Leonberg - Main Sights

Main Sights

The old town dates back to the Middle Ages, and includes a historical market square lined by restored half-timbered houses. Standing among them is the old Town Hall (Rathaus) which, with the water tower on Engelberg hill, is considered a defining feature of Leonberg. The birth house of Schelling and the huge Zum Schwarzen Adler guesthouse - the first documented seat of parliament of the County of Württemberg - are also key features of the old town. Further attractions include the Evangelical Church (Stadtkirche) with its Roman and Gothic architecture, and the former Latin school (which was attended by the astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler). The old Latin school now houses the town museum and Schelling memorial chapel. The town park contains a variety of modern sculptures. On the eastern outskirts of Leonberg is the Engelbergtunnel.

Leonberg's Pomeranzengarten is Germany's only remaining terraced garden. Named after the German word for "bitter orange", the garden originally dates back to the height of the Renaissance. It was planted in 1609 next to the palace (Schloss) as a retreat for widows of the Württemberg duchy. In 1742 it was converted to a fruit and vegetable garden until it was restored in 1980 using the original plans of Heinrich Schickhardt.

The Michaelskirche church in Eltingen was built in 1487 with a single nave overlooked by rib vaulting and a retracted chancel. The tower is adorned by late gothic acoustic windows and a polygonal spire.

Other sights include:

• The Protestant church in Gebersheim was built in 1588. The nave was removed in 1968 and extended. The tower is still decorated with pre-Reformation frescos.
• The farmhouse museum (Bauernhausmuseum) was opened in 1995.
• The parish church in Höfingen has a gothic nave. The west tower with its polygonal spire dates back to 18th century.
• In Warmbronn there is a museum dedicated to the author Christian Wagner. The evangelical church was built in classical style in 1784.
• The lake house ("Seehaus") in Glemseck was built by the royal architect Heinrich Schickhardt in 1609 for Sibylla of Anhalt.