Discover Heidenheim

The Heidenheim Brenz region offers a range of reasons to stay: castle and transport history in Heidenheim, caves and hands-on museums in the surrounding area, and a landscape of karst formations, rivers, forests and heathland. If you are looking for a hotel in Heidenheim, this distinction can help you put the region’s attractions into context as you plan your trip. The examples are spread across Heidenheim itself and nearby towns.

Cultural history in Heidenheim

The Museum at Hellenstein Castle occupies several rooms in the Lower Castle. Duke Friedrich I of Württemberg had the castle built around 1600. The former ducal stables are used for small temporary exhibitions on historical topics. The Museum of Carriages, Coaches and Carts on the castle hill focuses on a different subject: housed in the castle’s former granary, it documents the history of land transport up to the invention of the automobile. It also presents the history of travel and freight transport in towns and the countryside. In this way, temporary historical exhibitions sit alongside a close look at how people and goods have moved around.

During the season, the castle church at the Museum at Hellenstein Castle provides an atmospheric setting for the “Museum Music” concert series. As the series takes place seasonally, it is best to check the dates before planning your visit.

Landscapes and hiking in the Brenz region

The landscape of the Heidenheim Brenz region is characterised by karst formations, lively rivers, forests and heathland. The 52-kilometre-long Brenz River runs through the region. The certified long-distance hiking trail Albschäferweg also crosses the area: the route is 158 kilometres long. The Heidenheim Brenz region is a cultural landscape in the Swabian Jura shaped by migratory sheep farming; the Albschäferweg is dedicated to shepherds and their flocks. The Eselsburger Valley is by far the most valuable habitat for amphibians and reptiles in the district of Heidenheim.

Caves and experiences nearby

The 532-metre-long Charlottenhöhle cave is in Giengen-Hürben. It is one of the longest show caves in southern Germany and the longest accessible dripstone cave in the Swabian Jura. The two comparisons use different benchmarks: show caves in southern Germany in one case, and accessible dripstone caves in the Swabian Jura in the other. Charlottenhöhle is also a destination that can be reached on cycling and hiking tours.

The interactive HöhlenSchauLand experience museum uses modern exhibition techniques to take visitors on a journey of discovery through the history of the Earth. Visitors can, among other things, crawl among bats, “carve” mammoth ivory, slip into a bear’s cave and take a quiz on archaeology and science. At the Cave House in the HöhlenErlebnisWelt, you can find information about the history of Charlottenhöhle and the beginnings of human culture in the region more than 35,000 years ago. Food and drinks are available there every day it is open; check what is on offer before your visit.

More places to visit nearby

The Steiff Museum in Giengen an der Brenz has a 15-metre-long Steiff snake slide, described as the world’s first walk-through Steiff animal. Near Niederstotzingen, Vogelherd Cave has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 9 July 2017.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Steinheim am Albuch, Herbrechtingen, Heidenheim an der Brenz, Giengen an der Brenz, Niederstotzingen, Königsbronn, Dischingen, Nattheim, Gerstetten.

Back to the regional travel overview: Baden-Württemberg.