Discover Herrieden: Old Town, Culture and Leisure

Herrieden combines historic sites in the Old Town with events and opportunities to spend time outdoors. When looking for a hotel, you can consider whether your stay will focus mainly on a tour of the town, a festival, or activities such as hiking and swimming. The destinations below give you specific points of interest to help you plan.

Discover the Old Town and its history

The Old Town invites you to take a walk and discover historic buildings and places of interest. The “Museum on the Way” presents Herrieden’s history at eight historically significant locations in the town centre. Steles turn the town walk into a series of individual stops, allowing you to learn about the town’s history at various places along the way.

A prominent landmark is the collegiate church of St. Vitus and St. Deocar, now a collegiate basilica. Its twin towers and imposing gabled roof shape the town’s skyline. In 2010, the basilica received the honorary title of papal basilica; it is the only papal basilica in Middle Franconia. The Church of Our Lady also reflects several phases of construction: it was rebuilt in 1474, reconstructed in 1493 after the town fire of 1490, and extensively renovated between 1997 and 2000. One of its distinctive features is a unique wooden stucco ceiling dating from 1705.

On the Market Square, the Deocar Fountain depicts Deocar, the first abbot of Herrieden Abbey, seated beneath trees. A marking in the paving there also shows the course of the former collegiate wall. The town palace was the seat of the Lords of Herrieden in 1122. Seven sculptures in the town palace’s Bürgerpark offer a playful way to experience the town’s history as “art you can touch”; visitors are allowed to touch and use them.

The Stork Tower is also part of the townscape. Storks have nested on the tower for centuries; after it was destroyed in 1316, it was rebuilt in 1340. The various sites—from the collegiate basilica to the marking of the former wall—offer plenty to explore on a walk that brings together buildings and traces of the town’s history.

Trails, a garden and a swimming pool

Herrieden and its surrounding area have trails and paths through meadows, fields and forests. They are shown on a Herrieden hiking map. Hortus Felix lies on the northern edge of town: the 2,800-square-metre permaculture garden is divided into a buffer zone, a hot spot zone and an intensive zone. These details give an idea of the variety of outdoor activities available during a stay—from trails through diverse landscapes to a garden with clearly defined areas.

Day visitors can fish along approximately 9 km of the Altmühl, leased by the Wasserrose Herrieden Fishing Association. A valid fishing licence is required. The heated Herrieden Parkbad has a 25-metre pool, a diving tower, a giant slide, water jets and massage jets. If you are planning a visit to the swimming pool, check the seasonal opening dates in advance.

Festivals and practical information

The Herrieden Old Town Festival is held every year on the third weekend in July. The programme includes music, performances by Herrieden associations, food and drink, and attractions for children. Herrieden’s Kirchweih is celebrated annually in mid-September and includes, among other things, a church service, a parade, a football tournament, a children’s programme and festivities in the festival tent. As the exact dates may vary, check the latest dates for your travel period.

The Tourist Information Office is next to Herrieden’s Stork Tower, in the DECIMA bookshop at Deocarplatz 10, 91567 Herrieden. The former “Bockerla-Bahn” is also of interest for travel and local history: the 22.7-kilometre line ran from Bechhofen via Herrieden to Leutershausen-Wiedersbach and began operating in 1903. When looking for a hotel, you can use your travel dates and the places that matter to you—such as a walk through the Old Town, the Kirchweih or Parkbad—as a starting point for your choice.

Discover more destinations: Rös, Feuchtwangen, Lichtenau, Oberdachstetten, Ornbau, Heilsbronn, Colmberg, Insingen.

For the broader travel overview: Ansbach.