Harburg
Harburg is a town of 5,600 people (2020) in Swabia in the German state of Bavaria on the Romantic Road. The town sits at the foot of Harburg Castle, which is one of the largest, oldest and best preserved castles in southern Germany. The castle can be see from far away.
Understand
The historic old town has many picturesque corners and lanes. Not only the market square but also the old stone bridge and the churches of the village invite you to walk in the traces of history. From the old stone bridge you can walk to the picturesque old town, which is located between castle hill and the river Wörnitz.
Get in
By plane
- Munich Airport — the closest intercontinental airport with good road and train connections to Harburg.
- Nürnberg — for domestic European flights.
- Stuttgart — for domestic European flights.
By train
Harburg has a 🌍 railway station (to the east of the town). Harburg is on a regional rail line, which generally connects to the main rail hubs through Donauwörth to the south and Nördlingen to the west. Go Ahead Bavaria operates train service to Munich, Augsburg, Stuttgart.
Get around
By foot
The city is very small and can be covered by foot.
See
- 🌍 Harburg Castle, Burgstr. 1. One of the largest, oldest and best preserved castles in southern Germany. Extensive mediaeval complex from the 11th-12th century. It was built as a Staufer castle and was owned by the princely House of Oettingen-Wallerstein. entrance: €3, guided tour €4.
- 🌍 Old Stone Bridge, Auf der Brücke 2-6. The arched structure was built in 1729 after a devastating flood. The bridge consists of stone blocks with seven yoke and covered crusher piers. Over it, you can walk dryly over the River Wörnitz into the old town of Harburg.
- 🌍 Geopark Ries info point, Donauwörther Str. 25. 24/7. Provides information in English about the formation of the giant Ries crater, its geology and the connection of the Geopark Ries to space missions of ESA and NASA. Furthermore you get an overview of the city’s history and the sights in Harburg.
- 🌍 Town hall.
Churches
- 🌍 St. Michael. In the Harburg Castle, it can be visited during the opening hours of the castle. It is the oldest church in Harburg and dates back to Romanesque times. During the Reformation period it became the first Protestant preaching place in the region and still serves the Protestant congregation in the summer months. Under Prince Albrecht Ernst II of Oettingen-Oettingen St. Michael was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1720.
- 🌍 St. Barbara. It was built in 1612 by Count Gottfried of Oettingen-Oettingen as a Protestant parish church and is located at the foot of the castle hill next to the town hall. Today, a large fresco on the wall commemorates the time of the construction of the church. It was rediscovered and uncovered during the renovation in 1988. The church tower was partly integrated into the surrounding rock, as the building site was cramped. After the Second World War, St. Barbara received the present altar.
- 🌍 Herz Jesu. A Catholic parish church built from 1901 to 1903 in neo-Gothic style by Jakob Angermair.
Do
- Guided tours of Harburg Castle are offered daily from 10:00 till 17:00 and run from mid-March to the beginning of November. The 60-minute tour costs €4 and the entrance to the castle €3.
- Audio-Tour. Distributed throughout the old town, there are several stations with exciting stories, entertaining anecdotes and short excerpts from the city’s history. The starting point is nearly by the old stone bridge. The entire audio tour takes about 3 hours – the individual episodes last about 5 minutes and can be discovered independently of each other. To do this, you have to scan the QR code using the photo function of your tablet or smartphone. The story unfolds via the link accessed there. “Mobile Data” must be enabled, as the audio files are streamed directly from the Internet. The audio tour is also offered in English.
Eat
Traditional Bavarian cuisine
- 🌍 Gasthof zum Goldenen Lamm, Marktplatz 15 (on the marketplace), ☏ +49 9080 1422. M–F Su 11:00–14:00, M–W F Su 17:00–21:00; Sa closed.
- 🌍 Hotel-Restaurant Straussen, Marktplatz 2 (on the marketplace), ☏ +49 9080 1398. Tu–F Su 11:00–14:00, Tu–Sa 17:00–21:00; Sa closed.
- 🌍 Waldschänke Eisbrunn, Eisbrunn 1, ☏ +49 9080 9239100. It is in the forest, and has a beer garden.
- 🌍 Wirtshaus zum Kratzhof, Kratzhof 4, ☏ +49 9080 1696. F–Su 11:00–. Swabian-Bavarian cuisine.
- 🌍 Fürstliche Burgschenke, Burgstraße 1 (on Harburg Castle), ☏ +49 9080 1504. Tu–Su 10:00–22:00; M closed. Beer garden.
Italian cuisine
- 🌍 Hertle Haus, Egelseestraße 4, ☏ +49 9080 9234670. F–Sa 11:30–14:00, Tu–Su 17:30–22:30; M closed. Italian cuisine.
- 🌍 La Locanda, Grasstraße 18, ☏ +49 9080 4240. M–Tu Th–F 17:00–23:30; Sa–Su 11:00–23:30; W closed. Italian cuisine.
Sleep
- Gasthof zum Goldenen Lamm, Marktplatz 15, ☏ +49 9080 1422, info@lamm-harburg.de.
- Hotel-Restaurant Straussen, Marktplatz 2, ☏ +49 9080 1398, info@hotel-straussen.de.
- Schlosshotel Harburg, Burgstraße 1, ☏ +49 9080 1504, info@burgschenke-harburg.de.
- Pension Moserhaus, Marktplatz 5, ☏ +49 9080 923742, info@moserhaus-harburg.de.