Dunningen: Chapel, Museum and Local History

Dunningen combines a chapel on a ridge with a museum whose themes range from Alemannic archaeological finds to industrial history. This gives you two distinct focal points for planning your trip: St. Christopher’s Chapel, with its minimalist architecture, and the museum in the town hall, which offers insights into local history, crafts and culture. The combination of minimalist chapel architecture and insights into local history and crafts may appeal to culturally interested travellers.

The Chapel and the Sequence of Churches

St. Christopher’s Chapel stands on a ridge above Dunningen. Rottweil artist Tobias Kammerer designed it in a minimalist style as a light-filled, purist place for quiet reflection. The chapel is reported to be open daily from 8 a.m. to around 8 p.m. during the summer; check the opening hours locally before your visit.

Dunningen’s sequence of churches spans a long period in the historical record: it begins around 630/40 with the first wooden church and extends to the consecration of the present church on 7 July 1968. The beginning and the consecration mark milestones in local history that are far apart in time. Thus, alongside the chapel’s architectural design, the early and more recent stages in the sequence of churches stand as topics in their own right.

Local History at the Museum in the Town Hall

The museum in the town hall covers early history, Dunningen’s time under Rottweil’s rule and more recent economic history. Its dedicated exhibits commemorate the life and work of the artist Landolin Ohnmacht (1760–1834), the industrialist Jacob Mayer (1813–1875) and the politician Emil Maier (1876–1932). Their different lifespans and fields of work offer several ways to explore local history.

On display are duplicates of archaeological finds from an Alemannic noble burial ground in Dunningen, as well as straw-processing tools. The collection also includes carnival costumes and traditional dress from Dunningen, Lackendorf and Seedorf, early wooden reliefs and a marble bust of a Greek goddess. One specific example of technology is a cast-steel bell from 1854, illustrating Jacob Mayer’s steel mould-casting technique. Archaeological finds, clothing, crafts, art and industrial history thus stand side by side as distinct facets of the museum.

Walking Routes and the Chapel as a Destination

A route description from 2023 gives the Eschach Hiking Trail as 49.9 kilometres long, running from Aichhalden via Heiligenbronn, Seedorf, Dunningen, Lackendorf, Flözlingen, Horgen and Eckhof to Bühlingen, where it meets the river. The main route for the second stage of the Eschach Trail is described more precisely: it leads from Dunningen up Staudenstraße to St. Christopher’s Chapel. The 49.9 kilometres refer to the entire trail; the stage description specifies the route up to the chapel. This distinguishes the overall route from the specific chapel destination when planning your walk.

A Distinctive Theme in Rottweil

The wider travel destination of Rottweil has further historical highlights. The Unteres Bohrhaus Saltworks Museum presents salt production in original buildings, with original equipment, a water wheel and two brine pumps. It also explains the history and significance of the former Royal Saltworks of Wilhelmshall, described as Rottweil’s oldest industrial operation.

At the Dominican Museum, the “Roman Rottweil – Arae Flaviae” section takes visitors through a day in Roman Rottweil on 4 August AD 186: from the forum in the morning through public and private engagements to a feast in the evening. Reconstructions and interactive areas complement the exhibition. Visitors of all ages can also try on a Roman wool tunic, a chain mail shirt, a Roman soldier’s helmet or shield, and the saddle of a Roman horseman. The availability of this experience may change, so check before your visit.

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