Emmingen: Village History and Witthoh

Emmingen offers ways to combine village history, local customs and activities on Witthoh during your stay. When planning, you can consider the time of year and your interests: the local history museum and St. Sylvester’s Church focus on history and architecture, while the cycling meet-up and cross-country ski trail offer different seasonal highlights.

Local History and Architecture

The local history museum is housed in a beautifully renovated half-timbered house on Hauptstraße. Exhibits include a fully furnished home, equipment used for agricultural work in the fields and woods, and tools used by village craftsmen in the past. The museum also presents rural customs and local history. The exhibits offer varied insights into life in the village and work in the countryside in earlier times.

The Catholic parish church of St. Sylvester is Neo-Romanesque and was built in 1842 to plans by building inspector Martin. It also includes older works of art and architectural features: the tower dates from 1584, and the Baroque high altar by Johann Pölandt of Schongau dates from 1688. The church also houses a Baroque group depicting the Crucifixion, with Mary and John the Baptist, from 1738. Anyone interested in architectural history can compare these different periods side by side, rather than reducing the church to its year of construction alone.

Another glimpse into the town’s history awaits at the Schelmenbaum. The twelve-metre-high sculpture by Peter Lenk was created in 2012 at the corner of Engener Straße and Egertenstraße. Its nine figures refer partly to the municipality’s history and partly to high-level politics. Local customs also have their place: the Buchenberger Zunft Emmingen ab Egg e. V. was founded in 1973 and keeps the long-standing Emmingen carnival alive as a local tradition.

Witthoh: Cross-Country Ski Trail, Views and Refreshments

The cross-country ski trail on Witthoh is groomed for both classic cross-country skiing and skating. By the Witthoh mountain inn, it connects to the Hattingen trail. This makes it easy to consider two practical questions when planning: Which skiing technique would you like to use, and would you like your route to connect with the Hattingen trail? Witthoh is also a viewpoint with sweeping views of Lake Überlingen, Lake Radolfzell, the Hegau region and the Black Forest.

The Witthoh ski hut serves specialty coffees, a selection of cakes and hearty fare. If you plan to stop here, check in advance whether these offerings are available on the day of your visit.

Cycling, Hiking and Chapels

The Emmingen Ski Club’s cycling meet-up takes place every Wednesday from April to the end of September. Participants ride mountain bikes, road bikes and touring bikes. If you are still deciding when to travel, you can compare this period with the winter sports available on the ski trail: the cycling meet-up has a clearly specified season, while the trail offers classic skiing and skating.

The Emmingen hiking trail includes the Zeilenkapelle and Schenkenbergkapelle chapels. If you plan to visit the chapels, check their current accessibility in advance. Some of the wall paintings in the Zeilenkapelle date from the 15th and 16th centuries. Another religious site nearby is the pilgrimage church of Maria Opferung zu Schenkenberg. It stands on a former castle mound near the road to the Wasserburgertal valley.

The activities listed offer different ways to choose when to travel: the cycling meet-up runs from April to the end of September, while the ski trail offers classic cross-country skiing and skating. For a stay focused on cultural history, the museum, church and Schelmenbaum are specific destinations, while local customs and chapels provide further points of interest.

Discover more destinations: Fridingen An Der Donau, Talheim, Tuttlingen, Spaichingen, Bubsheim, Trossingen, Schura, Böttingen

Go to the main travel overview: Tuttlingen.