The castle hill, with the ruins of the Lords of Staufen’s castle, marks the town from afar. In Staufen, you can explore its historic townscape, several museums and a distinctive vineyard. The themes range from the town’s planned layout to crafts, ceramics and the history of tango.

Townscape, Castle Hill and Vineyard

The historic town layout includes the market square, Marktstraße (now Hauptstraße), rows of houses, streams and fountains. The ensemble as a whole is protected as a historic monument. Walking through the townscape, you encounter not just individual protected buildings, but a group of streets, squares and architectural features designated as worthy of protection.

Castle Hill links the town’s appearance with a specific vantage point: from the castle, you can enjoy a view of the entire town layout. Castle Hill is also an outstanding vineyard. The view and winegrowing are thus both at the heart of this named location.

The cast-iron bridge over the Neumagen near Café Decker also tells a story of the town’s past. It was made in 1845 for a railway crossing near Kenzingen and relocated to Staufen in 1871 to serve as a road bridge. Its roadway is suspended between the side girders; this construction makes the bridge distinctive. It is one of the few surviving cast-iron bridges in Germany.

Museums of Local History, Ceramics and Tango

The town museum in the town hall presents Staufen’s history through historical objects. Its main exhibition themes include Staufen Castle, the legendary black magician Johannes Faust, the history of crafts and contemporary cultural life in Staufen. The museum thus traces a path from the history of the castle and town to crafts and the present day.

The Ceramics Museum is housed in a former potter’s house. It is the town’s only surviving testament to its pottery tradition, which has flourished since the Middle Ages. The workshop of the Maier-Bregger potter family has been fully preserved in the building, including the clay pit, potter’s wheel, drying rack and wood-fired kilns. Since 1991, the house has been a ceramics museum with a reputation beyond the region. The Baden State Museum in Karlsruhe presents an annual special exhibition there featuring ceramics from every period.

A different collecting theme is explored by the Tango & Bandoneon Museum, which opened in 2014 at Kapuzinerhof Staufen. It showcases the unique Steinhart Collection, featuring 450 bandoneons, as well as extensive documents on the history of tango. The supporting association offers more than just the exhibition: it also runs courses in Argentine tango, concerts and film screenings.

Ropes Course and Getting There

If you’d like to plan an outdoor activity after visiting the museums, Staufen Ropes Course is located in the Staufen municipal forest. It has nine courses. You can reach it by taking the Münstertalbahn and then walking for just under ten minutes along a short, steep path. Check current connections before setting out. The railway line in Staufen is also operated by Südwestdeutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft (SWEG), so it’s worth checking the latest timetable when planning your trip.

“Wine and Music”

The three-day “Wine and Music” street festival brings together Staufen winemakers and restaurateurs with wine, selected delicacies and live music. From Friday evening to Sunday, music is played on stages at the market square, Kronenplatz and the wine fountain. If you’d like to plan your trip around the festival, check the event dates in advance.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Stegen, March, Breitnau, Wittnau, Sankt Märgen, Eisenbach, Gottenheim, Hartheim Am Rhein.

Back to the main travel guide: Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.