Discover Denkendorf

Denkendorf offers a range of themes for your stay: the history of the monastery, collections about the local past, and trails by the water or through the countryside. You can plan your trip around the places and activities that interest you most.

Monastery and local history

The historic Denkendorf Monastery complex includes the monastery church with its significant crypt, a Staufer stele, the parish barn and the monastery lake. The monastery’s history dates back to a collegiate foundation of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre in 1129. The complex therefore offers a tangible way to explore the area’s long history, which can also be traced through individual memorial sites.

Since 2015, a stele made of Jurassic travertine in the monastery courtyard has commemorated the close connection between the community and the Staufer dynasty. Below the monastery, at the Maierhof, a fountain and a plaque have commemorated Friedrich Hölderlin since 2020. From 1784 to 1786, he was a seminary student at Denkendorf Monastery School. The two memorial sites represent different historical connections: the stele commemorates the community’s ties to the Staufer dynasty, while the fountain and plaque recall Hölderlin’s time as a seminary student.

The Rolf Deuschle Local History Museum displays rural and craft collections from the past of the Denkendorf village community. It is located at two addresses: Kirchstraße 2, in the basement of the Zum Alten Bären inn, and Kirchstraße 9. If you are planning a museum visit, check the addresses in advance.

Trails by the monastery lake and in the countryside

A circular trail with a promenade runs along the monastery lake, with sections crossing the water on boardwalks. There are additional viewing boardwalks and an open recreation area at the lake entrance. You can combine a walk around the trail with a stop at the viewpoints; the boardwalks are a distinctive feature of this route.

The Kugelpfad offers a different kind of outing: this approximately 2.5-kilometre nature trail features several marble runs and 13 quiz and adventure stations. It is a local recreation destination for families with children, day visitors, school and kindergarten groups, as well as local community groups and associations. The trail runs along paved and field paths and is easy to navigate with a stroller. Wheelchair users are advised to bring an accompanying person. This information will help you assess the trail and its stations when planning your visit.

There are also various opportunities for walking around Erlachsee. A walking trail leads from the dam onto a grass path and loops widely around the nature reserve; a lakeside path runs along the northern and eastern shores. The “Erlachsee” landscape protection area was expanded in 1975 and designated a nature reserve in 1989. If you are interested in protected landscapes, the route here comes with a specific history of the protected area.

Hiking and cycling routes through Denkendorf

The Main-Neckar-Rhine Trail, also known as Main Hiking Trail 3, passes through Denkendorf and is marked with its own signage. Check route information before setting out. The Way of St. James also passes through the town: it comes from Berkheim and follows Lenaustraße, Goethestraße, Eichersteige, Kirchstraße and Friedhofsstraße. Check local trail conditions before your hike.

For a longer cycling route, the Hohenzollern Cycle Route is another option to consider: the 188-kilometre route runs from Esslingen am Neckar through Denkendorf, Schönbuch Nature Park, the southwestern foothills of the Swabian Jura, the Danube Valley and the Hegau region, ending at the western shore of Lake Constance. While the monastery lake and Kugelpfad describe specific circular routes and stations, the long-distance and hiking trails place Denkendorf on longer routes. When planning, you can choose between a local trail and a tour that passes through Denkendorf as part of a longer route.

Discover more destinations: Nellingen, Ostfildern, Oberboihingen, Bempflingen, Großbettlingen, Weilheim An Der Teck, Filderstadt, Erkenbrechtsweiler.

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