Kaufbeuren between city history and culture
Accommodation in Kaufbeuren
Kaufbeuren can be explored through its many stories: as a former Free Imperial City, as a place with a lively remembrance of Saint Crescentia, and with Neugablonz as its largest district. There are also exhibitions on art, city history and industry, as well as a pilgrimage trail nearly 90 kilometres long that begins here. This raises a practical question for your stay: would you mainly like to explore the city and its culture, or experience Kaufbeuren as the starting and finishing point of a longer hike?
City history through exhibitions and city walls
The Kaufbeuren City Museum presents the history of the former Free Imperial City in a modern permanent exhibition. The surviving sections of the historic city wall offer another way to engage with the past: large stretches and numerous well-preserved towers remain in Kaufbeuren. The Fünfknopfturm is the city’s landmark. The city history exhibition and the surviving buildings thus offer different ways to explore Kaufbeuren’s past.
The city’s museums also cover a range of topics. At Kunsthaus Kaufbeuren, exhibitions of 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century art alternate with presentations on cultural and historical subjects. The Isergebirgs-Museum Neugablonz focuses on the history of Neugablonz and offers insights into 400 years of German cultural and industrial history in the Jizera Mountains. Those interested in the district’s development will find a different focus here than at the City Museum, which centres on Kaufbeuren’s history as a Free Imperial City.
The Gablonzer Industrie experience exhibition also explores industrial history. It presents numerous exhibits from the fashion jewellery industry, including fashion jewellery, souvenirs, toys and bags. The variety of objects gives a sense of the breadth of the collection on display: it extends beyond jewellery to other products such as toys and bags.
Crescentia, the old town and the pilgrimage trail
The Crescentia Monastery lies in the heart of the historic old town and is considered the origin of Kaufbeuren. The Crescentia Memorial displays valuable original artefacts from Saint Crescentia’s secular and spiritual life. These include clothes she wore on her travels and the decree of her canonisation. These objects bring the story to life and reveal different aspects of her life and veneration.
The historic old town can be explored on foot. The exhibition venues in the centre are also easy to reach on foot, making it convenient to enjoy the city and its culture. If you would rather focus your stay on the old town and its exhibitions, you can make these the centre of your visit; if you are planning a longer hike, Kaufbeuren is also the starting point of the Crescentia Pilgrimage Trail.
The Crescentia Pilgrimage Trail is a circular route nearly 90 kilometres long. It begins at the monastery in the historic old town, passes through Mindelheim and Ottobeuren, and returns to its starting point in Kaufbeuren. Experienced hikers are advised to complete the route in four daily stages. The distance and this recommendation make for a trip on a different scale from a stay focused on the old town and museums. When choosing a holiday apartment in Kaufbeuren, you can therefore first consider whether the city itself is your main destination or whether the pilgrimage trail will shape your trip.
For another cultural experience, the Puppet Theatre Museum continues to offer an online virtual tour of the world of puppet theatre. This digital experience complements the themes explored by the museums and exhibitions on site.
Other places in the area: Marktoberdorf, Ronsberg, Seeg, Biessenhofen, Westendorf, Germaringen, Unterthingau, Pforzen.
For the higher-level travel overview: Ostallgäu.
