Täferrot and its St. Afra’s Church

When choosing Täferrot as a travel destination, St. Afra’s Church offers a tangible historical point of reference. Its building history and furnishings span several historical periods.

The building history and furnishings of St. Afra’s Church

St. Afra’s Church was built in 1491; a church had already stood on the same site. Its tower was probably incorporated into the new building. This brings together a precisely dated structure and an older church site, while the tower’s incorporation is considered probable.

The artworks can also be distinguished by their date and subject. In the 16th century, depictions from the New Testament based on works by Albrecht Dürer were created on the gallery parapet. The facing depictions from the Old Testament were painted after the Thirty Years’ War. Thus, two biblical themes face one another, their creation belonging to different historical periods.

Among other things, a pretzel is depicted on the choir stalls; it was the emblem of the abbot of Lorch at the time. The choir stalls probably come from Lorch Abbey. Here, a specific symbolic detail is paired with a provenance that is only presumed.

The overview map shows a selection of ways to explore the landscape in and around Täferrot, not the full range of possibilities.

Culture and trails in the Ostalbkreis

In the Ostalbkreis, the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes runs through the municipal area of Rainau, through the districts of Buch, Schwabsberg and Dalkingen, for around six kilometres; it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. The most scenic sections and most significant individual monuments of the Limes are preserved in a unique concentration at Limes Park Rainau. A reconstructed watchtower offers panoramic views across the Ostalb region. The Limestor Dalkingen is a unique structure along the entire Limes route between the Rhine and the Danube.

The Limes circular hiking trail near Rainau is about 11 km long and takes approximately 2.5 hours on foot. The signposted route runs from the Limes wall and the Limes tower between Buch and Schwabsberg through Mahdholz forest along the Limes to the southern edge of Schwabsberg. In terms of distance, it is shorter than two other hikes in the Ostalbkreis: Wanderblume Tour 4, “Im Felsenmeer,” is 17 km long and leads from the village hall in Bartholomä through the Felsenmeer and the Wental valley to Hirschtal near Steinheim. The 25 km-long Wanderblume Tour 2, “An den Weiherwiesen,” also starts at the village hall in Bartholomä. It runs via the Weiherwiesen to Volkmarsberg, past the source of the Kocher near Oberkochen, through Tiefental and via Tauchenweiler back to the starting point in Bartholomä. Check local route conditions before setting out on this tour.

Another historical highlight in the Ostalbkreis is Lorch Abbey. It was founded in 1102 by the first Hohenstaufen ruler, Frederick I, and his wife Agnes of Waiblingen as a burial place. The abbey complex includes a medieval church, the cloister, farm buildings and Marsilius Tower. The tower offers views of the abbey complex, the herb garden, the sensory garden and the surrounding area. The permanent exhibition provides information about 900 years of the abbey’s history, including through the richly decorated Lorch choir books. The abbey’s foundation, complex and exhibition offer different perspectives on its history.

Discover more destinations: Spraitbach, Westhausen, Aalen, Wört, Göggingen, Waldhausen, Obergröningen, Böbingen An Der Rems

Back to the regional travel overview: Ostalbkreis.