A man and a woman walk through a corridor in the castle. Paintings hang on the walls, the ceiling is decorated and painted. Glowing chandeliers hang from the ceiling.

© TMBW, Foto: Christoph Düpper

Culture in Baden-Württemberg

Expanding Horizons in Southwest Germany

Excursions, Events, Museums, Attractions

Historic Heritage and Contemporary Culture
Ice Age art and future labs. Fairytale castles and industrial landmarks. Celtic burial sites and hip-hop festivals. Locations where human history was written. Plus an events calendar packed with enough highlights to rival any UNESCO heritage list.
Gray paneled facade of a museum with the inscription “Heidengraben Zentrum”

© Steffen Roller

The Heidengraben Center in Erkenbrechtsweiler
Just one of the many cultural specialties in the south

Art and Culture in Baden-Württemberg

At a Glance
1

“On” 365 Days a Year

Pop-up galleries on rooftops, castle festivals, impromptu concerts – the acts are exciting, and so are the locations.
2

Must-See: Museums

Cultural heritage at the State Museums of Württemberg and Baden. Technology and new media at the Technoseum in Mannheim or the ZKM Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, art history at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart and the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden, and seven open-air museums – all inviting you to broaden your horizons.
3

Noblesse Oblige

In Baden-Württemberg, fairy tales come true: in grand monuments like Heidelberg Castle, Ludwigsburg Residential Palace, or Hohenzollern Castle, as well as charming smaller palaces in Schwetzingen or Meersburg.

Palaces, Castles and UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Landmarks, Legends, and Showtime

  • Castles & Gardens in Southwest Germany

    Far too Fabulous to Be True

  • World Heritage Sites in Baden-Württemberg

    From Caves to Hollywood
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Castles & Gardens in Southwest Germany

Far too Fabulous to Be True

World Heritage Sites in Baden-Württemberg

From Caves to Hollywood
Golden head of a man standing on a wooden pole.

© TMBW, Foto: Düpper

Excerpt from the triadic ballet by Oskar Schlemmer in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

© TMBW, Foto: Gregor Lengler

A woman stands in an exhibition room with green lines on a concrete wall. She is looking up and has one leg bent.

© TMBW, Foto: Düpper

View of the experimenta Museum, palm trees by the water in the foreground

© Heilbronn Marketing GmbH

Fascinating insights into past, present, and future
at the Reiss-Engelhorn Museum in Mannheim
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Calendar of Cultural Events

The Best Cultural Experiences in Southwest Germany

Filter results

Show 3.326 Experiences
  1. Go to article
    CultureEnjoy music & festivals
    Vielklang Festival
    The Vielklangfestival has become a unique festival for classical music in Tübingen. In addition to concerts at an international level, the organizers attach great importance to promoting the cultural...
    Swabian Alb
  2. Go to article
    CultureExperience history
    Open Monuments Day
    A tour of the "Alte Mühle" with a milling demonstration at Rathausplatz. Free entry!
    Black Forest
  3. Go to article
    CultureEnjoy music & festivals
    SWR3 New Pop Festival
    Once a year, popular newcomers from Germany and abroad transform Baden-Baden into a music metropolis. All music fans and the entire pop culture scene can rejoice! Baden-Baden will once again become th...
    Black Forest
  4. Go to article
    CultureExperience history
    Hayloft Academy: Butcher's craft and slaughter festival
    Lecture with master butcher Gerd Baumer
    Black Forest
  5. Go to article
    CultureEnjoy music & festivals
    Ulm tent festival
    Every year, the longest tent festival in Germany invites international stars, up-and-coming artists, artists and even more cultural highlights to Ulm.
    Swabian Alb
  6. Go to article
    CultureEnjoy music & festivals
    Wein & Musik 2026
    This weekend sees the return of the three-day open-air music festival Wein & Musik, a street festival that dates back to the reopening of the Baden Wine Route. For three days, Staufen's winegrower...
    Black Forest
  7. Go to article
    CultureEnjoy music & festivals
    Tübingen International Brass Festival
    Tübingen and its region with its cosmopolitan, student audience and its beautiful old town is the perfect place for an international brass band festival. During the weekend, several bands from France,...
    Swabian Alb
  8. Go to article
    CultureEnjoy music & festivals
    State Trombone Day
    In 2027, Ulm will once again become a meeting place for brass choirs from Württemberg: the 51st State Trombone Festival will feature church services, concerts, activities for young brass players and o...
    Swabian Alb
  9. Go to article
    CultureArchitecture & buildings
    Lower Town Gate (Gate of Basel)
    Waldshut-Tiengen. The Lower Town Gate is also called "Gate of Basel".
    Black ForestON_REQUEST
SÜDEN FACTSSÜDEN FACTSSÜDEN FACTSSÜDEN FACTSSÜDEN FACTS

7

exceptional UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located in Baden-Württemberg

≈ 40.000

years old – artwork discovered in the caves of the Swabian Alb

1200

years ago a monk on Reichenau Island wrote about herbal medicine, becoming a pioneer of garden culture

6x

Opera House of the Year, 12x Opera Chorus of the Year – The Staatsoper Stuttgart is one of the leading opera houses in Germany

2.500

seats for culture enthusiasts in Europe's largest festival theater in Baden-Baden

3.000

Castles and palaces once existed in Baden-Württemberg; today, about a third remain

6th century BC

Celts lived at Heuneburg near Sigmaringen, now viewable as an open-air museum

1.500

original finds at the Limes Information Center offer insight into Roman life

Museums in Baden-Württemberg

Experience Art and Culture

Daimler and Benz never met, yet they shared a vision that laid the foundation of automotive history. Martin Heidegger was born in Meßkirch and philosophized his way around the world. Today, an old steam train chugs through the idyllic Swabian Forest, delivering letters with a special stamp. What ties these stories together? There’s so much to discover.

  • Baden-Württemberg and Its Automotive History

    From Bicycles to Cars
    CultureMuseums & galleries

  • Modern Art and Architecture in Baden-Württemberg

    Aesthetic Oases
    CultureArchitecture & buildings

  • Wirth 2 Museum in Künzelsau

    Collector’s Treasures
    CultureMuseums & galleries

  • Southwest Germany's Most Quirky Museums

    From Bread and Pigs to Thimbles and Bikinis
    CultureMuseums & galleries

  • Events in Baden-Württemberg

    Today's Events Near You
5 / 5

Baden-Württemberg and Its Automotive History

From Bicycles to Cars
CultureMuseums & galleries

Modern Art and Architecture in Baden-Württemberg

Aesthetic Oases
CultureArchitecture & buildings

Wirth 2 Museum in Künzelsau

Collector’s Treasures
CultureMuseums & galleries

Southwest Germany's Most Quirky Museums

From Bread and Pigs to Thimbles and Bikinis
CultureMuseums & galleries

Events in Baden-Württemberg

Today's Events Near You

Culture and Historic Sites

Ready for a Journey Through Time?
  • Go to article
    CulturePalaces & castles
    Lichtenstein Castle
    Lichtenstein Castle is also known as the 'fairytale castle of Württemberg', as its architectural style and furnishings are reminiscent of the Romantic period. Thus, it sees itself as a homage to the M...
    Lichtenstein
  • Go to article
    CulturePalaces & castles
    Hohenzollern Castle
    It is the landmark of the Zollernalb region, a symbol of home for all locals and a tourist magnet for visitors from all over the world: Hohenzollern Castle, located in the heart of Baden-Württemberg,...
    Swabian Alb
  • Go to article
    CulturePalaces & castles
    Sigmaringen Castle
    Standing high on a cliff above the Danube, Schloss Sigmaringen was built as a fortress. Over the centuries, it has been transformed into a royal residential palace, complete with fairytale towers and...
    Swabian Alb
  • Go to article
    CultureMonasteries & churches
    Bebenhausen Monastery and Castle
    The medieval monastery complex of Bebenhausen is nestled in the rolling hills of the Schönbuch Nature Park. Some of the buildings were converted into a royal hunting lodge in the 19th century.
    Swabian Alb
  • Go to article
    CulturePalaces & castles
    Mannheim Baroque Palace
    Fancy feeling like an Elector for once? In Mannheim, that dream becomes reality.
    Electoral Palatinate
  • Go to article
    CulturePalaces & castles
    Palace
    Schwetzingen Castle dates back to the 14th century, when the von Schomberg family provided the then moated castle to Count Palatine Ruprecht. In the following centuries, the area around the castle was...
    Schwetzingen
  • Go to article
    CulturePalaces & castles
    Meersburg New Palace
    Besides baroque garden architecture offers the park at the New Palace Meersburg a fantastic view of the lake.
    Lake Constance
  • Go to article
    CulturePalaces & castles
    Heidelberg Castle
    Heidelberg Castle is world famous and the epitome of the German Romantic era.
    Electoral Palatinate
8 / 8
Go to article
CulturePalaces & castles
Lichtenstein Castle
Lichtenstein Castle is also known as the 'fairytale castle of Württemberg', as its architectural style and furnishings are reminiscent of the Romantic period. Thus, it sees itself as a homage to the M...
Lichtenstein
Go to article
CulturePalaces & castles
Hohenzollern Castle
It is the landmark of the Zollernalb region, a symbol of home for all locals and a tourist magnet for visitors from all over the world: Hohenzollern Castle, located in the heart of Baden-Württemberg,...
Swabian Alb
Go to article
CulturePalaces & castles
Sigmaringen Castle
Standing high on a cliff above the Danube, Schloss Sigmaringen was built as a fortress. Over the centuries, it has been transformed into a royal residential palace, complete with fairytale towers and...
Swabian Alb
Go to article
CultureMonasteries & churches
Bebenhausen Monastery and Castle
The medieval monastery complex of Bebenhausen is nestled in the rolling hills of the Schönbuch Nature Park. Some of the buildings were converted into a royal hunting lodge in the 19th century.
Swabian Alb
Go to article
CulturePalaces & castles
Mannheim Baroque Palace
Fancy feeling like an Elector for once? In Mannheim, that dream becomes reality.
Electoral Palatinate
Go to article
CulturePalaces & castles
Palace
Schwetzingen Castle dates back to the 14th century, when the von Schomberg family provided the then moated castle to Count Palatine Ruprecht. In the following centuries, the area around the castle was...
Schwetzingen
Go to article
CulturePalaces & castles
Meersburg New Palace
Besides baroque garden architecture offers the park at the New Palace Meersburg a fantastic view of the lake.
Lake Constance
Go to article
CulturePalaces & castles
Heidelberg Castle
Heidelberg Castle is world famous and the epitome of the German Romantic era.
Electoral Palatinate

Theatre, Music & Festivals in Baden-Württemberg

The Stage is Yours!

  • Theatre, Music & Festivals in Baden-Württemberg

    Cultural Experiences for Your “Wow” Moment
    CultureEnjoy music & festivals

Theatre, Music & Festivals in Baden-Württemberg

Cultural Experiences for Your “Wow” Moment
CultureEnjoy music & festivals