Donauwörth

Donauwörth is a city of 18,300 inhabitants in the German state of Bavaria in the Swabian district of Donau-Ries. The regional administrative office is situated here.

WGS8448° 43‘ 8“ N, 10° 46‘ 40“ E

48.718889°, 10.777778°

UTM32U 630759 5397731

Donauwörth is in northern Swabia where several tributary rivers such as the Wörnitz and the Zusam meet the Danube. About 12km east of the city, the Danube is met by the north-flowing river Lech. Donauwörth is close to the south-western foothills of the Franconian Alb and Altmühl Valley Nature Park and the eastern foothills of the Swabian Alb, also known as the Riesalb. Over the Danube and south of the city is the Augsburg-Western Woods Nature Park, while to the north lies Geopark Ries, a meteor crater landscape that is home to various rare bird and plant species.

Visitors can find all the information and assistance they need at:

Städtische Tourist-Information Donauwörth

Rathausgasse 1

86609 Donauwörth

Tel.: +49 (0)906 789 151

Fax: + 49 (0)906 789 159

tourist-info@donauwoerth.de

www.donauwoerth.de

Opening times:

May to September:

Monday to Friday 9am to 12 noon and 1pm to 6pm

Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 3pm to 6pm

October to April:

Monday to Thursday 9am to 12 midday and 1pm to 5pm

Friday 9am to 1pm

Whether you're looking for an overnight stay or a holiday let for a longer period, Donauwörth has plenty of accommodation options on offer. And has done for hundreds of years. On 26 October 1777 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spent the night at the Posthotel Traube on his way to Mannheim. Today this over 300-year-old hotel is as welcoming as ever. As is the Hotel Zu den Drei Kronen in the middle of the historical town centre. Here too you'll find warm hospitality, a charming atmosphere and of course excellent food.

All accommodation and restaurants:

http://www.donauwoerth.de/de-user-Unterkuenfte-index.html

http://www.donauwoerth.de/de-user-Gastronomie-index.html

The Käthe-Kruse Doll Museum, beautifully housed in the heritage-listed and lovingly renovated former Capuchin monastery, is a magical collection of dolls from this renowned dollmaker. Over 150 pieces are presented in charming settings. There are also sections of the museum devoted to the colourful life of Käthe Kruse herself (1883-1968), the history of the Käthe-Kruse workshops and the sophisticated, hand-crafted production of the dolls. Fascinating and memorable tours for children and adults are available all year round, with or without supporting programmes, and can also be booked for outside of regular opening hours. The same building is home to the Werner Egk Rooms, dedicated to the memory of the composer of works such as Peer Gynt and Die Zaubergeige (The Magic Violin). Egk dedicated some of his works to Donauwörth, the town he was closely associated with throughout his life and which has established this small museum in his memory.

The Archaeological Museum on the fourth floor of the Tanzhaus traces the settlement history of the Donau-Ries area from the Stone Age to the time of Alemanni tribes, with a focus on Roman military and settlement history. Exhibits here include beautifully cast and richly decorated bronze swords from the Hallstatt era, once sacrificed to the river gods and rediscovered centuries later during gravel mining. There is also armour as would have been used by a Roman legionnaire, which has been faithfully reconstructed and tested under field conditions. And don't miss the numerous terracotta figures and objects from everyday life. Presentation boards and models explain ancient crafts such as bronze casting and Celtic ironwork.

The Deutschordenshaus is one of the oldest houses of the Teutonic Order of Knights. The Order was founded in 1197 and shortly thereafter, in 1214, King Friedrich II gave the brothers a chapel on the old Danube bridge used for collecting alms for the poor. The building that we see today was built between 1774 and 1778 and now houses the town's art gallery. Don't miss the baroque Enderlesaal, a hall named after the painter Johann Baptist Enderle.

The town hall was built in 1236 and was first extended in 1308 using stone blocks from Castle Mangoldstein. In the 14th century the house was destroyed twice by fire. In the 16th century a third floor was built and by the end of the 18th century the characteristic roof had been added. The town hall was completely renovated in 1853, 1973/75 and 1985/86, the last of these updates being for the building's 750th anniversary, when a carillon was added to the western gable. Every day the bells play folk songs and a tune from Egk's opera Die Zaubergeige.

As a town situated on – and even in – the water (it began life as a small fishing island in the Wörnitz river, today known as Ried Island), Donauwörth has always lived with the flow of river traffic. This ancient trading hub, whose docks on the Danube were once the largest in the Swabian region, is no longer a river port, but nature-loving boating enthusiasts, who appreciate and respect the waters as a natural habitat, are always welcome here. Five waterways – the Danube, Wörnitz, Zusam, Kessel and Schmutter rivers – offer plenty of opportunity for boat trips of all difficulty levels. By prior arrangement, Donauwörth's fishermen will offer group boat trips in their historical flat boats, or Zillen.

For cyclists, there are no fewer than five different types of landscape and green space to explore around Donauwörth. The Danube-Lech valley plain, the rolling hills of the Swabian Alb, the riverscapes along the Wörnitz and Danube and the steep cliffs of the Franconian Alb – all these come together in Donauwörth and guarantee a richly varied ride.

But whether cycling, walking or driving, no-one should miss the Geopark Ries. Some 15 million years ago, a meteor almost one kilometre across smashed into the Alb plateau, leaving behind a cratered landscape. Today the area known as the Nördlinger Ries is clearly visible as a roughly circular basin about 25 kilometres in diameter. The area has developed its own unique flora and fauna and offers a unique view of nature. One of the best ways to experience it is on the 75km bike tour into the Geopark Ries, which takes you through an extraordinary landscape of geological and historical sights.

There is a roughly 1,000km cycle path network around the town and throughout the region, the vast majority of which is made up of well-maintained bike paths, surfaced farm tracks and quiet roads. As for walkers and Nordic walkers, there are over 100km of marked trails for exploring the varied landscape around Donauwörth, with its babbling brooks, peaceful forests, idyllic meadows and welcoming forest inns. Two St. James Way pilgrim routes meet in Donauwörth and the town is also at the crossroads of various long-distance walking trails: the Swabian Alb Route (northern and southern versions), the Main-Danube Route, the Romantic Road route and the Danube Walking Trail.

Around Donauwörth runs southern Germany's largest single body of flowing water. Streams, rivers and lakes mark the boundaries of the old Reichsstadt (imperial city), making Donauwörth a paradise for watersports enthusiasts and anglers. 20km of the Danube, 35km of the Wörnitz, not to mention the Zusam, Schmutter and Kessel rivers, offer well-stocked waters for a perfect fishing holiday. Many hotels and inns with restaurants will be happy to cook your catch for you if you make arrangements with them beforehand.

Donauwörth train station is an interchange on the line that runs from Augsburg to Treuchtlingen and Nuremberg and is also on the Danube valley railway running from Regensburg and Ingolstadt to Ulm. Donauwörth is also the terminus for the Riesbahn, which runs between the town and Aalen. During the week, trains run hourly in all four directions and every 30 minutes to Augsburg. At weekends they generally run every other hour. Because of the fast connections along a new line running from Nuremberg to Munich via Ingolstadt, Donauwörth is not well served by InterCityExpress trains. It is, however, served by the fast Allgäu-Franken Express, which links Nuremberg with Lindau and Oberstdorf.

In 2011 Donauwörth introduced a new townwide bus network. Two urban routes now run every half hour and a suburban route runs every hour.