Historic Walking Tour

The historic walking tour consists of 26 stations which will guide you through the Altstadt. Each stop along the tour features a street map showing all of the stations, as well as an explanation of the particular object of interest at hand, in German, English, and French.

1 Palace

Medieval castle complex, 13th century

Three-wing construction, 16th century, Renaissance, destroyed 1689

Expansion to four-wing complex 1789-1732 under master-builder Johann Michael Rohrer, Baroque chapel with frescos by Cosmas Damian Asam

Palace, south façade

Baroque trompe l’oeil, restored 1978

13th-century medieval keep, only surviving part of original castle complex

Dolphin fountain, 1612, master-builder Johannes Schoch, Renaissance

2 Rose Garden

Designed in 1988 for the Landesgartenschau on the grounds of the former Margravial Palace Gardens, sculptures by Volker Krebs and Sabine Gärtner-Classen

3 Badischer Hof Gateway Arch

Entrance to former administration building with Gothic arch, 15th century

Badischer Hof Administration Building

Former seat of the town bailiff, used in the late Middle Ages for storing tithe contributions, 15th century

4 Fool's Fountain

On pillar, portrait of court jester Hans von Singen and attributes of the fool, statue of a fool in Landsknecht costume, 16th century

5 St.George`s Fountain

Market or

6 Town Hall

1738, built in Baroque style by Anton Mohr after original destroyed by fire in 1689 Western extension 1892

7 Town Hall Tower

Northern town gate until 13th century Octagonal structure and Baroque cupola added in connection with reconstruction of town hall

8 War Memorial

Oskar Kiefer, 1927, in memory of the dead of the First World War

Since 1995 also in memory of those fallen in the Second World War

9 Half-Timbered Houses

Foundations, 16th century, rebuilt 18th century

On façade, arms of mayor Hans-Jakob Rauch, 1585

10 St. Martin´s Church

Oldest building in town. Roman bath, 2nd century; Romanesque tower shaft, 12th century; Gothic tower octagon, 14th century; Gothic east quire, 15th century; Baroque spire, 1715; Baroque nave with ornate western façade, 1733; painted ceiling by Emil Wachter, 1988

11 Wissembourg Courtyard

Location of court belonging to the Alsatian Weißenberg Abbey for collection tithe contributions, 8th century

12 Half-Timbered House

Former church tax office, restored during the 1980s urban renewal project

13 Roman Fountain

Built by Volker Erhard, 1986, using Roman foundation stones found here

14 Dyers` Alley

Home of Jewish families until mid-19th century, also used as a school. The Hebrew inscription reads: `Isai Wenzel 12. Cheshvan 496´ (1736 A.D.)

15 Shield Maiden Fountain

Also known as the `harlot fountain´, with arms of the town and of Baden, mid-16th century

16 Synagogue

Location of former tanner’s house, used as a synagogue 1849-1888

17 Eastern Town Wall

Simple town wall with defensive towers and moat north of the Alb

18 `The Youthful Alb´

Sculpture designed by Karl Albiker, finished in 1963 by Walter Rößler

9 Jesuits´ College

Built in Baroque style, 1730, training centre for Jesuit priests until 1738,

teachers’ college 1835-1926 and until 1957 Ettlingen Gymnasium (secondary school)

20 Monk Statue

Locally known as `hic´, possibly 16th century, points to the former hospital and its chapel (hic, Lat. `here´)

21 Krone (`crown´), Old Post Office

Former post office and meeting place for conspirators in the `railway assassination´ of 1848

22 Lauerturm

Only remaining tower from the town’s northern defenses, 15th century, used today by the Albgau Museum to exhibit agricultural devices and crafts.

23 Alb Weir

Weir of the former `Zwingelmühle´, one of the town’s oldest grist mills (until 1973)

24 Statue of a Saint

St. Charles Borromeo, patron saint of pastors, by Michael Heilmann, 1755

25 Alb Bridge, St. John of Nepomuk

High-water mark from 1542

Baroque Statue of St. John of Nepomuk, 1724, personal patron saint of Margravine Sybilla Augusta

26 Neptune Stone

Roman, 3rd century Inscription by Reformer Caspar Hedio on the `history´ of Ettlingen and the stone itself, 1554

Translator: Chase Faucheux