Sugenheim: Castles, St. Erhard’s Church and the Wine Hiking World

Castles, a church, a gate and museum buildings provide tangible points of reference for the town’s history; the Wine Hiking World offers circular hiking trails and valley cycling routes. You can tailor your stay to whether you are more interested in architecture and local history or in the different ways of exploring on foot and by bike.

Castles and their architectural history

The Old Castle in Sugenheim was first mentioned in 1376. After its destruction in 1525, it was rebuilt on the same site from 1525 to 1529. The former moated castle dates from the 14th century and is laid out as a three-wing complex with four corner towers. The term “three-wing complex” gives a clear picture of the layout: three wings define the building, while the four corner towers mark its corners. This brings together the building’s place in history and a clearly described architectural form.

The New Castle in Sugenheim dates from the 16th century. Around 1746/49, it was given an extension and a Markgrafenstil-style outer casing. St. Erhard’s Church was built in 1765/66 in the so-called Markgrafenstil. The style name thus applies to two different buildings, but in different historical contexts: at the New Castle, it describes later alterations; at the church, it describes the period of construction. An outer casing is an external shell around a building’s main structure.

The church, the gate and museum sites

St. Erhard’s Church also contains epitaphs commemorating the long-standing patrons. They connect the church building with the history of its patronage. The Deutenheim Gate in Sugenheim dates from 1602. Chronologically, it comes after the Old Castle’s reconstruction and before the later alterations to the New Castle—another point of reference in the timeline of these buildings.

The Old Castle houses the Toy Museum, which was opened in 1988 by Jan and Manuela Kube. The former sheep barn is now home to the local history museum. The two museums therefore occupy different buildings: the castle and a former barn. The architectural history of these museum sites can also be viewed through their former and present-day uses.

Explore the landscape and trails

The landscape around Sugenheim is shaped by agriculture and viticulture; small plots of vines are nestled among orchards and hedgerows. Here, vineyards are just one of several defining features of the landscape. This combination of vineyards, orchards and hedgerows offers a different perspective on the town alongside its historic buildings.

You can explore the “Wine Hiking World” in Sugenheim on circular hiking trails and valley cycling routes. To choose between the types of routes, you can consider how you want to get around: on foot on the circular hiking trails, or by bike on the valley cycling routes. Hiking and cycling are thus offered as different ways to explore, while the named landscape experience remains at the heart of it.

Discover more destinations: Markt Taschendorf

For the full travel overview: Scheinfeld.