An Adventure step by step

Do you want to...

• See one of the most beautiful town skylines along the banks of the River Main?


• Admire the ancient walls, towers and gates?


• Soak up the ambience of an 800-year-old town?


• Hear the Swedish toy soldier play his trumpet from the gable above the hall?


• Discover precious art treasures and the charm of hidden corners?


• Go on a leisurely shopping spree in a traffic-controlled high street?
  
• Enjoy commanding views of the countryside from Castle Karlsburg?


• Take a stroll through the rural parts of town?


• Relax with a glass of wine from the vineyards around Karlstadt?


• Taste some of the many specialities of Franconian cooking?


• Walk along sleepy narrow lanes and through peaceful squares?


• Watch the cascades of the fountain in Market Square?


• Celebrate an occasion with a big party or with a relaxed tête-a-tête?


• All this and more awaits you in Karlstadt


• We look forward to your visit!

Welcome...

Karlstadt is a historic town in the Franconian winelands and invites you to come and explore. No matter from which direction you enter this ancient town, the past can be seen and touched all around you. Here is an overview of the main events in the town's history:

1198-1202	The town is founded by bishop Konrad von Querfurt. The town plan and layout of the roads remain almost unchanged
1244	First mention of wine growing in Karlstadt
The troubled years:
1475	a plague claims 700 dead
1525	destruction of Castle Karlsburg in the 'Peasants' War' followed by bloody assizes that condemn many of the rebels
1631-1634	Swedish occupation during the 30 Years War
1784	huge floods, the marks of which can still be seen on the Main Gate
Into the modern era:
1802	Karlstadt becomes part of Bavaria
1854	Opening of Karlstadt railway station
1880	Construction of the first bridge over the River Main
1945	The historic town is badly damaged by American bombardment in WWII
1973	1973 Karlstadt - formerly capital of Karlstadt rural district - becomes capital of the Main-Spessart rural district
1974	1974 An unparalleled programme of restoration of the historic town is launched
1978	1978 Incorporation into Karlstadt of the villages Gambach (since 1971), Hesslar, Karlburg, Laudenbach, Mühlbach, Rohrbach, Stadelhofen, Stetten and Wiesenfeld
2006	Completion of the second bridge over the River Main (Karolingerbrücke)

 

Karlstadt today -
The charms of diversity:

"Nature and culture -history and modernity - Franconian vineyards and the wooded hills of the Spessart forest."

Karlstadt today is a small, lively town with a historic centre, modern housing developments and attractive surrounding villages. Don't miss the beauty of the unspoilt countryside on the doorstep of a town with a strong cultural life, in which traditional Franconian half-timbering sits alongside modern architecture. Karlstadt nestles in the heart of the Franconian vineyards alongside the forest and woods of the Spessart. So your holiday lets you combine enjoyment of the nature reserve area with, e.g., a visit to Würzburg, a World Cultural Heritage site where you will find the baroque magnificence of the Residenz of the Prince-Bishops.

Today, Karlstadt and its incorporated villages have about 15,200 inhabitants, of whom half live in the town itself and half in the villages. 3,000 people still live in Karlstadt's historic centre. The Karlstadt urban area measures approximately 98 square kilometres. 

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