Historic Mile Altensteig

Opening Hours

Thursday 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM Friday 12:00 PM - 12:00 AM Saturday 9:00 AM - 12:00 AM Sunday 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

The walk through the Historic Mile of Altensteig begins at Mühlstraße 3, the Silver Mill (A) . It was built in 1640 and served as a grain mill at the former mill canal. In 1894, the Silver Mill was named after its owner Carl Silber. Since 1993, the mill has served as the city library and a residential building.

Now you leave Mühlstraße and follow Rosenstraße, which runs through the so-called Saumarkt. Here stands the historic Rotgerberhaus (B) , built in 1799 and one of formerly 32 tanneries.

Next, you cross the Saumarkt and continue along Rosenstraße.
On the left is the Bürgerspital (C) , founded by the city in 1527, sold in 1697, since then a craftsmen's house. It was renovated and rebuilt in 1994-95. Today, apartments and a medical practice are located in the former Bürgerspital. One can recognize a late Gothic keel arch entrance and Baroque half-timbering from 1612.

Then follow Rosenstraße to the half left into Gartenstraße and immediately on the left is the Waldhorn Inn (D) , which was built in 1750/60 and includes one of the 12 city breweries and a distillery in the former Leonhardskapelle.

You leave Gartenstraße and turn into Alte Steige. On the right side, you can see the former Leonhardskapelle (E), the remains of which in the ground floor base are older than 1527. Today, two vaulted cellar storages remain.

Then continue further along Alte Steige to the Copper and Knife Smithy (F) from 1817, which was converted into a smithy by the owner in 1844.

The next historic point on Alte Steige is the Middle Schoolhouse (G), which you find on the left side of the street, opposite the staircase to Paulusstraße. It was built in 1822 by the city instead of the one-story “Thorhäusle” next to the Lower Gate.

Also on Alte Steige, on the opposite side of the Middle Schoolhouse, stands the Lower Gate (H) of the valley-side city wall, which was 200 meters long. The walled area of the old town was 2 hectares and about 40 houses.

Now climb the stairs to Paulusstraße. Immediately on the left is the inn Bäck-Schwarz (I), the oldest house in the old town, built in 1459. You can see Alemannic half-timbering and plank-post walls. The Bäck-Schwarz house was renovated and rebuilt in 1984-1986 and now serves as a restaurant.

On the right side of the staircase, also in Paulusstraße, you can see the Old Pharmacy (J) from 1786 in Rococo style. Here you can see a door lintel with a rose and the letter “R,” which stands for the builder Roesler.

Then follow Paulusstraße to the right, which ends in Haldenstraße. On the right side of the street is the Butchers' Post (K) , a craftsmen's house from 1566, which was owned by various butchers from 1800, who also delivered mail when selling livestock in the countryside.

Next, follow Haldenstraße into the “upper Paulusstraße”. Here on the left is the Old Town Hall (L) . The lower part of the Staufer stone house from 1200 is one of the oldest buildings in the city, the upper floor is Alemannic half-timbering from 1450. At 28 meters, the town hall is the tallest house in the old town.
The first documented mention of the house as town hall and Altensteig office was in 1458. The office was dissolved in 1810, and the New Town Hall was built in the lower city in 2006.

Opposite the Old Town Hall is the Town Hall Fountain (M) , built in 1747 to replace the predecessor destroyed by the collapse of the retaining wall. The stonemasons were brothers Jakob and Christoph Reich from Dornstetten. The fountain features a Rococo fountain column with the coat of arms of the Duke of Württemberg, the city coat of arms, the construction date, and an inscription.

To the left of the Old Town Hall is the Blume Inn (N) , which became a chaplaincy through the benefice foundation in 1483 by Wilhelm von Urbach. Since the Baden Reformation in 1556, it has served as a deaconry, from 1743-1822 as a German school, from 1823-1904 as an inn, first named “Mohren” and later “Blume.” Since 1920, the inn has been owned by the city.

To the left of Gasthaus Blume is another inn, the Ochsen Inn (O) , which was one of up to 10 inns in the upper town from 1650 to 1963.

Now climb into Kirchstraße. At the left end is the Hegel House (P) . From 1558-1743 it served as a schoolhouse and until 1746 was owned by Vogt Georg Ludwig Hegel (grandfather of the philosopher Georg Friedrich Hegel). Inside the house is a preserved walkway of the city wall.

Further right on Kirchstraße is the City Treasury (Q) , built before 1655, characterized by mortised half-timbering and a decorative bay window. It served as an inn (Ritter und Rössle), later as craftsmen's house named Glaser-Lutz. From 1989-2006, it functioned as the city treasury.

On the opposite side of Kirchstraße is the Evangelical Parsonage (R) , built in 1664 on the site of a craftsmen's house.
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Follow Kirchstraße to the right and you will find the Evangelical City Church (S) . It was built in Rococo style between 1772 and 1775 by master builder Georg Christoph Reich from Nagold according to plans by Württemberg church architect Wilhelm Friedrich Göz.

To the left of the city church is the Upper Schoolhouse (T) , which before 1609 was probably the residence of the lower bailiffs, served as a deaconry and Latin school from 1743-1806, and thereafter as a school and for other city and church purposes.

The last historic building overlooks the highest point of the old town, the Old and New Castle (U), which is reached via stairways at the Upper Schoolhouse.

The romantic tower in the west part was probably built at the beginning of the 11th/beginning 12th century under the rule of the Counts Palatine of Tübingen and presumably extended around 1200 with Staufer rusticated blocks to the district. From the ring wall, the north side part with the two towers “Heaven” and “Hell” remains. The castle was the seat of ministerials of the Counts Palatine, after 1280 of the Counts of Hohenberg, and after 1355 possibly the seat of the Counts of Hohenberg. In 1397/98, the castle and the Altensteig lordship (town and 16 villages) were acquired by the Margrave of Baden.

After Altensteig came to Württemberg from Baden in 1604 by territorial exchange, the New Castle was built around 1610 by the ducal master builder Heinrich Schickhardt

as the seat of the bailiffs (until 1810). Today the castle houses the city's local history museum.