The best dog-friendly hikes and walks around Nauwald

The Lower Gate with its clock tower is one of Günzburg's landmarks. However, it is far more than just a striking, representative feature. It was once one of the most important entrances to the city. The tower keeper lived at the top and had to ring the bells hourly, day and night, so that the citizens knew someone was on watch. The many windows were not decorative, but provided a panoramic view. From here, the watchmen kept a lookout for enemies and fires.

Scottish Highland cattle take on important tasks in the Leipheimer Moos. They live in the area all year round and do what would otherwise require machines. They eat grass, reeds and nettles and clear bushes to keep the recultivating moorland as open as possible. They are robust, undemanding and, above all, comparatively light, so they hardly damage the sensitive soil. With their shaggy fur and horns spanning up to 1.60 metres, they offer an unusual but very welcome sight in the moor. Every now and then a few Dartmoor ponies join them.

The city center of Günzburg is particularly charming in good weather.

The city area was already settled in Roman times in ancient times. For over 500 years, Günzburg belonged to the Habsburg Empire and thus to Austria. It was not until 1806 that the city was incorporated into the Kingdom of Bavaria. The almost completely preserved historic old town is particularly charming. The center of Günzburg is surrounded by largely intact city fortifications. At the center lies Günzburg's market square, through which Marktstraße runs. This divides the old town into two parts. It is bordered by two stone towers with gates. The town tower at the western end was built in the 14th century and can be climbed via an internal staircase. Buildings from the 16th to 19th centuries line the narrow alleys. The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is a magnificent Rococo building. The church was consecrated in 1780 and features an ornately decorated interior. The church was consecrated in 1780 and has a richly decorated interior. Source: https://www.faszination-bayern.de/orte-a-i/guenzburg/

To gain more living space along the city wall, the facades on the upper floors were designed to project forward by the width of a beam. Beneath the plaster lies a simple timber-framed structure, its panels filled with wattle and daub. The same construction method can still be observed in Münzgasse (behind the southern city wall). What, after successful renovation (and equipped with all the amenities of modern living technology), is now a beautiful residential location in the city center, was anything but a comfortable home without running water, sewage systems, electric lighting, and proper heating. In stark contrast are the tall, solidly built stone houses along the market square. Source: https://pages.et4.de/de/guenzburg/streaming/detail/POI/p_100047484/frauengaesschen-12

The Lower Gate was built in the Gothic style in the 14th century. More precise information about the builders and the date of construction is unavailable. Dendrochronological analysis dates the oak logs above the first upper story to the autumn or winter of 1436. This provides a clue as to the construction period of the final gate structure. In its original form, the tower, with its square base and octagonal spire, can be seen in the city view in the "Mirror of Honor of the House of Austria." There, it already bears the name "Das under Thor" (The Lower Gate). The tower keepers and their families used to live in the tower keeper's room. The fifth and sixth floors served as both work and living quarters. The tower keeper was also a music teacher. To supplement his meager wages, he gave music lessons to the students of the neighboring Piarist college. On clear nights, the Piarists are said to have practiced astronomy in the uppermost tower room. In 1817, the Lower Gate was fitted with its first clock. The clock mechanism originally came from the old town hall (demolished in 1809) and displayed the hours and zodiac signs on a large dial, the quarter hours on a smaller one, and the phases of the moon in between. Source: https://www.altstadtfreunde-guenzburg.de/

The court church, preserved as a late Renaissance building, is Mannerist and remains the true jewel of the square. It was built in 1579/80. Details of this elegant architectural style, such as Ionic columns and Corinthian capitals, are clearly visible inside the church. The sgraffito plasterwork on the west side of the church has been restored. The narrow, single-nave church, facing south and rising steeply, is directly attached to the palace and therefore has no separate facade. The church can be entered either through an entrance in the archway of the original palace or directly on the east side via a simple and unadorned entrance. Source: https://winckelmannakademie.wordpress.com/2020/06/23/das-schloss-und-die-hofkirche-in-guenzburg-an-der-donau/

The piglet market was held here on Tuesdays until the 1960s (!). This tradition was remembered again during the redesign of the square (1990), and a design competition resulted in the bronze pig dealer ("Saubarthel").