Bruchsal
Bruchsal is the largest town in the district of Karlsruhe with around 45,000 inhabitants. The following districts belong to Bruchsal: the centre of Bruchsal, Büchenau, Heidelsheim, Helmsheim, Obergrombach and Untergrombach. The town’s eventful history goes back over 1000 years
On 1 March 1945, Bruchsal was almost completely destroyed in a bombing raid (80% of the town centre).
The baroque St Peter’s Church was the only one to survive the destruction of the Second World War. Today, Bruchsal presents itself as a modern, open city with historical roots. (City history; Technology region)
Bruchsal is located around 20 kilometres north of Karlsruhe, on the edge of the Upper Rhine Plain and the Kraichgau region on the Saalbach, a small tributary of the Rhine. Bruchsal is known as both a baroque town and an asparagus town, as Europe’s largest asparagus market is held here every year.
A town with historic buildings and tradition. Bruchsal was given its name as early as the 10th century. In 976, Emperor Otto II issued a document mentioning Bruchsal for the first time. Bruchsal was granted town rights in 1248. The foundation stone for the construction of Bruchsal Palace was laid in 1722 and work began on the baroque church of St Peter in 1742.
The Bruchsal Baroque Palace is one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Germany and is still the town’s landmark and figurehead today. The large baroque palace, built at the request of Prince-Bishop Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn-Buchheim, is home to one of the largest music automaton museums in the world. Immerse yourself in the Baroque era
Theatre & Stage
Bruchsal is home to the Badische Landesbühne and several amateur theatres. The repertoire includes a rich mixture of musical programmes, classical plays and contemporary drama. A special feature are the annual open-air performances in the beautiful setting of Bruchsal Castle Gardens in July. (dieblb; exiltheater; diekoralle)
Museums
Bruchsal Castle houses an art history collection and the German Museum of Music Automatons. The municipal museum, also housed in the baroque castle, documents the history of the Bruchsal area from the Stone Age (Michelsberg culture) to the air raid of 1 March 1945 and its consequences. There is a kindergarten museum, which displays objects relating to the history and development of the kindergarten, such as games, dolls and kindergarten furniture. In the Damianstor near the castle, the “Kunstverein Das Damianstor Bruchsal” exhibits contemporary art. The districts of Heidelsheim and Untergrombach each have a local history museum.
The main part of the museum area is taken up by native orchard fruit varieties. An information board is attached to each tree, providing information about its origin, distribution, harvest and use. Native spices, medicinal and useful plants are also presented in a “farmer’s garden” (Streuobstmuseum).
Places of interest
The Bruchsal Palace in the Baroque style, former residence of the prince-bishops of Speyer, was built from 1720 with the famous staircase by Balthasar Neumann. It is generally regarded as one of the most successful solutions for a baroque staircase. The palace complex comprises numerous parts of the building, including the Damianstor and the Hofkirche Bruchsal. Bruchsal was almost completely destroyed in the final days of the Second World War. The palace was also burnt out, but unlike the dome, the substance of the staircase largely survived the destruction. The central building was reconstructed as a museum until the 1970s, while the church wing was modernised.
The Belvedere was originally a pleasure palace, which was supplemented in 1758 by a shooting house for the shooting festivals organised by the court. Over time, it was given the name Belvedere by the locals, as it offers a beautiful view of the city.
The most important church in the city is the Parish Church of St Peter with the burial place of the last prince-bishops of Speyer. The Slaughterhouse, which epitomises an Art Nouveau brick industrial architecture that is rarely found as an ensemble in Germany. The Bergfried has been preserved from Bruchsal Castle, which dates back to the High Middle Ages. It has been integrated into the modern community centre since 1987. (Bruchsal Castle; castlewelt.com)
Local recreation
Nature
There are two comparatively old nature reserves near Bruchsal: The Kaiserberg next to the Michaelsberg and the Ungeheuerklamm.
Parks
The city garden at the Belvedere was laid out in 1901. There is also the Bürgerpark near the civic centre and, of course, the Schlossgarten, the city’s largest park. (Excursion tips)
Cycling and hiking routes
Bruchsal offers plenty of choice for all those who like to pedal or want to get to know the region on foot. Various cycle routes invite you to discover the area from a different perspective. Cycle routes that lead directly through the baroque town include: The Bruchsal Ring Tour, Tour de Spargel, the Castles Tour, the Schönborn Route, the Eco-Regio Tour or the Panorama Tour. (Biking planner)
Cycling tour maps for many beautiful routes in and around Bruchsal are available from the Bruchsal tourist information centre (Bruchsal-Erleben) available. Or plan directly in the online portal AlpRegio tour planner
Verkehrsanbindung
Train, bus or car sharing with the Bruchsal Stadtmobil enable high flexibility, even without your own car.(Internet railway information; Stadtbus)
Finally, the links to the Homepage of the City of Bruchsal : City of Bruchsal
Our holiday routes
Badische Spargelstraße,
which runs from Schwetzingen via Bruchsal to Lichtenau-Scherzheim.
The “white gold” of the baroque town, asparagus from Bruchsal is in great demand both throughout Germany and in neighbouring countries because it is spoiled by many hours of sunshine and has a particularly fine flavour. That’s why the asparagus season in Bruchsal is all about the noble spears.
Some asparagus festivals and restaurants serve freshly harvested asparagus specialities (during the asparagus season from mid-April to 24 June, St. John’s Day). Along the route, castles, museums, gardens, parks and bathing lakes invite you to linger alongside blossoming fields and asparagus fields.
The fine vegetables call for a fine accompaniment, a wine from the region. You can find fine wines throughout the Kraichgau region. Kraichgauer Hügelland
The municipality of Reilingen is the headquarters of the Förderkreis Spargelbau e.V. Visit the asparagus and tobacco educational trail set up here .
Badische Weinstrasse
Not forgetting our “Baden wine” Bruchsal and Weingarten are located directly on the “Baden Wine Route” where enjoyment and the Baden way of life are combined, over 500 kilometres of pure wine experience.
Wine connoisseurs can look forward to impressive views over vineyards and sun-drenched valleys along the way vineyard villages with winding alleyways and old half-timbered houses, stately farmsteads and modern vineyard architecture are always worth a stop.
“Baden wine” enjoy a wine tasting in the wine cellar vineyard, in one of the region’s wine taverns (Straußenwirtschaft) or in one of the excellent restaurants in the town. Further information at: badische-weinstrasse
Bertha Benz Memorial Route:
A 194 km long monument.
In 1886, Dr Carl Benz from Karlsruhe invented the automobile in Mannheim/Baden (Reichspatent 37435) – but nobody wanted to buy it. It was only when his wife Bertha Benz proved the suitability of the horseless carriage for everyday use with her long-distance journey from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back in 1888 that it became a huge success – with almost a billion drivers worldwide today! bertha-benz
Street of Democracy:
from Frankfurt am Main via Bruchsal to Freiburg im Breisgau. strasse-der-demokratie
