Discover Emmendingen: Museums, city history and trails
Accommodation in Emmendingen
Emmendingen offers museums with a range of historical themes, as well as city tours and signposted trails. You can tailor your stay to your interests in local history, photography, hiking or cycling.
Museums and city history
The Markgrafenschloss houses the Emmendingen City Museum and the Hirsmüller Photography Museum. The City Museum’s permanent exhibition traces the history of the town from its first documentary mention in 1094 to modern times. Topics include the 18th century, crafts, guilds and industrialisation.
The HirsmĂĽller Photography Museum focuses on the history of the Emmendingen photography business and the HirsmĂĽller family. The collection includes around 100,000 photographs, as well as studio and laboratory equipment and a camera collection. Those interested in local history can focus here on a single photography business and its development, while the City Museum covers a broader historical period.
The German Diary Archive Museum presents a selection from its diary collection. You can visit the Jewish Museum Emmendingen opposite the Markgrafenschloss. Its historical exhibits include the mikveh, a ritual bath in the cellar. The museums therefore cover distinctly different topics, from city history, photography and diaries to Jewish life and its history.
City tours and the City Garden
Open guided tours of the Margravial town take place regularly and last 90 minutes. If you plan to join a tour, check the current date and price in advance, as both may change. The set duration makes it easy to fit the tour into your day without committing the rest of your visit to a particular programme.
The City Garden has seating by a duck pond, as well as public play and sports equipment. It offers a different kind of stop from the museums or guided tour: the focus here is on places to sit and opportunities for outdoor play and exercise.
Hiking trails, cycling and the municipal forest
Five circular hiking trails around Emmendingen have been signposted in collaboration with the Emmendingen branch of the Black Forest Association. The approximately 30-kilometre Vierburgenweg (Four Castles Trail) is also nearby. It connects Kastelburg, Hochburg near Emmendingen-Windenreute, Landeck Castle and Lichteneck Castle, and can be walked in stages. The distinction is clear for planning: the circular trails are based around Emmendingen, while the Vierburgenweg is a longer route to four named castles in the surrounding area.
There is also a signposted cycling loop of about 30 kilometres, the MĂĽhlbach circular route. Twenty information boards cover mills, power stations and places of interest. Hiking and cycling therefore offer different ways to explore the area: the circular trails and Vierburgenweg are described as hiking routes, while the MĂĽhlbach circular route is a cycling route with themed stops.
A guided exploration of Emmendingen’s municipal forest, led by a forester, covers wildlife, hunting, and the characteristics of trees and leaves. If you would like to include this exploration in your plans, check current availability and booking conditions, as these may change.
Getting to Emmendingen
Emmendingen lies on the Baden Main Line between Mannheim and Basel. In addition to Emmendingen’s central station, there are other stops in Kollmarsreute and Mundingen. A regional train from Freiburg Central Station reaches Emmendingen in under 15 minutes; the actual journey time depends on the train service. Check the connection for your travel date.
By car, you can reach the area near the A5 via the Teningen exit, about five kilometres from the town centre. The B3 runs through the town. This information can help you choose your mode of transport; for your specific journey, the current connection and your route are what matter.
Wine tasting as another reason to visit
The Emmendingen Tourist Information Office offers the Breisgau Explorer Wine Tasting. It includes five tasting cards for 0.1-litre glasses, redeemable at participating wineries. If the wine tasting fits your plans, check current availability and offer details in advance, as they may change.
Discover more destinations: Teningen, Gutach im Breisgau, Simonswald, Denzlingen, Sexau, Endingen am Kaiserstuhl, Bahlingen, Rheinhausen.
See the main travel overview: Emmendingen.
