Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Schwäbisch Hall

A collage of images from the German city of Schwäbisch Hall.

Sent by Peter from Schwäbisch Hall, Germany.

Schwäbisch Hall (German pronunciation: [ˌʃvɛːbɪʃ ˈhal]; 'Swabian Hall'; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: Hall) is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the Neckar river. The closest larger city is Heilbronn, and Schwäbisch Hall lies north-east of the state capital of Stuttgart. It is the seat of the district (Landkreis) of Schwäbisch Hall.

Unlike its name might suggest, Schwäbisch Hall lies in the region of Heilbronn-Franconia, the East Franconian-speaking northeasternmost part of Baden-Württemberg, which is culturally and linguistically more closely related to the adjoining region of Franconia in neighbouring Bavaria than to the Alemannic-speaking regions of Württemberg, Baden, Switzerland, Bavarian Swabia, Vorarlberg, Alsace and Liechtenstein.

The city's main landmarks are the market square with St Michael's Church (St. Michaelskirche), Comburg Castle (a former Benedictine monastery) with St Nicholas' Church (St. Nikolaus und St. Maria), and the Hallian-Franconian Museum (Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum), dedicated to the art and history of Schwäbisch Hall and surrounding Heilbronn-Franconia.

Schwäbisch Hall was a Free Imperial City within the Holy Roman Empire for five centuries until it was annexed by Württemberg in 1802 (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle seen from the Raichberg.

Sent by Joachim from Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Hohenzollern Castle (German: Burg Hohenzollern [bʊʁk hoːənˈtsɔlɐn]) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castles built on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechingen, on the edge of the Swabian Jura of central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name derives from Söller (terrace) from Latin solarium.

The first castle on the mountain was constructed in the early 11th century. Over the years the House of Hohenzollern split several times, but the castle remained in the Swabian branch, the dynastic seniors of the Franconian-Brandenburgian cadet branch that later acquired its own imperial throne. This castle was completely destroyed in 1423 after a ten-month siege by the free imperial cities of Swabia.

The second castle, a larger and sturdier structure, was constructed from 1454 to 1461, and served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns, including during the Thirty Years' War. By the end of the 18th century it was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings.

The third, and current, castle was built between 1846 and 1867 as a family memorial by Hohenzollern scion King Frederick William IV of Prussia. Architect Friedrich August Sterreicher based his design on English Gothic Revival architecture and the Châteaux of the Loire Valley. No member of the Hohenzollern family was in permanent or regular residence when it was completed, and none of the three German Emperors of the late 19th and early 20th century German Empire ever occupied the castle; in 1945 it briefly became the home of the former Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, son of the last Hohenzollern monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Black Forest (Schwarz Wald)

Collage of pictures showcasing various scenic views and cultural elements, primarily from Germany's Black Forest region. The scenes include landscapes, architecture, food, and animals.

Sent by Lea from Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The Black Forest (German: Schwarzwald [ˈʃvaʁtsvalt]) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is the source of the Danube and Neckar rivers.

Its highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft) above sea level. Roughly oblong in shape, with a length of 160 kilometres (100 miles) and breadth of up to 50 km (30 mi), it has an area of about 6,009 km² (2,320 sq mi).

Historically, the area was known for forestry and the mining of ore deposits, but tourism has now become the primary industry, accounting for around 300,000 jobs. There are several ruined military fortifications dating back to the 17th century (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Heidenheim

In Heidenheim : the Knöpfleswäscherin, the "Romantic Corner", and the Elmar-Doc-Haus.

Sent by Tanja from Heidenheim, Germany.

Heidenheim an der Brenz, or just Heidenheim (German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪdn̩ˌhaɪm]; Swabian: Hoidna or Hoirna), is a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located near the border with Bavaria, approximately 17 km south of Aalen and 33 km north of Ulm. Heidenheim is the largest town and the seat of the district of Heidenheim, and ranks third behind Aalen and Schwäbisch Gmünd in size among the towns in the region of East Württemberg. Heidenheim is the economic center for all the communities in Heidenheim district and is the headquarters of the Voith industrial company. The town's population in 2021 was just below the 50,000 mark. Heidenheim collaborates with the town of Nattheim in administrative matters.

The residents of Heidenheim and its surrounding area speak the distinct German dialect of Swabian.

Heidenheim is situated between Albuch and the Härtsfeld region in the northeast corner of the Swabian Alb where the valley of the Brenz meets the Stubental at the foot of Hellenstein Mountain. The source of the Brenz is located in Königsbronn and enters Heidenheim from the northwest. It runs through the boroughs of Aufhausen and Schnaitheim before it gets to Heidenheim (proper). From there it continues on to the south through the borough of Mergelstetten, before it leaves the city limits to head for Herbrechtingen (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Stuttgart

Greetings from Stuttgart.

Sent by Anja from Stuttgart, Germany.

My other postcards of Stuttgart are here and here.

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Freiburg

Greetings from Freiburg.

Sent by my Italian friend Roberto who visited Freiburg.

Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of about 355,000 (2021), while the greater Freiburg metropolitan area ("Einzugsgebiet") has about 660,000 (2018).

Freiburg is located at the southwestern foothills of the Black Forest, on the Dreisam River, a tributary of the Elz. It is Germany's southwestern- and southernmost city with a population exceeding 100,000. It lies in the Breisgau, one of Germany's warmest regions, in the south of the Upper Rhine Plain. Its city limits reach from the Schauinsland summit (1,284 metres (4,213 ft)) in the Black Forest to 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of the French border, while Switzerland is 42 kilometres (26 mi) to the south. The city is situated in the major wine-growing region of Baden and, together with Offenburg, serves as a tourist entry-point to the scenic Black Forest. According to meteorological statistics, Freiburg held the all-time German temperature record of 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) from 2003 to 2015 (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Reutlingen

Many greetings from Reutlingen.

Sent by Birgit from Reutlingen, Germany.

Reutlingen (German pronunciation: [ˈʁɔʏtlɪŋən]; Swabian: Reitlenga) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it had an estimated population of 116,456. Reutlingen has a university of applied sciences, which was founded in 1855, originally as a weavers' school. Today, Reutlingen is a home to an established textile industry and also houses machinery, leather goods and steel manufacturing facilities. It has the narrowest street in the world, Spreuerhofstraße (width 31 cm) (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Heidelberg

Best regards from Heidelberg.

Sent by Daniela from Oberheimbach in Germany.

Heidelberg (/ˈhaɪdəlbɜːrɡ/; German: [ˈhaɪdl̩bɛʁk] ; Palatine German: Heidlberg) is the fifth-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of students, it is Germany's 51st-largest city. Located about 78 km (48 mi) south of Frankfurt, Heidelberg is part of the densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region which has its centre in Mannheim.

Heidelberg is located on the Neckar River, at the point where it leaves its narrow valley between the Oden Forest and the Little Oden Forest, and enters the wide Upper Rhine Plain. The old town lies in the valley, the end of which is flanked by the Königstuhl in the south and the Heiligenberg in the north. The majority of the population lives in the districts west of the mountains in the Upper Rhine Plain, into which the city has expanded over time (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Hundertwasserhaus Plochingen

A Hundertwasser Architechture Project.
Living Under The Rain Tower, in Plochingen.

Sent by Ingrid from Laupheim in Germany.

The Hundertwasser House Plochingen "Living under the Raintower" is a house designed by the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928–2000) co-designed building in the German City Plochingen. It was built from November 1991 to August 1994 (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Ravensburg

Multiviews of Ravenburg.

Sent by Elke from Ravensburg, Germany.

Ravensburg (Swabian: Raveschburg) is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg.

Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an important trading centre. The "Great Ravensburg Trading Society" (Große Ravensburger Handelsgesellschaft) owned shops and trading companies all over Europe.

The historic city centre is still very much intact, including three city gates and over 10 towers of the medieval fortification (read further).

Germany/Austria - Winter in Allgäu

Greetings From The Allgäu.

Sent by Sonja from Wald in Bavaria, Germany.

The Allgäu (Standard German: [ˈalɡɔʏ] ) or Allgovia is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the Alps. The main rivers flowing through the Allgäu are the Lech and Iller. Allgäu is not an administrative unit (read further).

Germany - Hohenzollern Castle

Burg Hohenzollern or Hohenzollern Castle.

Sent by Sabine, a postcrosser from Germany.

Hohenzollern Castle is a castle about 50 kilometers (31 mi) south of Stuttgart, Germany. It is considered the ancestral seat of the Hohenzollern family, which emerged in the Middle Ages and eventually became German Emperors.

The castle is located on top of Berg (Mount) Hohenzollern at an elevation of 855 meters (2,805 ft) above sea level, 234 m (768 ft) above surrounding Hechingen and nearby Bisingen to the south, both located at the foothills of the Schwäbische Alb. It was first constructed in the first part of the 11th century.

When the family split into two branches, the castle remained the property of the Swabian branch, the dynastic seniors of the Franconian/Brandenburg branch which later acquired an imperial throne. The castle was completely destroyed after a 10-month siege in 1423 by the imperial cities of Swabia. A second, larger and more sturdy castle was constructed from 1454 to 1461 and served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns during wartime, including during the Thirty Years' War. By the end of the 18th century, however, the castle was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings. Today, only the chapel remains from the medieval castle.

The third version of the castle, which stands today, was constructed for Frederick William IV of Prussia between 1846 and 1867, under the direction of Friedrich August Stüler, who based his design on English Neo-Gothic style as well as the castles of the Loire Valley. Because the castle was built as a family memorial, no member of the Hohenzollern family took residence in this third castle until 1945, when it became home to the last Prussian Crown Prince Wilhelm who is buried there with his wife, Crown Princess Cecilie.

Among the historical artifacts of Prussian history contained in the castle today are the Crown of Wilhelm II and some of the personal effects of Frederick the Great and a letter from US President George Washington thanking Baron von Steuben, a scion of the House of Hohenzollern, for his service in the American Revolutionary War. The castle is today a popular tourist destination. (Source)

Germany - University Town of Tübingen

University Town of Tübingen.

Sent by Anne, a postcrosser from Germany.

Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen (German: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen) is one of Germany's 11 federally designated Elite Universities. The university is located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg. It is one of Germany's most famous and oldest universities, internationally noted in medicine, theology, natural sciences and the humanities. Currently, around 28,000 students are enrolled.

Tübingen is one of five classical "university towns" in Germany; the other four being Marburg, Göttingen, Freiburg and Heidelberg. The 17 hospitals in Tübingen affiliated with the university's faculty of medicine have 1,500 patient beds, and cater to 66,000 in-patients and 200,000 out-patients on an annual basis.

Germany - Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps

Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Sent by Michaela, a postcrosser from Germany.

This serial property of 111 small individual sites encompasses the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. Excavations, only conducted in some of the sites, have yielded evidence that provides insight into life in prehistoric times during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Alpine Europe and the way communities interacted with their environment. Fifty-six of the sites are located in Switzerland. The settlements are a unique group of exceptionally well-preserved and culturally rich archaeological sites, which constitute one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region. (Source)

Germany - Map of Heidelberg

A map of Heidelberg.

Sent by Katharina, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Heidelberg is a city in south-west Germany. The fifth-largest city in the State of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau, Heidelberg is part of the densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. In 2009, over 145,000 people lived in the city. Heidelberg lies on the River Neckar in a steep valley in the Odenwald.

A former residence of the Electorate of the Palatinate, Heidelberg is the location of the University of Heidelberg, well known far beyond Germany's borders. Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape, including Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town.

Germany - Stuttgart (Mapcard)

A mapcard of Stuttgart.

Sent by Stefanie, a postcrosser from Stuttgart, Germany.

Germany - Schauinsland

FREIBURG
Schauinsland, Bergstation.

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : The Schauinsland (literally "look into the country"; near Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany), is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of 1,284 m (4213 ft) above sea level.

The area is suitable for a number of outdoor adventurous activities including hiking, skiing and mountain biking. There is also a solar observatory nearby, a Global Atmosphere Watch monitoring station, and the Eugen-Keidel Tower. Especially in autumn, during temperature inversion, there is a nice view of the Vosges mountains from the top of the Schauinsland. Under appropriate weather conditions there is an excellent view of a large portion of the Swiss Alps.

The summit of the mountain can be reached on the Schauinslandbahn, a gondola lift that ascends from Horben. The lower station of this can be reached by bus route 21 from the terminus of Freiburg city tram route 2 at Günterstal. All three lines are operated by VAG Freiburg, the city transport operator for Freiburg.

There is also a 12 km (7.5 mile) long, twisty road leading up the mountain, which has been used for hillclimbing races. In some years, it also hosted the Großer Bergpreis von Deutschland, for example on September 27 1936 when it was won by Bernd Rosemeyer.

On 17 April 1936 a group of English pupils and their teacher Kenneth Keast were caught in a snow storm. They got lost, and five of them died. In 1938 the Engländerdenkmal of architect Hermann Alker (Karlsruhe) was erected by the Hitler Youth in commemoration.

For over 700 years lead, silver and zinc were mined in the area. Production ceased in 1954, but a museum and narrow gauge railway remain.