Donaueschingen & surrounding areas

Sights of Donaueschingen

Photograph of the source of the Danube in Donaueschingen, showing the circular stone basin, balustrade, and sculptural group.

Things to see in Donaueschingen

A short stroll to the sights

As the town at the source of the Danube, Donaueschingen combines historic princely architecture with the charm of a lively small town. Your stroll to the old town's main sights starts right at Hotel Linde: the source of the Danube, the Fürstenberg Brewery, Museum Art.Plus and the lovely Palace gardens are all within walking distance.

Stylised map of Donaueschingen in copperplate style, featuring the Hotel Linde crest at its centre, surrounding streets, and seven local sights: Blue Town Hall, Princely Fürstenberg Collections, Fürstenberg Brewery, St John's Parish Church, source of the Danube, Museum Art.Plus, and Palace gardens, each with walking times.

Source of the Danube

Where the Danube begins

Here, where the Brigach and Breg meet, the Danube begins its roughly 2,850-kilometre journey across ten countries to the Black Sea, a river that holds a special place for many of our guests. The circular spring basin took on its ornate form in 1875, and the "Mother Baar" sculpture has presided over it since 1895, symbolically showing the young Danube the way. In 2016, a comprehensive restoration returned the whole site to its full splendour.

Aerial view of the source of the Danube: circular stone basin with balustrade, gravel path and group of sculptures at the edge, Donaueschingen.

The baroque twin-towered town church of St. Johann, with its green onion domes set against a blue sky, Donaueschingen.

Exploring the city

The town of Donaueschingen offers a varied choice of guided tours, from the classic tour through history and the present day to a visit to Fürstenberg Palace and a detective tour for families with children. We will gladly help you organise it.

Exploring the city

A small stone column pavilion with a pyramid roof, the Danube Temple, surrounded by lush greenery in the Palace gardens at Donaueschingen.

A park to catch your breath

A gravel path through the Palace gardens in Donaueschingen, bordered by tall trees and manicured lawns.

The expansive Palace gardens lie between Fürstenberg Palace and the source of the Danube, with mature trees, ponds and watercourses along the Brigach. On your way there, you will pass the Danube Temple, built in 1910 as a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II, right where the spring water flows into the Brigach. An ideal place for a long stroll, even with your four-legged companion.

A park to catch your breath

Salmon-pink Fürstenberg building with its restaurant terrace, parasols and the archer statue by the fountain, with the town church in the background, Donaueschingen.

Over 700 years of brewing heritage

As early as 1283, Count Heinrich I of Fürstenberg was granted the brewing rights for Donaueschingen, and beer has been brewed here ever since, at the current site right next to Hotel Linde since 1739. As a long-standing partner, we are happy to help you arrange a brewery tour.

Over 700 years of brewing heritage

Historic bridge over the Brigach, overlooking a traditional Donaueschingen house with its red hipped roof.

Where history, nature and art meet

In 1868, Prince Karl Egon III of Fürstenberg founded the Princely Fürstenberg Collections on Karlsplatz, in the former manorial tithe barn. Across three floors you will find minerals and fossils from the Fürstenberg lands, an extensive natural history collection and, on the top floor, "Fürstenberg Contemporary" with contemporary art.

Where history, nature and art meet

White neoclassical museum building with David Nash's Corten steel sculpture "Lightning Strike" in the forecourt, Museum Art.Plus Donaueschingen.

For contemporary art enthusiasts

Alongside a major annual exhibition, Museum Art.Plus presents regularly changing special exhibitions by international and regional artists. Dating from 1841, the neoclassical building has been carefully restored and complemented by a modern extension. On the forecourt stands "Lightning Strike", a Corten steel sculpture by the British artist David Nash, roughly five metres tall and affectionately known to visitors as "the Giraffe".

For contemporary art enthusiasts

Historic town hall with its pale blue and gold façade, round oriel window and small turret, fronted by musical fountain figures and framed by trees, Donaueschingen.

Historic and contemporary events

Donaueschingen regularly hosts celebrations and events, large and small. They range from the Alemannic Fasnet carnival, with more than 20 carnival guilds, to the Donaueschingen Music Days, the world's oldest festival for contemporary music, founded in 1921. You will find all dates in the town's events calendar, so you can plan your visit around your personal highlight.

Historic and contemporary events

The Southern Black Forest

Pure nature and culture

The Southern Black Forest is wonderfully easy to explore from Hotel Linde. A hike through the Wutach Gorge, a ride on the historic Sauschwänzlebahn railway or a stroll along picturesque Lake Titisee are all within comfortable reach. Our personal tip: the Triberg Waterfalls, a special experience in winter with their magical Christmas market. Best of all, your KONUS guest card lets you travel free of charge on local public transport throughout the Black Forest, from Pforzheim to Basel and from Karlsruhe to Waldshut.