Ellenberg: Pietà, Watershed and Distinctive Buildings

Ellenberg brings together a range of points of interest to help you plan your trip: a Late Gothic work of art, markers of the European Watershed and buildings with their own local history. These details offer a glimpse into the town’s art, landscape and history.

Art and Distinctive Buildings in Ellenberg

The parish church of “Our Lady of Sorrows” houses a wooden Late Gothic Pietà dating from around 1500. It is regarded as the church’s oldest and most significant work of art. Its material, style and approximate date make the Pietà a specific focus of art history in Ellenberg.

The Ellenberg Stone offers another trace of the town’s history. The road and water engineering authority installed it in 1925 as part of road construction. You will find it at the entrance to the town when arriving from Wört or Dinkelsbühl. This connects the year to a specific construction project and a clearly identified location.

The water tower stands on the northern edge of town, on the local road “Gässle.” It is around 29 metres high to the tip of its roof. Its location and height set it clearly apart as a structure from the Pietà and the Ellenberg Stone: here, the focus is on the building itself; there, on a work of art and local history.

The Watershed and Practical Information

In Ellenberg, signs and stones mark the European Watershed. It separates the catchment areas of the Danube and the Rhine. The markers make the European Watershed visible on site.

There are several restaurants serving traditional German cuisine at the campsites in Ellenberg. If you would like to stop for a meal, check the opening hours in advance. The specific times may be important for your plans.

More Topics in the Wider Destination of Ostalbkreis

At a regional level, Ostalbkreis offers further cultural and hiking experiences. The Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes runs through the districts of Buch, Schwabsberg and Dalkingen in the municipality of Rainau for about six kilometres; it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. The most impressive sections and most significant individual monuments are preserved in a unique concentration in Limes Park Rainau. The Limestor Dalkingen is considered a unique structure along the entire Limes route between the Rhine and the Danube.

The signposted Limes circular hiking trail near Rainau is about 11 kilometres long and takes approximately 2.5 hours on foot. It leads from the Limes wall and Limes tower between Buch and Schwabsberg through Mahdholz forest, along the Limes to the southern edge of Schwabsberg. Two longer Wanderblume tours have different focuses: Tour 4, “In the Sea of Rocks,” covers 17 kilometres from the Bartholomä village hall through the Sea of Rocks and Wental valley to Hirschtal near Steinheim. Tour 2, “At the Weiherwiesen,” is 25 kilometres long; it leads from the Bartholomä village hall via Weiherwiesen to Volkmarsberg, past the source of the Kocher near Oberkochen, and through Tiefental valley and via Tauchenweiler on the return route. Check trail conditions on site for this tour. The Limes route is described by both its approximate length and walking time, while the two Wanderblume tours can be distinguished by their distances and routes.

Another cultural and historical highlight in Ostalbkreis is Lorch Abbey. Frederick I, the first Hohenstaufen, and his wife Agnes of Waiblingen founded it in 1102 as a burial place. The complex includes a medieval church, the cloister, farm buildings and the Marsilius Tower, which offers views of the abbey complex, gardens and surrounding area. The permanent exhibition covers 900 years of abbey history, including the magnificently decorated Lorch choir books.

Discover more destinations: Bopfingen, Adelmannsfelden, Neuler, Westhausen, Ellwangen, Tannhausen, Heuchlingen, Neresheim.

Go to the overview of the wider destination: Ostalbkreis.