Google-Maps Bayerisch- Schwaben

Bavarian Swabia

Rough low mountain ranges and the High Alps, river valleys and wide plains, lakes and forests – Bavarian Swabia’s landscape is as beautiful as it is diverse.

And that is exactly what makes it so attractive for tourists: Vacations of activity or recreation, of cures and wellness, on farms or in cities; there are congresses, trade exhibitions, and cultural events to attend. There is a lot to see in this region, far beyond the fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein; the sheer number of sights is impressive.

From castles and monasteries to natural monuments – a variety of sights is waiting to be discovered. Visitors are not only fascinated by outstanding townscapes of Nördlingen, or by the “Fuggerei” in Augsburg, but also by natural monuments such as the “Nördlinger Ries”.

On top of that, numerous museums bring this region’s history back to life, granting a glimpse into the life and works of famous residents, and serving a wide range from craftsmanship to nature and technology.

Lined up alongside the Romantic Road are several towns: Nördlingen; Harburg on the Wörnitz River with its castle of the same name; Donauwörth, marked by Gothic and Baroque architecture; Augsburg, the “Fugger City”; and finally Friedberg, the Old Bavarian watchmakers’ city.

In Augsburg, the “Fuggerei” has achieved world-wide fame; today, it is the world’s oldest social settlement. Jakob Fugger founded it in 1521, when Augsburg was the leading banking city across Europe. Famed at least around Germany are the completely preserved city walls of Nördlingen. Ulm, on the other hand, is the best-known of many romantic towns on the Danube River; its minster is known around the globe. Also dubbed “Swabian Rome”, Dillingen on the Danube served for a long time as the seat for Augsburg’s bishops. Finds dating from the Roman age can be found in (former provincial capital) Augsburg, in Lauingen, in Günzburg, in Kellmünz, or in Ries near Utzmemmingen.

Founded in 15 B.C. by the Romans, Augsburg is Germany’s second oldest city. The rich dynasties of Fugger and Welser (who owned Venezuela) turned the Renaissance town into Europe’s financial capital. The family and the father of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart came from Augsburg, and the poet Bertolt Brecht was born here. The engineer Rudolf Diesel invented his Diesel Engine here, in “German Manchester” on the Lech River.

One of the most celebrated masterminds of the twentieth century was born in Ulm: The physicists Albert Einstein. In Unterwittelsbach, at her father’s Duke Max summer residence, vacationed little “Sisi” who went on to become Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The fuchsia flower was named after Wemding-born botanist Leonhart Fuchs; Wilhelm Bauer, engineer from Dillingen, invented the submarine.