St. Christopher’s Chapel stands on a ridge above Dunningen. It combines a minimalist design with a long history of churches in the town. The museum in the town hall focuses on something different: its themes range from early history to more recent economic history. In addition, the main route of one stage of the Eschach Trail leads from Dunningen up to the chapel. When planning your visit, you can therefore distinguish between architecture, local history and a specific hiking route.
St. Christopher’s Chapel: Architecture and History
Rottweil artist Tobias Kammerer designed St. Christopher’s Chapel in a minimalist architectural style. Described as a light-filled, purist space, it is a place to linger and reflect. Those interested in sacred architecture will find a clear contrast here with the museum’s range of themes: the chapel is defined by its pared-back design and light, while different chapters of local history and various collection items come together in the town hall.
The history of churches in Dunningen begins around 630/40 with the first wooden church and continues through to the dedication of the present church on July 7, 1968. These dates provide a timeframe for the history of churches in the town, marking both an early beginning and a clearly dated period in more recent history. The present chapel can therefore be considered not only in terms of its architecture, but also in the context of a long local church history.
During the summer, daily opening hours are listed as 8 a.m. to around 8 p.m. Check access locally before your visit.
The Museum in the Town Hall: History and Collection
The museum in the town hall covers Dunningen’s early history, its period under Rottweil rule and more recent economic history. Dedicated displays commemorate the life and work of artist Landolin Ohnmacht (1760–1834), industrialist Jacob Mayer (1813–1875) and politician Emil Maier (1876–1932). In this way, different people and subjects are presented alongside the chronological account of local history.
The archaeological objects on display include duplicates of finds from excavations at an Alamannic aristocratic cemetery in Dunningen. Other exhibits offer a glimpse into various areas: straw-processing tools; carnival costumes and traditional dress from Dunningen, Lackendorf and Seedorf; as well as early wooden reliefs and a marble bust of a Greek goddess. The origins of the traditional dress and carnival costumes point to three named places, while the other items show different aspects of the collection.
A particularly tangible example of economic history is a cast-steel bell from 1854. It is displayed as an example of Jacob Mayer’s cast-steel molding technique. This links an individual object to the museum’s documentation of the industrialist’s history without reducing the other areas of the collection to it.
Hiking to the Chapel
The main route of the second stage of the Eschach Trail leads from Dunningen up Staudenstraße to St. Christopher’s Chapel. The chapel is therefore also described as a destination on a named stage route. If you include the hike in your travel plans, bear in mind that the route information refers to the main trail of this stage.
A description published in 2023 gives the Eschach hiking trail’s length as 49.9 kilometers. The route starts in Aichhalden and passes through Heiligenbronn, Seedorf, Dunningen, Lackendorf, Flözlingen, Horgen and Eckhof before reaching the confluence at Bühlingen. This overall distance and the main route of the second stage refer to different scopes: one describes the hiking trail across several places, while the other covers the route from Dunningen up to the chapel. This helps distinguish the specific link to the chapel from the longer route.
Discover more destinations: Dietingen, Oberndorf Am Neckar, Deißlingen, Dornhan, Schenkenzell, Lauterbach, Zimmern Ob Rottweil, Sulz Am Neckar.
For the regional travel overview: Rottweil.
