Pleidelsheim between local history and the Neckar landscape

Pleidelsheim combines a distinctive local history with the expansive meadow floodplain along the Old Neckar. In the old town centre, the fortified church, half-timbered houses and tobacco-drying sheds tell the story of the town; outside, walks and cycling through the landscape take centre stage. This brings together different interests when choosing a travel destination: architecture and local traditions, as well as time spent outdoors.

Fortified church, half-timbered houses and tobacco history

St. Mauritius Church was built in the 14th century on the site of a Carolingian church. As a fortified church, it was given a mighty chancel tower with a rib-vaulted ceiling. Inside are gallery parapet paintings with unusual themes, an organ with a Baroque case and a crucifix. Its architectural history and furnishings lend the place a distinctive historical character.

The Historic Village Walk leads through the old town centre and past numerous gable-fronted half-timbered houses with solid ground floors. The Old Town Hall is also a striking example: it was built in 1613/14 as a half-timbered structure on a high solid ground floor, with an arcade-style design. Originally, the ground floor had open round-arched arcades; this area served as a market hall. The many tobacco-drying sheds that have survived are also part of Pleidelsheim’s characteristic townscape.

The Kelter, also known as the New Mill, was built in 1511 under Württemberg rule and is among the oldest buildings in the town. The Hasenhof was part of one of Pleidelsheim’s first large farmsteads, which was later subdivided; it includes richly decorated stone entrance gates. These individual buildings add traces of earlier rural life to the impression created by the walk among the half-timbered houses.

The history of tobacco is also firmly rooted in the town’s past: tobacco growing once had a particularly strong influence on Pleidelsheim and continued there until 1991. Opened on 16 May 2010, the Tobacco, Asparagus and Local History Museum explores this history as well as life in homes and on farms in earlier times. It contains around 1,300 exhibits. Anyone interested in local traditions will find here a different way to explore the town’s history than through its buildings and streetscape.

The Pleidelsheim Protestant Church Museum displays a church door from 1787 and parts of the cornice of the old pulpit from 1613. A more sobering historical focus is the “Russian Cemetery” memorial in the municipal forest, which is associated with the history of prisoners of war and forced labourers.

Meadow floodplain, Old Neckar and paths through green spaces

Pleidelsheimer Wäldle provides a local area for recreation. The broad meadow floodplain, with the green corridor along the Old Neckar, invites visitors to walk and cycle. The Old Neckar and Pleidelsheim Meadow Valley are designated nature reserves. Parts of the “Neckar between Freiberg and Heilbronn” Natura 2000 site lie within Pleidelsheim’s municipal area and coincide with the “Wiesental” and “Altneckar” nature reserves. The landscape thus provides a clear counterpoint to the historical sights of the old town centre.

Fountains and small local details

Public art also draws on local themes. The Asparagus Fountain is a sculptural fountain created by Pleidelsheim stonemason and sculptor Jörg Failmezger. It was commissioned in 1988 and commemorates the local asparagus-growing tradition. At the Frog Fountain on Friedrichstraße, the historical connection is to the street’s former popular name, “Froschgasse” (“Frog Lane”), and to the frogs in nearby Riedbach stream. The two fountains point to different aspects of local life: the asparagus tradition and an older history of local street names.

Pleidelsheim as a base for your trip

Pleidelsheim is well connected by road, with its own exit on the A81 between Stuttgart and Heilbronn. When choosing your accommodation, you can consider not only travelling by car but also how you would like to spend your days: local history and architecture offer different interests from walks and cycle rides in the meadow floodplain. Pleidelsheim brings both together, so you do not have to focus on just one theme.

The wider destination of Ludwigsburg offers additional cultural and landscape themes. Ludwigsburg Residential Palace is one of the largest Baroque buildings in Europe to have been preserved in its original form. Terraced vineyards along the Neckar and Enz also shape the landscape of the Ludwigsburg district. If you would like to explore beyond Pleidelsheim, the palace and wine-growing landscape add their own regional highlights to the local attractions.

Discover more destinations: Eberdingen, Vaihingen An Der Enz, Korntal-Münchingen, Freiberg Am Neckar, Tamm, Erligheim, Sachsenheim, Besigheim.

Return to the main travel overview: Ludwigsburg.