Castle Untour, Fall of 2002
by Glenn Nitschke & John Hall, Fort Myers, FL
When Idyllchat Administrator Taussig called for Trip Logs from those of us who had visited Manfred von Crailsheim’s Castle in Bavaria, we were more than happy to oblige since our first Untour experience, there, was so enjoyable (starting with the convenience of unpacking just once during our stay, like on a trans-Atlantic cruise). However, when we sought a cue from existing Log contributors, we were somewhat daunted by the rhapsodic and detailed account provided by Joan Haines about her trip this summer. We would certainly endorse most of her findings and descriptions, but in view of their extensiveness, we seek here to share with you some more routine, perhaps even mundane, vignettes of our visit which we feel are at the heart of the Untour concept of living in and being a part of the local milieu.
Castle Grounds & Village:
One of the buildings surrounding the grassy forecourt of the castle, opposite a long barn with its high pitched roof, is called the Bohemian House. It contains two or three units which appear to be home to townsfolk, but also has three apartments which are part of the rental inventory offered by the baron to Untourists. We had the good fortune of staying in the ground floor suite called ‘the Jeanette’ - two other smaller but quite cozy, gabled units are on the second floor. The entire building dates to the mid-1750s but has been extensively remodeled and the apartments have thoroughly modern, albeit small, bathrooms. Jeanette had tasteful and ample lighting, a huge ‘great room’ (including the kitchen) and was decorated with wonderful antique pieces of which Manfred is quite proud. Unlike the cramped kitchen facilities in the castle apartments, Jeannette’s are more spacious and certainly very workable. We prepared probably half of our meals there and even had guests from Zurich and Munich in for dinner, so much did we enjoy the ambiance of the room. A very functional fireplace contributed to that ambiance - we lit a fire nearly every evening, hauling wood over from the barn. It was not necessary weatherwise, but being from Florida, we could not resist the opportunity of looking upon blazing logs as we sipped evening cocktails or read nearby. Two large french doors off the great room led to a grassy area behind the castle ramparts and a charming domed-towered Lutheran church alongside a pond which was perhaps once part of the castle moat. Herr Funk placed a table and chairs there for us to enjoy the lazy sunny days whilst contemplating the state of our part of the world.As indicated, the church tower is lovely and almost as symbolic of the complex as the castle tower itself. Little paths and rutted roads abound near the grounds and offer a pleasant stroll of an afternoon or evening. We even met the ever-affable Manfred walking his playful and mischievous Moritz on one of them over the weekend. It was also interesting to witness the festivities of a wedding reception being held in the castle’s banquet room on a Saturday evening (it is rented out for special occasions such as this). We even played a role in helping lubricate the affair when we assisted the local brewery driver find a place to deliver his goods the day before - got a couple of nice lagers as a token of appreciation from him! The tiny village of Sommersdorf (161 souls) lies on the other side of a clock-tower gate which, with the church parsonage and a few other out buildings, form the fourth side of the castle’s forecourt. Just to the left and across the roadway is a house with a dazzling garden brimming with beautiful flowers, tended by a middle-aged frau in a wide brimmed hat, blouse and shorts who smiles approvingly as one admires her dahlias and other colorful flora. Further down the road, near a bus stop and beyond a long trellis of flowers, is the local Gasthaus where men play cards, drink and smoke but are considerate enough to open windows for ventilation when guests arrive to eat. The food is hearty, plentiful, good and inexpensive.
Shopping And Such:
The town of Burgoberbach lies a few kilometers north of Sommersdorf on the road to Ansbach and is filled with many practical delights. Although the fields around it contain several ‘snip and pay’ flower beds containing gladiolas and the region’s ubiquitous sunflowers, we used a small flower shop in the town to purchase ‘blumen’ for our dinner parties. As usual, it was communication by pigeon German and many hand gestures, plus a visit to the cooler shed out back, but a very nice arrangement was had to grace our table.Just as you enter the town is a medium sized supermarket which amoung other things contains canned and bottled items along with a butcher counter with meats and cheeses. If one is not satisfied with the fresh produce selection there, a few hundred meters behind the market is a Quonset hut with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables available; the facility also serves as a conveniently located branch post office from which all those post cards back home can be mailed. Further along into town is a full butcher’s shop offering wonderful wursts and other delectable and, catercorner from it, a bakery for all one’s starch staples. We planned visits to these shops about every third day as the apartment refrigerator’s capacity is somewhat limited. If we wanted things not available in Burgoberbach, or a wider selection, a larger supermarket on the US Army Barraks road just outside Ansbach was our source, especially with the help of one of the clerks whom we pestered on each visit for something or another. That, incidentally, is the only place we found little kerosene or paraffin starters which made lighting our nightly fires much easier. There are other stores in Ansbach which feature larger quantity items ala Costco and (ugh) Sam’s in the U.S. but one has little need for such quantities during a two week stay.
Burgoberbach also has a Gasthaus which is larger than the one in Sommersdorf, but it likewise serves good, inexpensive food and has both smoking and non-smoking dining rooms. From other Sommersdorf guests we learned that good brunches were also available, particularly after services in the church across the street. The church, by the way, must be visited to view its somewhat modern interior, but more importantly, to experience the unusual sculpture on the church steps - Der Ministrant und der Teufel -- the story of which is explained in pamphlets inside.
Finally, one must note that the only medium of exchange in all these local shops, restaurants and markets here and in other small towns is cash - the Euro. To be sure you have enough, which is sometimes difficult for those of us accustomed to using plastic at every turn, knowing the hours of banks is important. But one must also shop them too to avoid service fees for cashing the Euro-denominated traveler’s checks we have found so useful in our visits elsewhere. We liked the one housed in the same building as the Rathaus -- the tellers were friendly and got to know us readily.
The Small-Town Arc:
After partaking of the delicious food dispensed by Frau Schmidt at the orientation breakfast in the dining room of the baron’s castle quarters, the good baron provides many tips about the sights in and about the region. Colorful brochures and maps are also presented and questions answered. Not covered in Joan Haines’ account are the small walled towns of Ornbau, Merkendorf and Wolframs-Eschenbach which form a quarter moon south-north arc several kilometers east of the Schloss. They are perfect for visiting on one day, preferably with a take-along picnic lunch to be enjoyed wherever and whenever the spirit moves one.Driving south from the castle to Grossenreid, turn east toward Ornbau (the sign is almost hidden). Halfway there you’ll notice a small church-like building on the right next to a park. It is white with a soft rose-color trim - take a moment to stop and visit it. Upon lifting the pull-down screen which keeps the bugs out, you’ll discover a charming roadside chapel with a dozen pews and a simple but beautiful marble columned alter. Continuing on you can enter Ornbau by crossing an old stone bridge complete with its ‘bridge saint’ in the middle. Once through the gate arch into the town, park and wander about. The church there is rather unique. Inside you’ll note that a very modern, but tasteful structure unites two older parts of the church and it even appears that the former alter and narthex have been reversed -- quite a work of art.
It is a short if not circuitous drive to Merkendorf which is a little larger town with well preserved towers, gates and even part of the moat intact. The day we visited, the entire main street was closed and the ubiquitous flea market was in progress - managed to find a couple of brushes we’d been hunting! It began to sprinkle so we headed further north without any further exploration.
In Wolframs-Eschenbach we out-ran the rain and parked on the outside of the wall and went on by foot. von Crailsheim’s ‘tour book’ explains that the town is named for one of Germany’s epic poets whose "Parsifal" became a great Wagnerian opera. There are many half-timbered buildings bedecked with vibrant flowers in window boxes and interesting little shops along the way if you are so inclined. As the home of an order of Teutonic Knights, it boasts a handsome tiled church tower top visible from quite a distance. Altogether, a quaint and charming town and very close to our Sommersdorf "home."