Page 299 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Germany

BADEN-W Ü R T TEMBERG  297

de Cuvilliés, while the ceiling dates from the 16th–18th
fresco (The Victorious Cross) is centuries. Its highlight is
the work of Nicolaus Stuber. undoubtedly the vast Rittersaal,
The castle is now the home of a sumptuous banqueting hall
a very interesting museum, that measures 35 m (115 ft)
the Deutschordens museum. long x 12 m (39 ft) wide x 9 m
Many of the town’s historic (29 ft) high. The counts and
buildings survive to this day, their aristocratic guests used to
including the 13th-century enter this room on horseback.
Church of the Knights of St John Its very rare, original furnishings
of Jerusalem and the Dominican include paintings and reliefs
church containing the epitaph depicting hunting scenes.
of the Grand Master Walther A true rarity is the original
von Cronberg. The Pfarrkirche Baroque Hofgarten (palace
(Parish church) in the Stuppach garden), designed by Daniel
district contains a masterpiece Matthieu and built in 1709.
by Grünewald (1519), known as
the Madonna of Stuppach. + Schloß Weikersheim
Tel (07934) 992 950. Open Apr–Oct:
R Pfarrkirche in Stuppach 9am–6pm daily; Nov–Mar: 10am–
Grünewald Straße 45. Tel (07931) 26 noon & 1–5pm daily. & 8 Altar by Tilman Riemenschneider, in
05. Open May–Oct: 8:30am–6:30pm E Tauberländer Dorfmuseum Creglingen’s Herrgottskirche
daily; Mar, Apr & Nov: 11am–4pm. & Marktplatz. Tel (07934) 12 09. Open
E Deutschordensmuseum Apr–Oct: 1.30–5pm Fri–Sun. & altar for the church. The main
Schloß. Tel (07931) 522 12. theme of the polyptych is
Open Apr–Oct: 10:30am–5pm Tue– the Assumption of the Virgin
Sun; Nov–Mar: 2–5pm Tue–Sat, 5 Creglingen Mary, considered to be the
10:30am–5pm Sun. & artist’s masterpiece.
Road map C5. * 5,000. @ n Bad The town is also home to
Mergentheimer Straße (07933-6 31). the famous Fingerhutmuseum
4 Weikersheim Upstream from Weikersheim, (Thimble Museum).
on the Bavarian border, is the
Road map C5. * 8,000. n Am small town of Creglingen. Here, R Herrgottskirche
Marktplatz 7 (07934-102 55).
sometime in the distant past, a Schirmbacher Straße 16. Tel (07933)
Eleven kilometres (7 miles) ploughman found a luminous 338 or 508. Open Feb–Mar & Nov–
east of Bad Mergentheim is holy wafer in a clod of earth Dec: 1–4pm Tue–Sun; Apr–Oct:
the picturesque little town and within a few years, the 9:15am–6pm daily. &
of Weikersheim. A Rococo Herrgotts kirche was built, E Fingerhutmuseum
fountain from 1768 is at the where the host was put on Kohlersmühle 6. Tel (07933) 370.
centre of the market square display for visiting pilgrims. Open Apr–Oct: 10am–12:30pm &
while the late-Gothic parish Between 1502 and 1506 Tilman 2–5pm Tue–Sun; Nov–Mar: 1–4pm
church is on the north side. The Riemenschneider carved an Tue–Sun. Closed Jan & Feb. &
latter is a triple-nave hall-church
with a single-tower western
façade and two towers by the Teutonic Order
choir. Inside are many tombs The Order of the Hospital of St Mary of the German
of the von Hohenlohe House in Jerusalem was officially founded in Acre
family. Also on the (Akkon) in 1190. Its aim was to care for sick
market square pilgrims or Crusaders wounded in fights with
stands the the Saracens. In 1231–83, the Teutonic Knights
Tauberländer took over all of Prussia and, in 1308–09 all
Dorfmuseum, Eastern Pomerania around Danzig, and they
which charts the moved their headquarters from Venice to
history of rural life Marienburg on the river Nogat. In 1525 the
in Franconia. In Grand Master, Albrecht von Hohenzollern-
the western part Ansbach, converted to Lutheranism and
of town stands secularized Teutonic Prussia. However, the
Order remained in existence in the Holy
the very well Roman Empire: its German Master, Walter
preserved Schloß von Cronberg, who had his residence in
Weikers heim, Mergentheim, became de facto Grand Master.
the palace Napoleon abolished the Order in 1809, but it
Figure of drummer complex of the still exists today, with its headquarters based
in Weikersheim’s Counts von in Vienna since 1848.
Hofgarten Hohenlohe, which

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