Nürtingen: Castle Hill Old Town and the Neckar

Old Town, Church and City History

St. Laurentius Church has stood on Nürtingen’s Castle Hill for more than 500 years. Its tower, crowned by a distinctive Welsche Haube dome, rises above the rooftops of the old town and defines the neighbourhood. The tower houses the Nürtingen Tower Library, a cultural monument of the city. Its collection includes manuscripts and printed books from the 15th to the 19th century. In the historic centre, a landmark visible from afar and a long history of books come together.

The Nürtingen City Museum is housed in a former shooting lodge built in 1565. It brings the city’s history to life through traces of Roman antiquity and its development since the late Middle Ages. It also covers the history of crafts and industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its themes therefore range from antiquity to more recent changes in urban life. Visitors interested in architecture and history will find several different historical and cultural perspectives in Nürtingen.

Routes, Heights and Neckar Experiences

There are numerous walking routes in the city, with beautiful viewpoints. Oberensinger Höhe is close to the Domnick Collection and offers a magnificent panoramic view. This adds an open landscape perspective to the impression created by the old town’s narrow lanes. When planning your trip, you can make time for both exploring the historic city and enjoying the outdoors, as different interests for different days.

The disc golf course in Nürtingen’s Galgenbergpark has twelve holes ranging from 40 to 80 metres in length; it also features some elevation changes. The specific hole lengths and elevation changes give the course a different character from the cultural attractions in the city centre. For a stay that combines different interests, disc golf can be considered a separate activity alongside the museum, old town or walking routes.

On Sundays and public holidays in summer, visitors can take rowing boats and pedal boats along a 1.5-kilometre stretch of the Neckar to Neckarhausen and enjoy views of the city from the river. This trip adds a seasonal perspective on the water to your travel plans: it is available in summer on Sundays or public holidays. With the cityscape viewed from Castle Hill and the view from the Neckar, there are two different perspectives on Nürtingen to choose from.

The Hölderlin theme can also be included as a guided cultural activity. The City Marketing and Tourism Office offers public and private guided tours of the Hölderlin exhibition or the Hölderlin House. Both types of tours are also available for private groups. You can therefore consider whether a public or private tour would fit better into your planned stay.

A Regional Perspective in the Wider Destination of Esslingen

In the wider destination of Esslingen, six landscape areas shape the district: Schurwald, Schönbuch, Fildern, Neckar Valley, Albvorland and Albtrauf. The orchard landscape, with 1.5 million fruit trees, also shapes the scenery. Since 2020, cyclists in Esslingen district have had access to around 1,200 kilometres of district cycling routes; cycle route signage is continuous throughout the district. This regional context offers another perspective for planning a broader trip, without replacing Nürtingen’s distinctive character of Castle Hill, old town and the Neckar.

Find the Right Holiday Apartment for Your Stay

When looking for a holiday apartment in Nürtingen, you can start by considering which experiences you want to shape your stay: the old town and its history, walking routes and viewpoints, disc golf or summer trips on the Neckar. If you also include the wider destination of Esslingen in your plans, the region’s landscapes and cycling routes can provide an additional theme for your trip.

Discover more destinations: Ohmden, Denkendorf, Plochingen, Neuhausen auf den Fildern, Altbach, Neidlingen, Bissingen an der Teck, Neuenhaus.

Go to the main travel overview: Esslingen.