Der Schwarzwald: Villingen (but not Schwenningen)
For centuries, the villages of Villingen and Schwenningen lie so close to one another in the Black Forest region it was a surprise how different these two towns could be. Villingen was in the Duchy of Baden, and remained Catholic throughout the Reformation. Schwenningen was governed by the Kingdom of Württemberg. In 1972, the two were merged during a governmental reform, but they weren't completely combined. To this day, they remain someone distinct in character from centuries of difference. Even the rail lines are separate. To get from Köln to either half was less than five hours by train. The fastest route to the Villingen side was through Offenburg, and the quickest way to Schwenningen was involved train changes in Stuttgart and Rottweil. I had to keep this straight because our hotel was walking distance from the Villingen train station, but a bus ride from Schwenningen's.
Schwenningen is famous for watchmaking, but we didn't have time to explore that side of the joined city. Catholic Villingen, on the other hand, is noted for its Carnival traditions. In German, they call it Fastnacht, and the central roles of this festival are assigned to the Fools.
Like Der Narro
More after the jump
The earliest record of Fastnacht in Villingen was in the 1400s. Sometime during the next century the enduring character of Der Narro came into being. His likeness stands on this pedestal in town most of the year, crowned with branches on the Feast of Epiphany, and is removed during Lent. We did not have the great fortune of experiencing a Fastnacht in Villingen, but we enjoyed our quiet (but cold and rainy) visit nonetheless.
Villingen was not able to hold on to its walls as extensively as Bad Münstereifel, but many of the medieval gates still stand.
As I mentioned above, the village remained Catholic during the Reformation. At one time, the town was home to monasteries, cloisters, and schools operated by many of the best known Orders, like Ursuline Sisters and Franciscan Monks. Today most of these places have been converted to shared or secular uses.
The Ursuline convent abuts one of the old city gates and is now a Catholic high school.
This former Capuchin house was where we ate a lovely supper that included, yes, asparagus.
Active religion is not completely extinct in this traditional Catholic stronghold. We did visit Liebefrauenkirche which is German for Notre Dame. This building is fascinating because it retained elements of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque, and even modern constructions through centuries of fire, renovation, and war. The first building at this location was from 1120. It was replaced about one hundred years later with a Gothic design. In the 1700s, Baroque elements were introduced during a renovation, but one hundred years after that many of these were removed as tastes changed.
The not-twin spires show some of this. One is older, from the 13th century, meaning Gothic. The other with the colorful tiled roof is from the Baroque period.
Contemporary cast bronze doors in a 12th century Romanesque portal
The interior of the church likewise reflects 1000 years of opinions on liturgical spaces.
The stone pulpit with seven of the scenes of the Via Crucis dates to a late Gothic period.
In the 1500s dogs certainly had fleas.
Walking under this baroque side altar....
...brings one to this chapel housing the 14th century Nägelinkreuz. It was once housed in a different local chapel that was destroyed during World War II
The high altar is a more recent element of the church in Neo-Gothic style.
This church is known for its music, thanks in part to this 1983 Sandtner organ.
Behind the church is this sculpture, called Die Münsterbrunnen (the Monastery Wells) and depicts 1000 years of Villingen history.
One more thing that was interesting about Villingen and gave it the feel of being from another era was the water running in troughs through the downtown. It was clean water, not filthy water as it may have been at earlier time. We had to be careful not to trip on it, though.
Our trip at this point seemed to get colder and colder. We were reaching the point on our itinerary, more than ten days in, that I didn't have any visibility what the weather would hold when I was back in Beijing packing. In Villingen the weather turned from sunny and spring-like just days before we got there to the near-freezing temperatures as we were leaving. Walking to the train station, we saw a few snow flakes mixed with the ice and rain. We ended up buying Wanderjacken for the kids and Randy to wear over their already heavier-than expected layers. These coats were really just hiking jackets, but I love the German word for it. Wanderjacke.
Schwenningen is famous for watchmaking, but we didn't have time to explore that side of the joined city. Catholic Villingen, on the other hand, is noted for its Carnival traditions. In German, they call it Fastnacht, and the central roles of this festival are assigned to the Fools.
Like Der Narro
More after the jump
The earliest record of Fastnacht in Villingen was in the 1400s. Sometime during the next century the enduring character of Der Narro came into being. His likeness stands on this pedestal in town most of the year, crowned with branches on the Feast of Epiphany, and is removed during Lent. We did not have the great fortune of experiencing a Fastnacht in Villingen, but we enjoyed our quiet (but cold and rainy) visit nonetheless.
Villingen was not able to hold on to its walls as extensively as Bad Münstereifel, but many of the medieval gates still stand.
As I mentioned above, the village remained Catholic during the Reformation. At one time, the town was home to monasteries, cloisters, and schools operated by many of the best known Orders, like Ursuline Sisters and Franciscan Monks. Today most of these places have been converted to shared or secular uses.
The Ursuline convent abuts one of the old city gates and is now a Catholic high school.
This former Capuchin house was where we ate a lovely supper that included, yes, asparagus.
Active religion is not completely extinct in this traditional Catholic stronghold. We did visit Liebefrauenkirche which is German for Notre Dame. This building is fascinating because it retained elements of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque, and even modern constructions through centuries of fire, renovation, and war. The first building at this location was from 1120. It was replaced about one hundred years later with a Gothic design. In the 1700s, Baroque elements were introduced during a renovation, but one hundred years after that many of these were removed as tastes changed.
The not-twin spires show some of this. One is older, from the 13th century, meaning Gothic. The other with the colorful tiled roof is from the Baroque period.
Contemporary cast bronze doors in a 12th century Romanesque portal
The interior of the church likewise reflects 1000 years of opinions on liturgical spaces.
The stone pulpit with seven of the scenes of the Via Crucis dates to a late Gothic period.
In the 1500s dogs certainly had fleas.
Walking under this baroque side altar....
...brings one to this chapel housing the 14th century Nägelinkreuz. It was once housed in a different local chapel that was destroyed during World War II
The high altar is a more recent element of the church in Neo-Gothic style.
This church is known for its music, thanks in part to this 1983 Sandtner organ.
Behind the church is this sculpture, called Die Münsterbrunnen (the Monastery Wells) and depicts 1000 years of Villingen history.
One more thing that was interesting about Villingen and gave it the feel of being from another era was the water running in troughs through the downtown. It was clean water, not filthy water as it may have been at earlier time. We had to be careful not to trip on it, though.
Our trip at this point seemed to get colder and colder. We were reaching the point on our itinerary, more than ten days in, that I didn't have any visibility what the weather would hold when I was back in Beijing packing. In Villingen the weather turned from sunny and spring-like just days before we got there to the near-freezing temperatures as we were leaving. Walking to the train station, we saw a few snow flakes mixed with the ice and rain. We ended up buying Wanderjacken for the kids and Randy to wear over their already heavier-than expected layers. These coats were really just hiking jackets, but I love the German word for it. Wanderjacke.
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