Page 499 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

preserved they almost
seem like part of a film set.
Tours tell the Schloss’ long
tale and evoke the ghosts
that are said to use the
castle as a hang-out.
From the castle, the
walk to Harburg’s cute,
half-timbered Altstadt
(old town) takes around
10 minutes, slightly
more the other way as
you’re heading uphill. A
fabulous panorama of the
village and castle can be
admired from the 1702 GERMANY 35 THE ROMANTIc ROAD
stone bridge spanning
the Wörnitz.
The Drive » A mere 12km
© BAYERISCHE SCHLÖSSERVERWALTUNG WWW.SCHLOESSER.BAYERN.DE / SOO HON KEONG / GETTY IMAGES ©
separate tiny Harburg with its
bigger neighbour Donauwörth.
The route follows the B25 all the
way across undulating farmland.

8 Donauwörth
Sitting pretty at the
confluence of the Danube
and Wörnitz Rivers, the
small town of Donau-
wörth had its heyday
as a Free Imperial City
in the 14th century.
WWII destroyed 75% of
the medieval old town
but three gates and five
town-wall towers still
guard it today. The main
street is Reichstrasse,
which is where you’ll
discover the Lieb-
fraukirche (Reichstrasse),
a 15th-century Gothic
church with original
frescos and a curiously
sloping floor that drops
120cm. Swabia’s largest
church bell (6550kg)
swings in the belfry. The
other major attraction in

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