Mini Trips: Weinheim

MiniWurm wanders the medieval street's of Wineheim

Weinheim is a cute little town situtated along the famous 'Bergstrasse' [lit. Mountain Street], a geographical and cultural region in the states of Hessen and Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.

The Bergstrasse, as the name suggests is characterized by a long, straight-runnning chain of mountains that runs from the city of Darmstadt to Wiesloch, a town close to Heidelberg.

It's a beautiful region filled with with picturesque villages with typical half-timbered homes, cobbled streets and castles set amongst the clouds and mountains, standing sentinel over their towns. The mountains are green and forested, being an extension of the Odenwald, the low-laying mountainous region of middle-and-southern Germany, before turning shades of gold, amber and finally red in the fall.

Marktplatz in the heart of the Weinheim old town. Plenty of cafes and restaurants to help you soak up that atmosphere!

The region is also well-known for its vineyards and the crisp white wines it produces. The Bergstrasse's towns are often flanked by vineyards that you can take in on foot or bike. Weinheim is one of these towns, you might of guessed that from the name (Wein is German for wine), but somewhat shockingly, the name's origin has nothing to do with Wine! It is instead, probably, named for its founder, a Frankish fellow named 'Vino', plus the German suffix -heim, hence 'Vino's Heim'.

Today, wine is certainly a central feature to Weinheim's identity, and has been for a while. This is reflect throughout the all four seasons. In the Summer, markets and festivals with music take place in the old city's Marktplatz, such as the yearly 'Kerwe'. As the colors shift in the fall and the new grapes are havested, you can enjoy the sweet new wine and visit the 'Weinsalon', where local producers come to discuss and share their products with the community. In the winter, the atmosphere changes festival and the Christmas markets are set up in the Marktplatz serving, what else? Glühwein!

More than just it's beverage namesake though, Weinheim offers a few more experiences for visitors. It's known locally as the 'Zwei-Burgen-Stadt' or two-castle city for the impressive duo of ruins that overlook the city, and hint towards the town's long and interesting history that stretches all the way back to the Romans.

Restaurant sign offering all you can eat Flammkuchen in Weinheim

The old fountain on Marktplatz, Weinheim

The city gates leading to the centre of the old town in Weinheim

MiniWurm gets his coffee fix in one of Weinheim 's many cafes

One of the castles of the famous 'Zwei-Burgen-Stadt' in Weinheim

A restaurant and cafe in the Marktplatz, Weinheim. A Church is visible in the background

A central feature of Weinheim is the big castle gardens (Schlosspark). Funnily enough, these castle gardens have nothing to do with either of the 'Zwei-Burgen', but rather a third castle (or more accurately, a palace) which today serves as the seat of the city council. The surrounding gardens are open to the public, though, and offer a nice walk. There's a well-kept pond with fish, and a medicine plant garden that preserves some of the history of the garden's castle. The star of the show though is the enormous, spreading Lebanon Cedar tree - Germany's largest and estimated to be at least 190 years old, with a nearly 6 m thick trunk and standing at an impressive 25 m tall.

One more... unusual tradition of Schlosspark is the burning of a snowman in March to celebrate the end of Winter and to herald arrival of the Spring!

So if you are feeling like a daytrip from the big-city live in Heidelberg, Darmstadt, Mannheim or Frankfurt, Weinheim is a great place to soak in a charming small-town atmosphere, a cold glass of wine in the hand and the mountains to your back. Come and enjoy!