I felt like a real princess in the enchanting castle park in the heart of the municipality of Gemmingen. This idyllic park was acquired by the municipality in the 1980s and, between 1982 and 1988, was transformed into a stately castle park in the style of English garden design. The path to the castle park took me through the courtyard of the lower castle, a three-story manor house belonging to the von Gemmingen family. This is the youngest of three high medieval castles in Gemmingen and was built in 1274 by Schweiker von Gemmingen. Its current form, in the style of the South German Renaissance, dates from the end of the 16th century. The oldest part of the building is a brick tower, known as the “Hungerturm” (hunger tower). Before entering the castle park, I admired the castle’s beautiful Renaissance sandstone portal and the richly decorated bay window. When I entered the castle park, I was enchanted from the very first moment. Perhaps it was the sunny weather, the bright blue sky, and the greenery as far as the eye could see. I strolled along the beautifully laid out gravel paths amidst fantastically planted flower beds. The heart of the park is the magnificent castle park lake with its blooming water lilies, tall reeds, and swimming wild geese. The huge weeping willow with its spreading crown and decorative, drooping branches at the edge of the shore was impressive. The sun’s rays reflected like sparkling diamonds in the water and the reeds rustled in a gentle breeze. The beautiful pond is fed by its own spring, the Murrbach, and an old pipe from the Losterbach spring. On the northern shore of the lake is an octagonal wooden pavilion, which, together with the pond, would make a breathtakingly beautiful wedding backdrop. I crossed a small wooden bridge at the narrowest point of the lake to reach the south side of the park. Here, in addition to lush peony bushes, there is also a semicircular open-air theater with stone seating steps, where events are held regularly and a large castle park festival takes place every two years. Gemmingen Castle Park leaves nothing to be desired, and even children get their money’s worth in the newly designed playground at the edge of the park, thanks to a climbing wall, swings, slide, playhouse, wobbly bridge, and climbing spider. Here, they can romp around to their heart’s content. My way back took me past the bronze statue of Gänseliesel, which was donated by a citizen. Not far from there are huge wooden sculptures and an old war memorial in a tree clearing. The castle park is a wonderful green oasis of relaxation, and I enjoyed my walk through the romantic park, which had magically captivated me from the very first moment.
