Empfingen offers two clearly distinct cycling experiences: a loop around the town and a route that passes right through it. There is also a discovery trail featuring historical and informative content, museums with their own areas of focus, and art in public spaces. When planning a stay, you can choose from specific themes—from outdoor activity and local history to art.
By bike: a loop route or a route through town
An approximately 10-kilometre loop runs around Empfingen along agricultural access roads. The Heidelberg–Black Forest–Lake Constance Cycle Route (HSB) follows a different course: it comes from Dettensee and heads towards Mühlheim am Bach, passing right through Empfingen. This is an important distinction between the two options: one route is described as a loop around the town, while the other passes through Empfingen. This gives you a helpful starting point for choosing between a loop and a route through town.
Another way to explore Empfingen is the “Empfinger Spuren” discovery trail. Its nine stops present historical and informative content about the municipality. While the cycling routes focus on their course, this trail focuses on the town’s history and points of interest. These different ways to explore the area complement one another without needing to be combined into a single tour.
Local history and craftsmanship
The Empfingen Local History Museum spans five floors and focuses on the town’s history from 1850 to 1950. It documents in detail the masonry and stoneworking trades, which were connected to many Empfingen seasonal workers in Alsace, Baden and Switzerland. As a result, Empfingen gained a widespread reputation as a metropolis of masons and stoneworkers. The history of these trades complements the museum’s historical focus with a look at the work associated with the town. Visits to the Local History Museum are by appointment.
The Village Blacksmith Museum offers a different perspective on craftsmanship. It preserves in its original condition the fully intact smithy of the town’s last farrier and wheelwright; the smithy is still put into operation for demonstrations. Visits are possible by appointment, and admission is free. An appointment is therefore important when planning a visit to this museum; admission is free.
Art in public spaces
The art of Josef Henger can be experienced in Empfingen’s public spaces. One example is “The Element of Water,” an interpretation of the element of water inspired by Josef Henger. The work is located on the sunbathing lawn at Tälesee. Alongside the themes of local history, it offers an artistic perspective rooted in Empfingen’s public spaces.
More themes in the wider destination of Freudenstadt
The wider destination of Freudenstadt adds its own themes of urban and cultural history. Alpirsbach Monastery, with its imposing abbey church, is one of the few monasteries preserved in southwestern Germany that follows the design of the medieval Hirsau Reform. The classic historical walking tour of Alpirsbach visits historic buildings and includes a stroll through the spa gardens. The Museum of City History in Alpirsbach explains the town’s development through selected collectibles. At the monastery museum, the permanent exhibition “Monks and Scholars” features clothing, letters, drawings, games and vessels from six centuries.
Freudenstadt itself offers other highlights: its market square is the largest in Germany and has 50 fountains and arcades. The trip can therefore bring together a range of themes: Empfingen’s cycling routes, local history and craftsmanship, and art in public spaces—and, specifically in the wider destination of Freudenstadt, Alpirsbach’s monastic and urban history, as well as Freudenstadt’s market square.
Discover more destinations: Reinerzau, Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach, Freudenstadt, Horb am Neckar, Glatten, Kniebis, Seewald, Baiersbronn.
Go to the overview of the wider destination: Freudenstadt.
