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| Home Page > Travelogues > Germany > Rheinland-Pfalz > Deutsche Weinstrasse > Bad Dürkheim Also See: Feature on the Dürkheimer Wurstfest, the largest annual wine festival in Germany Other Chapters in the Weinstrasse
section:
The city of Bad Dürkheim is an ideal place to visit the Weinstrasse
because of its convenient location and because it is I will describe my second visit there because it follows the general
itinerary I recommend for a visit. On my first visit, I parked in the
south end of downtown which was too far away from all the best parts of
town. The second time, I went to the north-east side where all the Now, when I first heard of this barrel, I thought, "Hey, wait a minute! I've already been to the biggest barrel in the world, at Heidelberg Castle, which was built to handle 221,000 liters (about 55,000 gallons)!" Well, if you noted the quotes I used on the word barrel in the previous paragraph, you'll learn there's an explanation -- this one may look like a barrel (with a capacity of 1.7 million liters, like the small print on the photo says), but it ain't a barrel -- it's a multi-floor restaurant. But it sure makes for a great conversation piece, eh? In fact, the Riesenfaß truly is a tourist attraction, as it sits right on
the hugest parking lot in the town and is surrounded by a host of really
impressive souvenirs. I did not eat in the restaurant, but it is
inexpensive and serves mostly basic German fare, and it attracts decent crowds
jus Adjacent to the parking lot is the entrance to the prettiest part of town, the Schlossgarten (palace gardens) leading to the Kurhaus, shown in the second photograph. The Schlossgarten was like a collection of small parks, each decorated with a fountain or an elaborate flower display. My tour through the Schlossgarten began with a beautiful sidewalk lined with stout trees and some very lovely half-timbered houses. Scattered about were some impressive statues and monuments as well, along with numerous shaded park benches to comfort the many oldsters I saw wandering about. The Kurhaus is an old health resort (Kurhaus literally means "cure house"), which has apparently done well over the years, judging from its beautiful gardens and fountains (off the photo to the right). The heart of the downtown is super charming, as the third photo
suggests. It's not The fifth and final photo shows the main market square, which normally operates as the downtown parking lot but it often closed off for festivals (such was the case one of my trips there). In the background was the town's Catholic church, that reminded me of a mini-version of the Ulm Cathedral. Off the photo to the left was a steep uphill climb leading to the town Evangelical Church, a huge double domed structure that looked almost identical to the Frauenkirche in Munich. After going around the downtown for a while, I took off on a tour of the
surrounding area before heading back to One other things about Bad Dürkheim that's nice is that it's active on Sundays. Some places in Germany (and other parts of Europe) go completely dark on Sundays, but Bad Dürkheim's key attractions, like the Riesenfaß and its souvenir stands, are open for business. Its wine bars were also doing plenty of business on the two Sundays I was there. In summary, if there's one place you go on the Weinstrasse, Bad Dürkheim could be it, especially on a festival day if you aren't scared of crowds. Other Chapters in the Weinstrasse
section: Trips taken 8 and 15 June 2003 -- Page last updated 08 April 2006 -- (C) 2003 Tom Galvin Useful Links:
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among
the prettiest big towns in 
big
parking lots are -- located near the town's signature attaction, the Dürkheimer
Riesenfaß, the biggest "barrel" in the world, first photo.
t
for the novelty.
really
that big, but it's colorful. The buildings featured in this photo were
mostly weinstubes (wine bars) or restaurants, covered with flowers. The
side streets were strung with flags and banners and flowers were everywhere,
like the fantastic display in front of the small church in the fourth photo.
Heidelberg.
Bad Dürkheim has two castle ruins that are worth seeking out -- the Kloster
Limberg and the Hardenburg Castle. Both are accessed on the same road
leading into the Palatinate Forest, following a steep river valley to the west
of town. You will know the Kloster Limberg when you see it, it will tower
directly above you when you just leave town -- a barren shell of a massive
square red-brick structure. The only downside was that there was nowhere I
could pull off and take a photo of it, and once you see the Limberg you have
already passed the winding convoluted access road to it. I drove back and
forth a few times trying to find the access but gave up. Suggestion:
Get a city map from the tourist information bureau before you try. Next
time, I'll hit both castles and include one or both in an updated travelogue
here.
