Dinkelsbühl is a lively, wonderfully preserved medieval town, full of narrow, cobblestone streets. You may begin exploring at the 14th-century gateway, Rothenburger Tor, and then head down the wide Martin Luther Strasse to the market square. Along the way, you can take in the town's fine collection of early Renaissance burghers' houses.
Dinkelsbühl's main attraction is the late-Gothic Münster St. Georg, on Marktplatz, built between 1448 and 1499 around a Romanesque doorway dating from ca. 1220. Along with the 15th-century Holy Cross altar and pillar sculptures, notice the St. Sebastian Altar with St. Christopher and St. James, denoted by the scallop shell. Below lie the bejeweled remains of St. Aurelius, a Roman saint beheaded under Emperor Nero. Also worth a look is the Haus der Geschichte Dinkelsbühl, Altrathausplatz 14 (tel. 09851 902 440; www.hausdergeschichte-dinkelsbühl.de), which provides an excellent overview of the pivotal periods of the town's history including the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. Its art gallery reflects the 19th-century era when it became a painters' haunt. One of them, Joseph Kühn Jr., arrived here in 1901 and bequeathed his collection, including one of two paintings by Schmidt-Rotluff whose postexpressionist Bäuerlinsturm (1938) hangs on the third floor. The top floor displays a 1926 model of the city as it would have looked in the medieval times.
The best evening activity here is to take a walk around the ramparts. Just as in medieval times, the night watchman makes his round from Münster St. Georg through the town daily at 9pm from May to October, and only Saturdays from November to April.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
