Haigerloch – History, Art and a Walking Tour

Haigerloch can be explored through several distinct cultural themes: Jewish history, the Atomic Cellar Museum, art by Karl Hurm, and Baroque-Rococo architecture. If you are looking for a hotel in Haigerloch, these highlights can help guide your choice of accommodation. The exhibition venues and the historic walking tour each offer their own perspective—from the history of specific places to comparisons between art and landscape.

Jewish History and the Technical Past

The former Haigerloch Synagogue was built in 1783 in the center of the Jewish quarter. In the building, the exhibition by the House of History Baden-Württemberg traces the vanished Jewish life of the area. The history of the building and the remembrance of Jewish life thus come together in one place. If you want to explore Haigerloch’s history by theme, the exhibition provides a clear focal point.

The Atomic Cellar Museum offers a different perspective: it is located in Haigerloch at the site of the world’s first nuclear reactor, in a rock chamber directly beneath the castle church. In contrast to the exhibition in the former synagogue, it explores a different historical subject. The two sites therefore represent different perspectives on Haigerloch—Jewish life and remembrance on the one hand, and the history of the reactor site on the other.

Art by Karl Hurm

The Karl Hurm Art Museum presents a cross-section of Karl Hurm’s work, comprising more than 300 exhibits. While there, you can compare paintings and landscapes, as well as dreams and reality. These juxtapositions give the museum visit a distinctive focus: rather than simply looking at individual works, you can consider the stated themes in relation to one another.

The artist’s connection to the area is also part of the picture. Karl Hurm lived and painted for 89 years in Weildorf, a district of Haigerloch. His extensive body of work is deeply rooted in the Haigerloch area and its Alb landscape. The artworks in the museum are thus accompanied by a specific connection to the local area and its landscape.

Historic Walking Tour and St. Anna

The historic walking tour through Haigerloch is an easy 2.31-kilometer circular route that leads to 15 places of historical interest. Allowing one hour and 15 minutes gives you a specific time frame for planning; route details may be updated by the operator. The tour presents the town’s history in a different way from the individual museums: its stops are spread across a route rather than focused on a single exhibition theme.

One of the stops is the pilgrimage church of St. Anna, a well-known Baroque-Rococo church. It was created by Haigerloch master builder Christian Großbayer, with the involvement of the young sculptor Johann Georg Weckenmann and the court painter Meinrad von Au from Sigmaringen. The names of the artists involved make the church a specific subject of architectural and artistic interest on the historic walking tour.

Placing Haigerloch Within the Wider Zollernalbkreis Destination

The wider Zollernalbkreis destination also offers further cultural history. The present-day Hohenzollern Castle is the third fortress on Mount Zoller. It belongs to the municipality of Bisingen and is situated within the boundaries of its Zimmern district. After its two predecessors were destroyed and fell into ruin, it was rebuilt between 1850 and 1867. Its cultural program includes concerts, family days, open-air cinema and exhibitions. The castle adds its own fortress history and cultural program to the regional picture; Haigerloch’s highlights remain clearly distinct.

When choosing where to stay, you can weigh up different interests: the exhibition in the former synagogue, the historic reactor site, Karl Hurm’s art, or the walking tour’s 15 stops. The circular route’s duration gives you a specific point of reference for planning your time; no visit duration is specified for the other subjects.

Discover more destinations: Bad Imnau, Balingen, Rosenfeld, Zimmern Unter Der Burg, Jungingen, Bisingen, Albstadt, Hechingen.

Go to the wider travel overview: Zollernalbkreis.