Nürtingen: Old Town, Neckar and Culture

Nürtingen lies above the Neckar Valley, with its historic old town on Schlossberg, a hill formed by the Neckar. The town combines a distinctive historic skyline with cultural offerings and activities by the river and outdoors. This gives you a range of options when planning your trip: the old town and Hölderlin, the town’s history at the museum, or outdoor activities between viewpoints, disc golf and the Neckar.

Old Town and St. Laurentius Church

The historic old town around Schlossberg preserves narrow lanes and historic houses. St. Laurentius Church is a defining feature of the district and gives a relatively cohesive impression of old Nürtingen. It has stood on Schlossberg for more than 500 years; its tower, topped by a distinctive Welsche Haube dome, rises above the rooftops of the old town. Together, the church and historic houses shape the character of the district.

Nürtingen’s tower library is located in the church tower. Its manuscripts and printed books date from the 15th to the 19th century; the library is a cultural monument of the town. It adds historic book collections and another cultural-historical dimension to the old town’s church architecture.

Town History and Hölderlin

The Nürtingen Town Museum is housed in a former shooting house built in 1565. Its themes range from traces of Roman antiquity and development since the late Middle Ages to the history of crafts and industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum’s coverage of town history thus spans several eras, from antiquity to the more recent past.

For visitors interested in Hölderlin, the Office for City Marketing and Tourism offers public and private guided tours of the Hölderlin exhibition or the Hölderlin House. Both types of tour are also available for private groups. Together with the themes covered by the Town Museum, these offer different ways to explore Nürtingen’s cultural history: through the town’s development, or through Hölderlin.

Hiking, Disc Golf and the Neckar

There are numerous hiking routes with viewpoints in the municipal area. Oberensinger Höhe, close to the Domnick Collection, offers panoramic views. The disc golf course is in Galgenbergpark: it has twelve holes ranging from 40 to 80 metres in length and includes some elevation changes. The viewpoints and course offer two different ways to enjoy the outdoors in Nürtingen.

On Sundays and public holidays in summer, visitors can take rowing boats and pedal boats along a 1.5-kilometre stretch of the Neckar to Neckarhausen and enjoy views of the town from the river. This boat trip is expressly limited to the specified days during the summer season. Those comparing activities will find a range of options: hiking routes and disc golf in the municipal area, as well as a seasonal trip on the Neckar.

Regional Setting: Esslingen

The wider destination of Esslingen also offers a broader perspective on Esslingen district: it is one of the ten districts in the Swabian Alb Geopark. Six landscapes define the district: Schurwald, Schönbuch, Filder, the Neckar Valley, the foothills of the Swabian Alb and the Albtrauf escarpment. The orchard landscape is also part of this regional picture: it encompasses 1.5 million fruit trees and shapes the landscape. This provides an overview of the wider natural setting of the destination of Esslingen.

Discover more destinations: Neckartenzlingen, Denkendorf, Weilheim An Der Teck, Beuren, Kirchheim Unter Teck, Ostfildern, Ohmden, Oberboihingen.

Go to the main travel overview: Esslingen.