Visitors choosing Durlach as a destination can focus on two distinct themes: the history of the former residence and the wine trails on Turmberg. The medieval atmosphere of the Old Town and its historic townscape define the town’s cultural and historical character. At Durlach’s Turmberg, you can explore the wine-growing area along three colour-coded trails. On a clear day, the view extends to the peaks of the Vosges, across the Rhine Valley and to the Palatinate Forest.
Old Town, Karlsburg and the town’s history
As the former residence of the Margraves of Baden-Durlach, Durlach has a eventful history. The Pfinzgau Museum is housed in the Baroque Karlsburg Castle and explores the past and present of the formerly independent town. Its collection covers art, culture, social history and everyday life.
The exhibition combines a permanent display with changing special exhibitions on topics related to the town’s history. This means there is both a permanent exhibition section and changing areas of focus. If you are interested in Durlach’s history, you can see these as two different ways of exploring it: the permanent exhibition presents topics from the town’s history, while each special exhibition offers its own focus.
A defining chapter in the history of the residence began in 1565. That year, the residence was moved from Pforzheim to Durlach, and an existing hunting lodge with adjoining gardens was converted into Karlsburg Castle. Until it was destroyed by the French in 1689, Durlach’s Karlsburg Castle served as the residence of the Margraves of Baden-Durlach. These dates mark the start of Durlach’s time as a residence and the end of that role.
Wine trails and views from Turmberg
For a different focus, three colour-coded wine trails lead into the wine-growing area on Durlach’s Turmberg. Purple, green or red pictograms mark the routes. The markings distinguish the three trails, while they all share the same theme: the wine-growing area. This allows you to see the landscape around Turmberg as a distinct side of Durlach alongside its town history.
The view depends on clear weather: in those conditions, it extends from Turmberg to the peaks of the Vosges, across the Rhine Valley and to the Palatinate Forest. These directions give the viewpoint a wide horizon. When planning your trip, it is useful to distinguish between the views and the hiking trails: the trails explore the wine-growing area, while on a clear day the view from Turmberg reaches beyond the surrounding region.
Karlsruhe as a wider destination
The wider destination of Karlsruhe also offers cultural and natural history attractions with their own distinct character. Since 1997, the ZKM has been housed in the listed former industrial building Hallenbau A. The building was constructed between 1915 and 1918 and was considered one of Germany’s most architecturally advanced buildings at the time. The building’s history and the ZKM are therefore among the possible topics to explore in Karlsruhe, distinct from Durlach’s history as a residence.
The Karlsruhe State Museum of Natural History features permanent exhibitions on local and exotic wildlife, as well as rocks, minerals and fossils. Karlsruhe Zoological City Garden combines a zoo with a city garden. Their focuses differ: the Natural History Museum centres on exhibitions about wildlife and geological collections, while Zoological City Garden brings together a zoo and a garden.
Discover more destinations: Grötzingen, Oststadt.
Back to the main travel overview: Karlsruhe.
