Göppingen Travel Guide

 
by Kimi_the_Bear
 
  •   Göppingen
    by Kimi_the_Bear
  •   Göppingen
    by Kimi_the_Bear
  •   Göppingen
    by Kimi_the_Bear
  • On top of Hohenstaufen, with view to Hohenrechberg
      On top of Hohenstaufen, with view to...
    by Kimi_the_Bear
  •   Göppingen
    by Kimi_the_Bear
 

Explore Göppingen

Things to Do  

Visit a Handball Game

Visit a Handball Game, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  As you might already know from reading my pages: Handball is the most exciting team sport in the world! It is the second fastest sport after ice-hockey. To get a feeling for the game attend a game of the Göppingen team – named Frisch Auf! - in EWS Arena (formerly:... 

More Things to See and Do in and around Göppingen

More Things to See and Do in and around Göppingen, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  Oberhofenkirche (see intro)Kunsthalle (Art Gallery)Marstallstraße 55Phone (07161) 650 777Open Tue – Sun 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 6pm, Thu afternoon until 8pm, closed on MondayIn the suburb of Jebenhausen (first town from the town centre towards Autobahn A 8)Städtisches... 

Get in Touch with Dinosaurs at Urwelt-Museum Hauff

Get in Touch with Dinosaurs at Urwelt-Museum Hauff, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  This Museum of the Prehistoric World - Hauff is just the name of the owners/creators - is located in Holzmaden, near the Autobahn (A 8) exit Aichelberg. It sign-posted from the Autobahn.The exhibited fossils are from the Jurassic Period, 180 million years ago, when the world... 

More Water – Fill up your Bottles

More Water – Fill up your Bottles, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  When we were young we went to Eislingen or Göppingen on most Saturdays and filled up the bottles of several crates with mineral water, called Sauerwasser (sour water) – for free!Thanks to historic rights (from 1747, to be exact), this tradition still exists today. In... 

Barbarossa-Thermen – if you Need a Break

Barbarossa-Thermen – if you Need a Break, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  Formerly a simple indoor swimming pool, this aquatic centre has developped into a wellness oasis with spa, sauna, slides, etc. Also on offer are massage and all kinds of beauty therapy. It is located opposite Hohenstaufenhalle at the corner of Lorcher & Nördliche Ringstraße,... 

Historic Museum “Im Storchen”

Historic Museum “Im Storchen”, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  If you stand in front of the main entrance of the museum you will quickly understand the name “Storchen” – meaning: stork/s. Some stork sculptures stand in front of the historic half-timbered building near Schillerplatz. The “Storchen” was erected right on the city wall for... 

The “real” Walking Tour of the Staufer Mountains

The “real” Walking Tour of the Staufer Mountains, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  The three classic Staufer mountains (Stauferberge) are Hohenstaufen, Hohenrechberg and Stuifen. You either take the car or bus to Hohenstaufen and make a return-trip over the three mountains, or you organise a pick-up service in the little village of Wißgoldingen which is... 

Travel on the Straße der Staufer (Staufer Route)

Travel on the Straße der Staufer (Staufer Route), Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  This tourist route leads from Bad Boll (near the autobahn A 8) via Göppingen, Schwäbisch Gmünd and Heidenheim to Giengen/Brenz, and covers about 300 kilometres. See detailed info on this website:http://www.stauferland.de/ 

Snack on a Brezel or a Cake

Snack on a Brezel or a Cake, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  Germans are obsessed with their trillion of different kinds of bread and rolls, and the Schwaben (Swabians) are rightfully proud of their great Brezeln (pretzels) – read my praise on my Gingen page. As I am a little bit on cold turkey in New Zealand, I got very aware on my... 

Half-timbered and Colourfully Restored Houses

Half-timbered and Colourfully Restored Houses, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  You see beautifully restored half-timbered houses and other fantastic old buildings everywhere in the city centre - although not a real lot of them survived the big fires and city planning actions in more modern times. Many inner city streets are car-free, so you can stroll... 

Harald Immig – this Artist Knows Hohenstaufen best

Harald Immig – this Artist Knows Hohenstaufen best, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  Harald Immig is a local multi-talented artist. He is a watercolour painter, poet, singer and song-writer. To me he looks a bit like a medieval knight with his long curly hair and the moustache. I discovered him by coincidence many years ago when walking up to the ruins of... 

The further Walk up to the Top of Hohenstaufen

The further Walk up to the Top of Hohenstaufen, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  After a walk uphill on a zig-zag track (about 15 minutes from the documentation centre) you reach the summit of Hohenstaufen. As said, there is not much more to see of the former castle than some remains of the foundation walls. The latest addition is an octagonal stele... 

Get Yourself Up to Hohenstaufen

Get Yourself Up to Hohenstaufen, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  As there is public bus service to the village of Hohenstaufen you do not necessarily need a car to get up to the remains of the foundation walls of the former Staufer castle.From the town centre (church) walk up the steep street towards the castle (Burgruine). At the last... 

Have a Coffee or Lunch at Schillerplatz

Have a Coffee or Lunch at Schillerplatz, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  This once was the bus exchange. Now it is a nice square, named after the poet Friedrich Schiller, where you can relax perfectly, either in one of the many cafés or restaurants, or just sitting at a fountain, either named Künstler- or Theaterbrunnen (I will research; but it... 

Relax on Marktplatz (Market Square) beside Rathaus

Relax on Marktplatz (Market Square) beside Rathaus, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  The most important part of the project of enhancing the city centre, called Neues Zentrum (New Centre) now, was to ban through-traffic from the centre. Only buses are allowed to pass Hauptstraße, for example. Water features, outdoor seating and cafés now dominate the... 

Rathaus (Town Hall) – Reminder of Hardship

Rathaus (Town Hall) – Reminder of Hardship, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  The Town Hall was built from 1784 to ’86. It is located at the intersection of Hauptstraße and Marktstraße which leads down to the railway station. Like all other buildings in the area it got a coat of fresh paint during a huge restoration project in the early 2000s, and it... 

Stadtkirche (Church) with a Door for Passers-By

Stadtkirche (Church) with a Door for Passers-By, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  This church, built in 1618, is opposite the castle in the city centre. If you pass on the right side of the church, coming from the castle, you walk past a new but nevertheless very interesting door. It tells modernised versions of stories from the bible, about hunger, war,... 

Schloss: A great Renaissance Castle

Schloss: A great Renaissance Castle, Göppingen

 Kakapo2 Says:  This inner city castle was built by Duke Christoph of Württemberg from 1555 to 1568 who needed a nice residence while using Göppingen’s spa facilities. You enter from a normal street into a courtyard, the park is on the backside. It has tower-like additions at the four... 

Local Customs  

Maientag - Celebration of Peace
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Kakapo2 1858 reviews
Town Hall: Not only on Maientag flags are hissed.

This historic regional and kids fest means four days of party in the whole city, with music, dance, food and drink. Its roots go back many hundred years, being a celebration of thanksgiving and peace after the Thirty-Year War (1618 – 1648), as Göppingen had also been occupied during this nearly endless war – even until 1650!

The first celebration of the new freedom and the end of hunger, disease and suppression in Göppingen took place on 11 August 1650. This tradition has been kept alive over the centuries, soon called Maientag (May Day). Only the more religious character has changed a little into a more worldly and party atmosphere. But the carnival-like cortege has been transformed back into the presentation of historic events in historic costumes.

Highlights are the historic cortege on Saturday and the Maientagsball, a big dancing ball.

In 2008 the date for the Maientag celebrations is 30 May to 2 June.

Written Sep 20, 2007

Related to:
 Historical Travel
 Festivals

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Kakapo2 1858 reviews
The town hall tower.

Favorite thing: -

You cannot miss the tourist information centre. It is in the middle of the city centre, at the intersection of Hauptstraße and Marktstraße, in the Marktplatz wing of Town Hall (Rathaus).

ipunkt im Rathaus
Hauptstraße 1
73033 Göppingen

Phone (07161 ) 650-292
Fax (07161) 650-299

E-Mail: ipunkt@goeppingen.de
Internet: http://www.goeppingen.de/

Updated Sep 20, 2007

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Map of Göppingen