The worlds biggest wine festival
The health resort and major county town of Bad Dürkheim has more than 18,000 inhabitants. It is situated in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration and is seat of administration in the district of Bad Dürkheim in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In the year AD 778 it was first mentioned in documents. Bad Dürkheim is the third biggest winegrowing municipality in the Palatinate.
Situated in the Pfälzer woods and surrounded by vineyards, Bad Dürkheim offers a great variety of activity respectively nature, culture, wine, pleasure, wellness and health.
Landmark of Bad Dürkheim is the graduation tower, also known as Saline, which is part of Bad Dürkheim’s spa facilities and used as an outdoor inhalatorium. In the wake of a fire great parts of the facility were destroyed. It was reopened in 2010.
Another attraction is the giant barrel built in 1934, which has never been filled with wine since it houses a restaurant. If you always have wished to sit in a wine barrel while drinking a glass of wine, Bad Dürkheim gives you the opportunity to it.
A further attraction is the castle of Hardenburg, built in AD 1205 as one of the biggest of its kind in the country. Worth visiting are also the ruin of monastery Limburg, the Roman villa Weilberg and the Roman quarry Kriemhildenstuhl.
Many bicycling trails lead you through vineyards and fields with vegetable and fruits. There are guided cycling tours, Segway tours and 5 mountain bike trails. Hikers can choose between long trails like the Palatine Weinsteig, round trails and fastidious trails like the one going up to Dragon's Rock passing through imposing rocky reefs, two viewpoints and the Dragon's Cave and Chamber.
In September the world’s greatest wine festival “Der Wurstmarkt” is set up in Bad Dürkheim. Literally it means sausage market.
More information (in German): http://www.bad-duerkheim.com/
Photo: travelpeter/Shutterstock
