City tour

Take yourself on an exciting tour around Bruchsal and learn about our city’s history.

Below is an overview of many of the historical locations in our city. A brochure is available at the Bruchsal Tourist Information Center as well as at the Bruchsal Palace.

Click here to download the map above as a PDF File.

Map of city tour as pdf-file. (1.1 MB)

1
Baroque Palace & Amalien Fountain
The Bruchsal Palace (the 18th century residence of Speyer’s Prince Bishops) has more than 50 individual buildings. Construction of the Palace started in 1722 by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Schönborn, and it was completed around 1760 by his successor Cardinal Franz Christoph von Hutten. The Amalien Fountain (Amalienbrunnen) , was designed in 1912 by a professor, Dr. Fritz Hirsch, as a tribute to Amalie, Margravine of Baden (1754-1832)(Mother in Law of Europe), who following secularization chose the palace as one of her widow’s residences.

2
Käthe-Kollwitz-School
The Käthe–Kollwitz School is a Gymnasium (High School/Secondary School) that offers courses in biotechnology and nutrition science along with vocational courses of study, among them geriatric care, and social eduction.

3
Stadtgarten (City Garden)
The park, laid out in 1901, features the Ferdinand Keller Fountain, the Schönborn Gymnasium (High School/Secondary School) – founded in 1755 as the oldest school in Bruchsal and the Belvedere, built in 1756 as the Prince-Bishop’s shooting house.

4
View from the Andreas-Staffel (Andrew’s Stairs)
From the Andreas-Staffel you can see the city below and the foothills of the Palatine Mountains in the West.

5
Andreas-Staffel (Andrew’s Stairs) and Evangelic Senior Citizen Center
In 2005, the Andreas-Staffel (Andrew’s stairs) were restored and integrated with the Franziskus House, an extension of the Evangelic Senior Citizen Center. The stairs were named after Andreas Rössler, the Bruchsal master baker, who in 1867 created a connection from the Huttenstraße to his vineyards on the ”Andreashöhe“ hill.

6
St. Paulusheim
Residence of Bruchsal’s Pallottines, a society within the Catholic Church, and a private Gymnasium (High School/Secondary School) supported by the school foundation of the Archdiocese of Freiburg.

7
Klosterstraße
Named after the Capuchin Monastery built in 1669 and demolished in 1880. Statue of the Holy Nepomuk on the Saalbach bridge reconstructed in 2005.

8
Baroque Church St. Peter
Built from 1742 to 1749 following construction plans of the famous master builder Balthasar Neumann. Oldest parish church of the city and burial place of the four prince-bishops of Bruchsal.

9
Sancta Maria & Kindergartenmuseum
Private professional school for training kindergarten teachers in a neo- baroque building constructed from 1906 - 1908. Since 2003, the annex building houses the First German Kindergarten Museum.

10
Große Brücke (Great Bridge), Klein Venedig (Little Venice) & Technisches Rathaus (Technical Town Hall)
This bridge is the most convenient way to cross the Saalbach (Saal Stream) in the city to reach the shopping district. Klein Venedig (Little Venice) is so named because before the district was destroyed in World War II, it resembled Venice, Italy because of the houses located along the stream. Since 2005, the former Landeszentralbank Baden-Württemberg (Central Regional Bank Baden-Wuerttemberg) building has housed the Technische Rathaus (Technical Town Hall), the Bürgerbüro (Registry Office) and the Stadtarchiv (Town Archive).

11
Bürgerpark (Public Park)
This park was built during the modernization of the Bürgerzentrum (Civic Center) at the end of the 1980’s. Two historical monuments memorialize the victims of National Socialism. A third monument was constructed in the park to foster international understanding.

12
Bergfried & Bürgerzentrum (Civic Centre)
The Bergfried, built in 1358, is the oldest building in the town and is a remnant of the “Alte Schloss” (Old Palace). In the 19th century, this area accommodated a men’s jail and a penal institution for women. During the Baden Revolution, this area and a new jail for men (today a correctional facility) were places where political prisoners were detained and later released. Today, the area around the Bergfried is one stop on the “Strasse der Demokratie (Street of Democracy)“, named in 2007. The Bürgerzentrum (Civic Center) opened in 1987, was designed for cultural events, conventions and meeting. It also houses the “Badische Landesbühne“ (Theater), shops, restaurants, the Tourist Information Center, the Volkshochschule (Adult Education Center) and the city library.

13
Market Place
On the market place, the town church “Unsere Liebe Frau (Our Lady)“ is found, which is built on the old ancient basement of the Lord’s House first mentioned in 1268. On the market fountain created in 1790 by Tobias Günther, the Coat of Arms of Bruchsal and of the Prince-Bishop Damian August von Limburg-Stirum are found. The Town Hall was built from 1952 to 1954 and it was modernized in 2010, with shops being added in the basement.

14
Memorial plaque Johann Peter Frank
A memorial plaque in honor of the world famous medical scientist, Johann Peter Frank, who served as the personal physician for the Prince-Bishop Limburg-Stirum.

15
Schlossgarten (Palace Garden)
Started in 1721 at the same time during as the construction of the Palace. Fountains and sculptures were later added to the Palace Garden.
 
Straße der Demokratie (Street of Democracy)

16 Gasthaus Zum Bären Restaurant
17 The Baden Revolutionists Memorial
18 "Justizvollzugsanstalt Bruchsal" Prison
 
Women's history

19 Barbara Ihle
20 Marianne Kirchgessner
21 Hedwig Leppert
22 Niederbronner Schwestern
23 Vinzentinerinnen
24 Anna Zeiser
25 Maria Immaculata Baumann

Additional plaques

26 Holy Grave
27 Former restaurant  "Gasthaus zum Rappen"
28 Josef Victor von Scheffel and the Tomcat Hiddigeigei
29 Deportation of the Jews Memorial Plaque
30 Slaughterhouse
31 Lutherkirche (Luther Church)
32 Alte Kaserne (Old Barracks)

 ... and entirely new:

Huttenstraße Fossils
Monastery chapel of the Holy Grave at the Vinzentiushaus (Vinzentius Building)
City wall in Orbinstraße