Weigenheim combines winegrowing, architectural history and the history of the mills on the Iff. This offers different ways to plan a stay: a hike that can start on Kapellberg, churches and half-timbered buildings, or the history of water use. The town’s early written history is also clearly documented: in 822 AD, Weigenheim was first mentioned in a deed of exchange of property between Würzburg Bishop Ulcherus and a Count Wicbaldus. This date marks the first mention, not the year the town was founded.
Winegrowing and hiking on Kapellberg
Weigenheim’s wineries currently cultivate 18 hectares of vineyards; at the same time, Weigenheim is the second-largest winegrowing municipality in the district. The area figure describes the extent of winegrowing in hectares, while the ranking places Weigenheim within the district. The Paradiesstein is located on Kapellberg. A hike on the Weinparadiesweg can start there. Winegrowing and hiking thus offer two different starting points for planning a stay. If you plan to take the route, check the current condition of the trail in advance.
Churches and half-timbered buildings
Weigenheim Parish Church is a large Neoclassical hall church. The Church of St. Mary in Reusch houses a late Gothic winged altarpiece dating from 1490. These two examples draw attention to different aspects of church history: the Neoclassical architecture of the parish church and the dated late Gothic altarpiece in the Church of St. Mary. Weigenheim is also home to a listed half-timbered inn with a beer garden. This adds another historic building style to the churches.
Hof-ZellesmĂĽhle and gardens in Reusch
The half-timbered buildings of the Hof-ZellesmĂĽhle mill estate in Reusch date from the 16th century. The Hof-ZellesmĂĽhle includes plantings of perennials and flowers, an herb garden, a kitchen garden, an orchard and a small vineyard. The Mediterranean-style water staircase offers a view across the entire parkland. There is also an orangery and a tree nursery; plants for your own garden can be purchased at the nursery. If you are planning to make a purchase, check in advance whether this is currently possible. The estate thus brings historic half-timbered buildings together with several different garden areas.
Springs and mills on the Iff
The three Taubenlöcher are spring pools of the Iff in a small wood near Reusch. In the past, they supplied drinking water to nearby Frankenberg Castle. There were once 22 mills along the short course of the Iff; 18 still remain, and the Mühlenweg trail runs past them. The Taubenlöcher tell the story of the former water supply, while the mills make the scale of water use in the past tangible. Frankenberg Castle in Weigenheim is one of the excursion destinations in the Neustadt a.d.Aisch-Bad Windsheim district.
A regional architectural comparison
In the wider destination of Neustadt A.D.Aisch-Bad Windsheim, Bad Windsheim is home to the Franconian Open-Air Museum. A walk around the museum is described as a journey through 700 years of everyday Franconian history. The museum is also home to the Bauhofstadel, built between 1441 and 1444: its late medieval roof structure spans an interior of about 360 square metres without supports. Chronologically, this building predates the half-timbered buildings of the Hof-ZellesmĂĽhle, which date from the 16th century. The barn and the mill estate thus mark two different periods in Franconian architectural history.
Discover more destinations: MĂĽnchsteinach, Dietersheim, Ipsheim, Bad Windsheim, Oberscheinfeld, Langenfeld, Neuhof An Der Zenn, Baudenbach
Return to the main travel overview: Neustadt A.D.Aisch-Bad Windsheim.
