What to see in Bad Mergentheim on the Romantic Road, an itinerary including the main places of interest including the castle, which now houses a museum of the history of the order of the Teutonic Knights and of the city, and the thermal baths, with the fascinating rose park.
Tourist information
The city developed from an ancient Franconian royal court at the meeting point of important commercial streets.
In 1219 it passed through donation of the brothers Enrico, Andrea and Federico di Hohenlohe to the Order of the Teutonic Knights, who maintained a detachment here.
Until the main declaration of the empire in 1806, the city remained the property of the Order.
The castle currently houses a museum of the history of the Order of the Teutonic Knights and the city. The rooms of the master and the noble chapter house are examples of princely dwelling in the times of the Baroque, Rococo and Classicism.
In addition to the weapons collection, historical representations of the battle of Herbsthausen held in 1645 are part of the castle's masterpieces.
Its church was built in 1730 as the court church of the High Master and the German Master with the collaboration of the famous Balthasar Neumann.
Many members of the Order are buried in the crypt.
A western Prussian monument is found in the Trumpeter Tower, from whose guardian room, during the summer, the serenades of the town band can be heard.
Passing through the alley of the parish, decorated by Madonnas, you reach the courtyard of the Jerusalemites and the hospital.
The order of the Jerusalemites, who fought for a long time, the dominion of the city with the Teutonic knights, built the votive church in 1300.
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In it there is an interesting sepulchral monument of the commendatory of the order Marquardt Von Eck, dating back to around 1600.
What see
Typical trellis-shaped houses, Baroque palaces and the town hall are grouped around the Market Square.
Opposite is the octagonal fountain, from the Renaissance period, with a statue of the German master Wolfgang Schutzbar, called "sgarbatello", who had chosen Mergentheim as the residence of the order in 1526.
In the church of Santa Maria, located near the High Market in Hans Heinrich Ehrler square, there are frescoes dating back to the time of construction of the church, starting from 1300 and a bronze epitaph of the Other Master Walther Von Cronberg, prepared in 1539 by master Hans Vischer in Nuremberg.
Numerous houses in the characteristic alleys of the historic center, with their statues of the Madonna, the figures of saints and colorful coats of arms, also recall the dominion of the Order here in the so-called "Region of God".
A particularly indicative place is the Gothic bridge of San Volfango on the Tauber, decorated with a statue of the patron of the Nepomuceno bridges.
Together with the crucifixion and the church of San Volfango, it forms an attractive complex and is, at the same time, a symbol of this region.
In addition to the evidence of its historical past, Bad Mergentheim offers tourists many activities such as theater, dance or leisure attractions in the modern Solymar park.
All this is part of the program of the current spa town in which Bad Mergentheim has been transformed since the last century, which would not have happened if a shepherd had not discovered in 1826 a source of bitter mineral water based on magnesium sulphate, very renowned to combat metabolic disturbances.
Those who visit the spa are inevitably attracted by the particularly well-kept park where, in summer, it is possible to admire the great variety of roses in full bloom.
One of the most famous medieval paintings is located in the side chapel of the Parish Church of the Stuppach hamlet, about 7 km away from the center going towards Schwabisch Hall.
Our Lady of Stuppach was painted in 1519 by Mathias Grunewald, the greatest German painter together with Durer.
Returning to the outskirts of Bad Mergentheim, the B 290 leads south into the nature park where splendid specimens of local fauna are found.
Attached to the park is the museum, where you can admire a large collection of insects, butterflies and bird eggs.
After a further 3 km along the B 290, you reach Markelsheim, whose viticulture is mentioned in official documents starting from 1096.
The wine town offers visitors the opportunity to relax in a peaceful environment, strolling along the wine route where they can enjoy pleasant tastings.
