Esslingen am Neckar

Esslingen escaped serious bombing and kept a dense old town of timber-framed buildings; a row on the Heugasse has been dated by dendrochronology to around 1262 to 1268, making them among the oldest standing timber-framed houses in Germany. Above the town the Burg is not a castle but a fortified wall running up the vineyard slope with the Dicker Turm and Hochwacht towers, reached by a long stair. Sparkling wine has been made in the town since 1826 at what is described as Germany's oldest sparkling wine house. The Christmas market includes a large medieval section with craft demonstrations.

Background

Traces of settlement under the city church go back to around 1000 B.C., and the region came into the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. The town first appears in writing in 777, in the will of Abbot Fulrad of Saint-Denis, and its name, recorded as Ezlinga in 856 and Hetsilinga in 866, first meant the people and land of Azzilo. It became a market town around 800, received the rights of a city from Emperor Frederick II in 1229, and was a Free Imperial City from 1181 until it passed to the Duchy of Württemberg in 1803. The first train arrived from Cannstatt on 20 November 1845. Until 16 October 1964 the official spelling was Eßlingen.

Source: Wikipedia, "Esslingen am Neckar"

Highlights

• The 1260s houses - among the oldest timber-framed buildings in Germany.
• The vineyard wall - fortifications climbing the slope above the town.
• The old town hall - a Renaissance front with an astronomical clock.
• The medieval market - a Christmas market section with period crafts.

When to go

April to October for the vineyard walks; the Christmas market runs through December and is one of the busiest in the region. Museums close Mondays.

Good to know

The climb to the Burg is a long stair with no lift. The Christmas market is extremely crowded. The modern outskirts are industrial.

Nearby

Stuttgart lies northwest; the Swabian Jura rises southeast.

Key facts