Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

231

EAT AND DRINK

ULM

Allgäuer Hof moderate

Fine old-fashioned inn where almost

everything is served on a sweet or

savory Pfannkuchen (crêpe).

Fischergasse 12, 89073; 0731 674 08;

closed Sat

Pflugmerzler moderate

A cozy restaurant featuring Swabian

cuisine, including pasta specialities

such as Maultaschen (Swabian ravioli)

and Spätzle (Swabian noodles).

Pfluggasse 6, 89073; 0731 602 70 44;

closed Sat eve and Sun

Zur Forelle moderate

This snug 1626 Fischerviertel house,

with a Napoleonic cannonball lodged

in the wall, serves good regional food.

Try the Gaisburger Marsch (a hearty

beef, potato, and Spätzle stew), or the

house speciality, Forelle (trout). Physicist

Albert Einstein and conductor Herbert

von Karajan both dined here.

Reservations are required.

Fischergasse 25, 89073; 0731 639 24

Panorama expensive

The best of three restaurants in the

Maritim hotel serves high-quality

international and regional cuisine

with lovely views over Ulm from its

16th-floor location.

Basteistrasse 50, 89073; 0731 923 17

39; http://www.maritim.de

AROUND SCHLOSS SIGMARINGEN

Hotel Bären moderate

This hotel-restaurant not only serves

traditional German food but also

Balkan dishes, game, and, in the

winter, excellent Prague roast goose.

Burgstrasse 2, 72488 Sigmaringen

(west of Schloss Sigmaringen);

07571 128 62

opposite the Fischkastenbrunnen,
or Fish Crate Fountain. Between the
two, the 16th- century Rathaus 6
is deco rated with frescoes celebrat-
ing Ulm’s medieval heyday. To the
right of the Rathaus, the Kunsthalle
Weishaupt (open daily), a striking
modern build ing over the square,
displays Modern and Pop art by
various artists includ ing Andy Warhol,
Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, and
Pablo Picasso. The gallery is joined

to the Ulmer Museum 7 (open daily),
the city's history museum, which is
inter esting for paint ings of medieval
Ulm. Take the Neue Strasse, then
turn right into Köp Fingergasse
and left into Hirschstrasse to reach
Wengengasse; turn left to take
Sedelhofgasse to the parking lot.
ª Turn right out of parking lot, left
on to B19, and left on to B311.
Turn right on to B32 and left in
Sigmaringen on to Fürst-Wilhelm-
Strasse to the parking lot.

The Tailor of Ulm

Dangling inside Ulm’s Rathaus is

a replica of the hang-glider of local

tailor Albrecht Berblinger, who

crash-landed this design into the

Danube in 1811. Worn down by

ceaseless jibes with his business in

tatters, he died bank rupt in 1825.

His design has since proved to be

the world’s first workable aircraft.

6 Schloss Sigmaringen
Baden-Württemberg; 72481
The stately Schloss Sigmaringen

(closed Dec–Jan) domi nates the
sky line of the small regional town
of Sigmaringen. First mentioned
in 1077, the castle was brutally ran-
sacked by Swedes in 1632 during the
Thirty Years’ War and destroyed by a
huge domestic fire in 1893, leaving
only two towers standing. Substan-
tially redesigned in the eclectic style
from 1899, the castle is still owned by
a branch of the Hohenzollern family
who unified Germany in the 19th
century; a pro cess helped by having
this power base in the south. Its

impressive armory is a highlight
of the castle tours.
ª Return to B32, cross the bridge and
turn left, following signs to Beuron.
At Beuron, turn left at the sign for
Kloster Beuron for the parking lot.

7 Kloster Beuron

Baden-Württemberg; 88631

Some of the most dramatic sections

of the Upper Danube Valley lie around

the village of Beuron. An enormous

Baroque monastery, Kloster Beuron,

was founded here in 1077 by

Augustinians. Most of the buildings

date from the late 17th century, and

its church is relatively restrained by

regional Baroque standards, though

lively frescoes of the patron saints

and legends of the foundation of

the monastery decorate the naves.

Of greatest interest is the glorious

Gregorian chanting that accom-

panies all services (daily). Beuron is

also a good base for hiking trips,

and a map at the parking lot details

well-marked local options.

ª Return to Beuron and turn left to

Tuttlingen on to B311, which becomes

B31. Turn left on to B27 toward

Donaueschingen, then right for

Donaueschingen-Mitte, following

signs for Schloss.

Above View of Kloster Beuron in the Danube

Valley Below Schloss Sigmaringen towering

over town buildings

DRIVE 22: Castles and Caves