Blaubeuren is picturesquely situated on the southern edge of the Swabian Alb in a rocky valley in the upper reaches of the Danube, now drained by the little river Blau. The town grew up around a Benedictine monastery founded in the 11th century.
The church in Blaubeuren has a high altar (1493) of the Ulm school, with panel paintings by B. Zeitblom and B. Strigel, and fine choir-stalls. A beautiful cloister adjoins the church.
The great sight of Blaubeuren is the Blautopf, one of the largest karstic resurgences in Germany. This funnel-shaped depression, 21 m/69ft deep and filled with shimmering bluish-green water, is linked with a water-filled cave system which has been explored for a distance of some 1,300 m/1,400yd. On the edge of the Blautopf can be seen a historic old ironworks.
The monastery in Blaubeuren has recently been well restored. The church has a high altar of the Ulm school, with panel paintings by Z. Zeitblom and B. Strigel, and fine choir-stalls. A beautiful cloister adjoins the church. In the monks' bath-house is an interesting little local museum.
The Museum of Prehistory in the southeast of Blaubeuren's old town contains material dating back to Neanderthal times, including a 33,000-year-old ivory miniature which is the oldest known representation of the human figure.
November 1 to March 14: 2pm-5pm; Sun:11am-5pm; Closed: Mon, Mon
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), New Year's Eve (December 31), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
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