The best traffic-free bike rides around Oppenweiler

Beautiful view of Reichenberg Castle

Hammerschmiede

From the elevated position around Maienfels Castle, a wide, atmospheric view opens up into the Brettach Valley – with rolling hills, orchards, and small hamlets that blend harmoniously into the landscape. Especially on a clear day or in the golden evening light, a panorama unfolds that invites you to linger and marvel.

Directly below Maienfels Castle lies the Protestant Castle Church – a Gothic-influenced religious building dating back to 1433. In 1613, the former castle chapel was converted into a church and is still connected to the castle today via a path through the castle wall. The church impresses with its horseshoe gallery, tracery windows, and Art Nouveau furnishings. Particularly noteworthy are the late Impressionist altarpiece "Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's Well" by Ernst H. Graeser and the small bell tower with its Italian-style cap.

Maienfels Castle towers high above the Brettach Valley – a medieval hilltop castle dating back to the 13th century, which is still largely intact today. The impressive half-timbered structure of the Gemming Palace is visible from afar and lends the town a fairytale feel. The castle is privately owned but can be visited in the courtyard when the gate is open.

The hilltop castle was built between 1230 and 1231 by Margrave Hermann V of Baden, who, like his brother, was a loyal supporter of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II. It is said to have been closely related to Ebersberg Castle, built at the same time in what is now the Auenwald forest, and the upper castle in Besigheim. The dimensions, furnishings, and existing stonemasonry marks of the three castles are identical. In the Middle Ages, administrative centers were usually located in castles. Reichenberg Castle, for example, was also a so-called ministerial castle. The knights Wolfram and Berthold von Reichenberg are mentioned as early as 1230. Reichenberg was therefore the official seat and thus also the administrative center of the surrounding areas. From 1293 onwards, the Sturmfeder von Oppenweiler family resided in the castle as ministerials. In the 19th century, the castle was the seat of the forestry office of the Kingdom of Württemberg, among others. Karl von Schiller, a son of Friedrich Schiller, worked there as a district forester from 1822 to 1833. In 1888, the castle was leased to the Samaritan Foundation, which operated a social facility there to care for people with disabilities. In 1929, the Samaritan Foundation acquired Grafeneck Castle near Gomadingen and relocated the home there. In 1930, the castle was leased to the Evangelical Society of Stuttgart, which operated a shelter for Stuttgart prostitutes there until the 1950s, as prostitution had increased sharply in Stuttgart due to the general hardship after the First World War. The Evangelical Society of Stuttgart subsequently converted the castle back into a residential home for people with disabilities.

Whatever is currently happening at komoot: Hörschhof became Dörschelhof - cruel

This church on the nearby hill was the parish church of the monastery and the town. It was dedicated to Mary and has borne the name of the monastery's founder since the Reformation. Today, it serves, among other things, as a cemetery church. Walterich was buried in a grave made from Roman spolia. It was the destination of a pilgrimage, and to this day, many Murrhardt residents come during Lent to view the Mount of Olives on the exterior of the church. This is a magnificent 16th-century carving depicting the Passion of Christ.