Ettlingen – The gem from the Albtal

Ettlingen, a picturesque district town with around 40,000 inhabitants, is located south of Karlsruhe. As a highlight of the Alb Valley and gateway to the Black Forest, the place has plenty to offer and not only invites you to visit, but also to linger.

Downtown: A historical idyll

The historic old town is probably one of the most sought-after living areas in Ettlingen. Charming narrow corridors alternate with wide squares and quiet cafés contrast with the busy shopping streets. You will quickly notice that historical houses are lined up next to the modern buildings in the city centre. In accordance with the philosophy of preserving the historical and considering the future, urban renewal was carried out in the 1970s with an eye for the essential and a love of detail. The Ettlinger Castle is in close proximity to the Alb, the small river that flows through the heart of the city. This Renaissance complex with components whose history goes back to the Middle Ages impresses with its unique ambience, extravagant baroque rooms, paintings by well-known artists and its popular concert halls.

Ettlinger cultural calendar

Ettlingen presents itself culturally varied and with pronounced diversity. Whether theatre, cabaret or museum – the year-round cultural program offers something for everyone.

A special highlight are the annual Schlossfestspiele that take place in summer, which always attract a large number of visitors with their colorful programme. From June to August, a wide variety of theater and musical offers for young and old are offered here in the courtyard of Ettlingen Castle.

The Museum Ettlingen in the castle shows regional art all year round, regular special exhibitions and invites you to stimulating hands-on exhibitions, which not only have cultural history but also the archeology of the city and ethnology as their theme. An impressive exhibition of south-west German art since 1900 can be admired in the Städtische Galerie. A large number of festivals and markets invite you to visit Ettlingen, such as the Watthalden or market festival, to name just a few.

Music events in the city hall or the palace garden hall as well as the Asamsaal of the Ettlingen Palace are ideal venues thanks to their excellent acoustics. But Ettlingen also offers plenty of space for leisure activities beyond the cultural diversity, for example through its idyllic hiking trails and exciting forest adventure trails. This is how the Black Forest and the Alb Valley can be explored.

If that is not enough, Karlsruhe is the ideal urban neighbor. The city, which is only 8 kilometers away, offers a variety of options for organizing spontaneous day trips. All of these advantages make the district town more than just the highlight of the Alb Valley, but also a popular real estate location. Because Ettlingen is a great place to stay.