Culture and sightseeing Zwingenberg, Hesse

1 culture , sightseeing

1.1 buildings
1.2 wine , culinary specialities
1.3 theatre
1.4 museums

culture , sightseeing

zwingenberg lies on edge of odenwald on heights of melibokus on relatively steep slope. surrounding town wall great extent still visible.

the obergasse (“upper lane”) old getwinc, thoroughfare led through town’s lower , upper gates. street’s alignment changed after fire of 1693 , still more or less shows position of old bergstraße.

the “new pass” until 15th century still wetland. today b 3 runs here along historic town wall through town. between schlößchen , neugasse remains of town wall form walls of houses , barns on untergasse (“lower lane”)

including outlying centre of rodau, zwingenberg has 81 cultural monuments under monumental protection.

buildings

bergkirche



the aul



timber-frame houses on scheuergasse

the town has touristically attractive old town timber-frame houses interesting both buildings , history represent, mountain church (bergkirche) , former castle seat, enfeoffed johann von katzenelnbogen hans von wallbrunn elder in 1420.

at zwingenberg’s highest spot stands today’s youth hostel, former tithe barn built on bastion’s foundation. of round corner towers of upper town wall, aul has been preserved. northeast tower, two-floor tower made of undressed quarrystones.

the remains of moated castle may zwingenberg’s oldest building. outwards 1250, town fortifications took shape. “new marketplace” arose @ beginning of 17th century on former moated castle’s lands , moat itself.

the old amtsgericht (“amt court”) built between 1561 , 1563 , restored in 1989. served hessian landgraves hunting palace.

the schlößchen (“little palace”), built 1520, has served town since 1969 town hall. next stands former guesthouse zum löwen (“to lion”). built in 1595 , oldest building in existence outside old town wall. across street lies scheuergasse (lane) formed 2 rows of side-gabled barns. these built outside old town wall owing danger fire, , today used dwellings, offices , guesthouses.

the vaulted cellar under alte apotheke (“old apothecary’s shop”), stands on marketplace, seems go time when town wall built. later, alte apotheke known großherzogliche apotheke von katzenellenbogen (the first word meaning “grand-ducal”), , built in 1783.

wine , culinary specialities

zwingenberg part of small winegrowing region of hessische bergstraße known herb wines. on slopes of melibokus lie, within auerbacher rott growing region, locations of zwingenberger steingeröll , zwingenberger alte burg. abutting them north location of alsbacher schöntal. white grape varieties grown here include sylvaner, riesling, müller-thurgau , morio muscat. asparagus , strawberry farming characterize flatter areas towards rodau. typical zwingenberg, therefore, robust dry riesling , mellow asparagus dishes.

theatre

in vaulted cellar under former amtsgericht found theater mobile, puts on own , others’ productions in fields of music, reading, children’s theatre, dance , cabaret.

museums

the heimatmuseum (local history) on historic scheuergasse shows old handicrafts , historically decorated rooms.

in june 2005, information centre blüten, stein & wein (“blossoms, stone , wine”) of unesco geopark bergstraße-odenwald opened @ community centre bunter löwe (“colourful lion”). information centre, open @ weekends , after notification, houses tourist information centre.