	BROWN: Southern Suburbs of Heidelberg. This section covers four small residential towns south of Heidelberg that each have their own unique character. Sinsheim, on Autobahn 6, is famed for its fabulous Technical Museum that include a Russian Concorde mounted atop the building. Wiesloch is a big industrial suburb and prominent wine town. Leimen is also an industrial suburb, and is home to one of the world's largest cement factories -- which unsurprisingly is the major employer of the region. Finally, there's Nussloch, which was my home town from 1999-2005! Coming soon is Walldorf, just across the road from Nussloch.
PINK: The Tauber Valley. The Tauber is best known for the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the state of Bavaria, but this small river is the home of a number of charming, medieval towns in Baden-Württemburg. Among them are the towns of Wertheim, that sits on the confluence of the Tauber and the Main, Tauberbischofsheim that houses a beautiful old castle and basilica, and Creglingen, with its beautiful market square.	NAVY BLUE: FREIBURG and the Breisgau. At the far southwestern corner of Germany is Freib im Breisgau, a beautiful city with old tower gates, a lovely cathedral, and lots of color. Freiburg sits just beyond the tri-border area of Germany, France, and Switzerland, at the beginning of where the Rhein opens up to a wide valley separating the Black Forest and the Alsatian Vosges mountain range.
LIGHT BLUE: Upper Neckar Valley. The upper Neckar between Stuttgart and Switzerland is a beautiful narrow valley with colorful towns and festive people. Two towns along the valley will be included soon -- Horb and Rottweil.	SALMON: North Coast of Lake Constance. The coast of Lake Constance has several wonderful locations -- each very different. There is the extraordinary palace city of Meersburg, the island haven of Mainau, the peninsular city of Konstanz that is completely surrounded by Switzerland, and the modern city of Friedrichshafen. All these travelogues are coming soon.