Page 188 - (DK Eyewitness) Back Roads Travel Guide - Germany

186 BACK ROADS GERMANY

Right View of the Altmühl Valley from
Willibaldsburg, Eichstätt Centre right
Bishop’s palace in the Residenzplatz, Eichstätt
Below Limestone crags, Altmühl Valley

VISITING EICHSTÄTT
Parking
On quiet days, it is relatively easy to
find on-street parking in the town
centre. Drivers can also use the
Altstadt car park on Ostenstrasse.
Tourist Information
Domplatz 8, 85072; 08421 600 14 00;
www.eichstaett.info; Apr–Oct: open
daily; Nov–Mar: open Mon–Fri
4 Eichstätt the Altmühl Valley to the Zwölf
Bavaria; 85072 Apostel. Continue past it to the car
WHERE TO STAY The university town of Eichstätt, park just before Solnhofen village.
an indepen dent Catholic bishopric
EICHSTÄTT for centuries, retains the feel of a
Waldgasthof Geländer inexpensive minia ture capital city. The Dom is
Situated in a tranquil forest clearing just remarkable for its Gothic Pappenheim
north of Eichstätt, this three-star hotel altar, but Baroque archi tec ture trans-
offers comfortable modern rooms and formed the town after the Thirty
excellent regional cuisine in its award-
winning restaurant. Years’ War. This is most apparent in
B13, Eichstätt-Weissenburg 85132; the Residenzplatz, which is dom-
08421 93 77 70; www.waldgasthof- inated by the bishops’ palace. High
gelaender.de above the town, the castle of
PAPPENHEIM Willibaldsburg houses the Jura
Zum Goldenen Hirschen inexpensive Museum (closed Mon), with Jurassic-era 5 The Zwölf Apostel
Tucked behind the gabled Renaissance fossils from the surrounding district.
façade of this 16th-century former Explore Eichstatt’s dinosaur trails Bavaria; 91807
brew ery, in the heart of Pappenheim, by pick ing up a map from the tourist The dolomite outcrops known as
are 14 atmospheric and tastefully office to follow the Fossilienpfad or the Zwölf Apostel (Twelve Apostles)
renova ted rooms and suites. fossil path, which leads to the fossil at Solnhofen are among the most
Marktplatz 4, 91788; 0914 34 34; www.
gasthof-zum-goldenen-hirschen.de quarry of Blumenberg. After wards, impres sive of the Altmühl Valley’s
ask at the tourist office for informa- Jurassic landforms. Easily reached
BEILNGRIES tion about visiting the town’s artist’s along the Panorama weg footpath
Der Millipp moderate studios and crafts workshops. from the car park west of the cliffs,
This stylish, half-timbered, 16th-century ª Take the B13/ Weissenburger this site is a nature reserve. The 200-km
hotel in the historic town of Beilngries
has plenty of spacious rooms. Strasse, turn left on to Rebdorfer (124-mile) Altmühltal Panoramaweg
Hauptstrasse 9, 92339; 08461 12 03; Strasse after the bridge at the signpost hiking trail (NATOUR; Gänswirtshaus 12;
www.der.millipp.de for Solnhofen. Follow the road along www.natour-altmuehltal.de) is a relax ing
way of discover ing the valley’s unique
scenery. The area southwest of
Solnhofen has yielded many of the
region’s most outstanding fossils, while
to the east, at Dollnstein, canoes can
be hired on the Altmühl river (www.
kanuvermietung-altmuehltal.de).
ª Continue north to Pappenheim.
Fascinating Geology
Solnhofen’s fossils were formed in a
salty lagoon on the edge of the sea.
The animals that died in the lagoon
were well preserved due to the lack
of oxygen in the water. Among the
specimens found are those of the
earliest known bird, archaeopteryx.

Where to Stay: inexpensive, under €70; moderate, €70–€150; expensive, over €150

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