Esslingen Burg

Esslingen am Neckar: Medieval Flair with an Industrial Air

In Esslingen you may think you’ve been transported back to the Middle Ages. Countless half-timbered houses, churches and other historic buildings give the city a feeling like no other in Germany. In the midst of mountainside vineyards, the Esslingen Castle towers over the picturesque historic city centre.

Surrounded by mountainside vineyards, the former Free Imperial City of Esslingen is situated on the Neckar River about 20 km away from Stuttgart. With its many medieval half-timbered houses, the city of 93,000 inhabitants feels a lot like an open-air museum. In fact, there are over 1,000 registered historic landmarks in the city. Especially between the Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall) and the Hafenmarkt, you’ll find one half-timbered house after another. Esslingen has the longest row of half-timbered houses in Germany, making it an important stop for tourists travelling to destinations along the German Route of Half-Timbered Houses. The historic Altes Rathaus with its astronomical clock and hourly glockenspiel is also worth seeing and hearing. It’s no wonder that Esslingen has such a diverse collection of historic monuments – after all, the history of Esslingen goes back 1,200 years! It was the first industrial city in the former Kingdom of Württemberg. Even today, it is home to a number of major corporations, such as Bosch, Porsche, Daimler, Eberspächer and Festo.

If you’re looking for a breath-taking view of the medieval district and the central Neckar Valley, you should take a hike up to the Esslingen Castle, which used to be part of the city wall.

Continue reading at http://www.study-in.de/en/life/culture-travel–17855/ .