The German Timber-Frame Road (German: '''Deutsche Fachwerkstraße''') is a German tourist route leading from the river Elbe in the north to the Black Forest and Lake Constance in the south. Numerous cities and towns each with examples of the vernacular timber-framed houses traditional to the German states are situated along the road. The total length of the route is nearly 3000km (2,000miles).
The route is divided into seven sections, each of which follow the traditional areas of: Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Hesse, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg.[1]
In 1975, the 'ARGE Historische Fachwerkstädte e.V.' (Association of Historic Timber-Framed Towns) was founded. Its aim is to preserve the cultural heritage of a huge variety of different styles of half-timbering in Germany.[2] To share this knowledge with other interested people, the 'German Timber-Frame Road' was founded in 1990. In the meantime, more than 100 timber-framed towns have joined up under the slogan "Timber-framed houses unite".[3]
The German Timber-Frame Road runs almost the entire length of Germany and therefore links many varied landscapes, historic cities and carefully restored sites and monuments. Numerous events, festivals and markets throughout the year are publicised as part of the route's attractions.
The German Timber-Frame Road is divided into the following seven regional sections,[4] roughly from north to south:
Stade - Nienburg, Lower Saxony - Bad Essen - Stadthagen - Northeim - Einbeck - Bad Gandersheim - Alfeld
Bleckede - Hitzacker - Dannenberg - Lüchow - Salzwedel - Celle - Königslutter - Wolfenbüttel - Hornburg - Bockenem - Osterwieck - Halberstadt - Wernigerode - Osterode - Duderstadt
Hannoversch Münden - Eschwege - Hessisch Lichtenau - Spangenberg - Melsungen - Wolfhagen - Bad Arolsen - Korbach - Fritzlar - Homberg (Efze) - Rotenburg an der Fulda - Bad Hersfeld - Schwalmstadt - Alsfeld - Schlitz - Lauterbach - Grünberg - Lich - Butzbach - Büdingen - Gelnhausen - Steinau an der Straße
Stolberg - Bleicherode - Worbis - Mühlhausen - Wanfried - Treffurt - Bad Langensalza - Vacha - Schmalkalden
Dillenburg - Herborn - Wetzlar - Braunfels - Hadamar - Limburg - Bad Camberg - Idstein - Eltville
Trebur - Dreieich - Hanau-Steinheim - Seligenstadt - Babenhausen - Dieburg - Groß-Umstadt - Wertheim - Miltenberg - Walldürn - Erbach - Reichelsheim
Mosbach - Eppingen - Besigheim - Bietigheim-Bissingen - Vaihingen an der Enz - Markgröningen - Marbach - Backnang - Waiblingen - Schorndorf - Esslingen - Kirchheim unter Teck - Bad Urach
Here the route divides in a western part in the direction of the Black Forest, and a southern part in the direction of Lake Constance:
- Western Route: From Bad Urach to Herrenberg - Calw - Altensteig - Dornstetten - Schiltach - Haslach
- Southern route: From Bad Urach to Blaubeuren - Riedlingen - Biberach an der Riß - Pfullendorf - Meersburg