Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Hechingen (Germany). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Burg Hohenzollern, New Castle, and Oldtimermuseum Zollernalb. Also, be sure to include Hohenzollerisches Landesmuseum in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Hechingen (Baden-Württemberg).
Table of Contents
Burg Hohenzollern
Mountaintop, 19th-century castle. Hohenzollern Castle 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 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, which 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 Stüler 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.
Among the historical artifacts of Prussian history contained in the castle are the Crown of Wilhelm II, some of the personal effects of King Frederick the Great, and a letter from US President George Washington thanking Hohenzollern relative Baron von Steuben for his service in the American Revolutionary War.[1]
Address: Burg Hohenzollern, 72379 Bisingen
New Castle
Also known as: Neues Schloss
Palace in Hechingen, Germany. The New Castle is a nineteenth century palace in Hechingen in Germany. It served as the city residence for princes of the House of Hohenzollern-Hechingen.[2]
Oldtimermuseum Zollernalb
The Zollernalb Classic Car Museum is located in Hechingen in the Zollernalbkreis district of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
In the premises of the former Zollerpark department store, more than 100 vehicles are exhibited on an area of 1,800 m².
Address: Obere Mühlstraße 7, Hechingen
Hohenzollerisches Landesmuseum
The Hohenzollern State Museum is a cultural, art and land history museum located in Hechingen in the Zollernalbkreis district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It documents the history and art history of the county of Hohenzollern, the principalities of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and the Prussian province of Hohenzollerische Lande.
Address: Schloßpl. 5, 72379 Hechingen