Kornwestheim: Art, City History and Parks

Kornwestheim offers a range of themes for your stay: art at the Museum in the Kleihues-Bau, the history of the Salamander shoe factory, school history and two city parks. When choosing your destination, you can weigh up whether exhibitions, historical collections or green spaces are of particular interest to you.

Art and History in Kornwestheim

The Museum in the Kleihues-Bau presents changing exhibitions that focus primarily on contemporary art and current topics. Its art collection also comprises around 3,000 exhibits, mostly German art from the 20th and 21st centuries. The collection and changing program offer different points of focus: you can concentrate on the permanent collection or make one of the current exhibitions the centerpiece of your visit.

Curator-led tours, themed tours and family tours are offered for all exhibitions. If a tour suits your visit, check the current arrangements in advance. A leaflet also recommends a route for an art-filled walk through Kornwestheim; check before your trip whether the leaflet is available locally. The Kleihues-Bau was added to the list of cultural monuments in 2017.

The City of Kornwestheim’s Cultural History Collection comprises around 30,000 objects and paints a multifaceted picture of the city’s history. A significant part of it is the Salamander collection, with items from the former Salamander shoe factory in Kornwestheim. These include production sewing machines, shoes dating from 1890 to the present, Lurchi promotional items and tableware from the factory canteen. Together, these objects portray the history of Salamander AG in a variety of ways.

The North Württemberg School Museum offers another perspective on history: in a historic classroom, visitors can experience a school lesson as it would have been in the past. The museum also attracts school classes from near and far. It is worth checking the current visitor arrangements before your visit.

City Parks and Getting Your Bearings

Opened in 1938, the Stadtgarten covers around 2.5 hectares. Among the plantings arranged to reflect the seasons are a concert shell, a playground and numerous places to relax. Salamander City Park covers 6.7 hectares; there is a large playground in its eastern section. The difference in size gives you a practical point of reference when considering the two green spaces for your stay.

A prominent landmark in the cityscape is the 48-metre-high town hall tower, a symbol of Kornwestheim visible beyond the district boundary. The distance between a transport hub and a cultural attraction can also be clearly gauged: Kornwestheim S-Bahn station is 700 metres from the Museum in the Kleihues-Bau. Check the route conditions on site if you plan to use this distance for your itinerary.

More to Explore in the Wider Ludwigsburg Destination

The wider Ludwigsburg destination offers independent attractions in the district in addition to Kornwestheim’s own points of interest. Ludwigsburg Residential Palace is one of Europe’s largest Baroque buildings preserved in its original form. For Celtic history, the approximately 35-kilometre Celtic Trail connects nine significant finds from the Celtic period. The Hochdorf/Enz Celtic Museum displays a lavish burial chamber of a Celtic prince, reconstructed to match the original, and offers insights into the daily life and crafts of early Celtic people. The Celtic Trail AR app brings the nine archaeological sites to life with interactive VR and AR elements.

The landscape and viticulture also shape the wider Ludwigsburg destination: terraced, steep vineyards along the Neckar and Enz are a distinctive feature of the district. The Wunnenstein Wine Experience Trail is about four kilometres long and features 60 illustrated information boards about viticulture and winemaking, as well as viewpoints and various facilities along the route. These regional themes complement Kornwestheim’s museums and parks without conflating them with the town’s own attractions.

Discover more destinations: Ingersheim, Schwieberdingen, Walheim, Tamm, Kirchheim am Neckar, Hessigheim, Vaihingen an der Enz, Ditzingen.

Back to the wider travel overview: Ludwigsburg.