Page 187 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL EATING IBERIA

Count Eberhard the Bearded of Württemberg.
“Wehaveatownonourcampus”runsalocalsaying
and no irony is intended. The university dominates the
life in Tübingen as the biggest employer and is home to
29,000studentsoraroundone-thirdofthepopulation.
One of the oldest and most imposing academic build-
ings is the pink colored, half-timbered Burse which
served as a dormitory and teaching hall for youngest
scholars. Just like many other town houses, it has a pe-
culiar shape increasing in size on the upper levels.
“Taxes were paid according to the size of the ground
floor,” explained city guide Helga Kausy. “So in order to
increase living space but to save money, the higher
floors were built wider with a larger space inside.”
I left the Neckar riverfront and the adjacent Burse
and climbed up through narrow winding lanes until I
reachedtheMarktplatz.Whilethemarketsquareitself
was first mentioned by merchants in 1191, the sur-
roundinghousesweremostlybuiltinthe15thand16th
century. To this day, three times a week, shoppers min-
gle here in search of the freshest produce, meat,
cheeses, and local products. The Renaissance fountain,
featuring Neptune with his trident and female figures
representing the four seasons at his feet, was carved
into stone in 1617.

The most eye-catching building is the Town Hall
from 1435, then with a double function as a warehouse
and Court of Justice / City Council. The colorful façade
of elaborate paintings in the neo-classical style shows
the coat of arms of Tübingen and important figures of
the city’s history. In 1511, an astronomical clock was
added which still reliably informs of the time, date and
lunar phases as well as astronomical events such as lu-
nar and solar eclipses.
Fromthemarketcorner,IascendedviaBurgsteige,
one of the oldest and most handsome streets in town,
to Schloss Hohentübingen, the Renaissance successor
of the original 11th-century feudal castle. A gate re-
sembling a Roman triumphal arch marks the entrance
and behind it, before the main buildings, the views of
the Neckar Valley and Swabian Alps are far-reaching.

Street scene in Tübingen Old Town.
Right: (top and bottom): Tübingen market
square with Neptune fountain.

WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 187