Kraichtal: Castle, Observatory and Hilly Landscape

Castle and Museums in Gochsheim

Graf-Eberstein Castle in Gochsheim was built between 1520 and 1580. An open tour takes place there on the first Sunday of every month at 2:00 pm; no registration is required. The castle also houses a modern permanent exhibition with interactive stations on regional history and three artists with roots in Kraichtal. If you are travelling with children, you can plan to explore these stations together as a way of discovering regional history, while the tour offers a separate insight into the castle.

The Pharmacy Museum in Gochsheim offers a different kind of exhibition experience. Its permanent exhibitions include Rita Link’s herbarium and Hajo Rheinstädter’s “Curiosities” collection. The two collections have different focuses: one is a herbarium, the other a collection explicitly described as curiosities. The Gatekeeper’s House in Münzesheim, the oldest house in this part of town and first mentioned in 1602, now hosts temporary exhibitions organised by the Kraichtal Local History and Museum Association, Münzesheim branch. Alongside permanent exhibitions, Kraichtal’s cultural offering therefore also includes exhibitions that run for a limited time.

Get Involved, Observe and Discover

In the Sensory Garden in Gochsheim, a labyrinthine barefoot path winds across 14 different materials. This is an experience where simply looking is not the main focus. As an alternative to the castle and collections, the garden offers a hands-on way to explore; this can help take different interests within a travel group into account when planning the day.

Astronomy is also part of the experiences on offer in Kraichtal. Individual visitors interested in astronomy can explore the universe independently in the Astronomy Park. Extraordinary astronomical models with descriptions are available for this purpose. The Kraichtal Observatory also includes a mechanical planetarium and an Astro Garden measuring over 30 metres in diameter.

Hilly Landscape and Hiking Information

Above Kraichtal-Menzingen, the Old Water Tower offers views of Menzingen and the surrounding Kraichtal hilly landscape. The Menzingen Moated Castle Ruins, in turn, offer good photographic opportunities from various viewpoints. The two sights appeal to different interests: if you are looking for landscape views, you can make a note of the water tower; the ruins are a separate destination for photographic views.

For nature lovers, Kraichtal’s hiking stations provide hiking information and route overviews. A continuous waymarking system begins right at each station. If you would like to include hikes in your trip, you can start there with the route overviews and the wayfinding information at the trailhead. The information is intended for hikers without specifying a particular route or distance.

Choose the Right Focus for Your Accommodation

When looking for a holiday apartment in Kraichtal, you can consider which experiences you would like to shape your stay. Gochsheim offers opportunities to visit the castle, Pharmacy Museum and Sensory Garden; in Münzesheim, the Gatekeeper’s House is a cultural point of interest. For landscape views and photography, you might consider the Old Water Tower above Kraichtal-Menzingen and the Menzingen Moated Castle Ruins. If you are more interested in astronomy or hiking, you can also factor these priorities into your decision. This lets you choose a place to stay based on your plans, rather than planning every day in the same way.

Discover more places: Oberderdingen, Pfinztal, Waldbronn, Philippsburg, Linkenheim-Hochstetten, Malsch, Ettlingen and Östringen.

Return to the main travel overview: Karlsruhe.