Luckily there's Hohenlohe!

Something is different here. Perhaps this touch of pride with which the Kronenwirtin in Ashenvale served "Hohenloher Spaetzle". The emphasis is on "Hohenloher". And that means: four eggs on 250 grams of flour and not just half as with the Swabian neighbors. Or the certain solemnity with which, at an advanced hour, a lightly lit round in the Bächlinger Mosesmühle listening to the CD of "Houalouer Mouschd", a song about the regional favorite drink, the must. The fact that this blues - of course only in the version of the dialect rock band "Praxis" - is cult in this country, becomes clear at the latest when you see the glittering eyes of the audience. And who does not come from Hohenlohe, now even more, wonders what is so different here than in the rest of the world.

The answer is simple at first: This little country with its deeply cut valleys of Tauber, Jagst and Kocher is simply beautiful. Eduard Mörike, who spent many years of his life here at various pastorates, called it "a particularly tender handful of Germany", and for the father of the Green Rezzo, the pastor and homeland poet Rudolf hose from Bächlingen, it was simply" spiritual nature reserve ".

This is still true today. Whatever a civilized person may look for - here, in the extreme northeast of Baden-Württemberg, he finds it. Scenic, cultural and culinary. Provided, of course, he finds Hohenlohe. Because that lies, in the midst of the motorway triangle A 6 Heilbronn - Nuremberg, A 81 Weinsberg - Würzburg and the north-south axis A 7, umtost of the traffic streams, almost in secret.

In the north, the Tauber pulls the border, in the west there are the Waldenburg mountains with their extensive vineyards, in the south the former Free Imperial City Schwäbisch Hall. In between gently rolling farmland, on which grow corn, corn, turnips and strawberries, fragrant orchards, river valleys, where storks and gray herons stalk through the dense reeds. On the ridges the princely towns with their palaces and castles - 226 it should be in the district, all ruins included, but that is not even the Hohenlohe know. In the valleys then small villages, lonely farms, now and then an old watermill.

No, the land of "castles, palaces, princes and peasants" does not have to hide. It is all the more remarkable that today it seems to be more of a household name in the relevant cookery book than in the travel literature. Andreas Dürr, Tourism Manager from Künzelsau, looks like he was just waiting for this keyword. "Hohenlohe," he says, "that's not just the name of our princely house, after which our district was named, but Hohenlohe is essentially philosophy." The expression with which he says "philosophy" is similar to that of the crown landlady when she applies her yolk-yellow spaetzle. And who wants to fathom the deeper, must follow the man from Künzelsau in the eventful history of the country.

1806 is regarded as fateful year: at that time the kingdom of Württemberg incorporated the possessions of the princely house Hohenlohe, which had lived since the time of the Staufer here in great harmony with its Franconian subjects. But the Swabian rule was never accepted: To this day, the people of Hohenlohe maintain an almost passionate love of freedom. Feeling committed only to their God, their prince - and their own conscience.

In Füßbach works the organ-playing farmer Klaus Käppler. He specializes in the burning of noble schnapps. Like a detective, he often finds, on the old orchard meadows, the last specimens of almost extinct orchards, often accompanied by his elderly mentor Rudi Schmiege. Apple and pear trees still line the meadows, fields and paths, surround villages and farmsteads, they belong to Hohenlohe as the olive groves to Italy. But most trees are outdated: it is no longer worth collecting the scattered fruit. Unless you find here and there a forgotten slender pear, maybe even an egg or a wheat pear. "They give fires with incomparable aromas," enthuses Klaus Käppler, who is now trying to re-breed the old varieties.

In Atzenrod it is Berit and Norbert Fischer who are among the most successful cheese makers in Hohenlohe. Their raw sheep's milk specialties, especially the unrivaled "Roque Blue", have become an indispensable part of the menus of local fine dining.

In the meantime, 527 farms are now owned by the "Farmers' Association Schwäbisch Hall".It sends Hohenloher products today to Sylt or Dresden in the pots and pans of the top restaurants. Adding to the shopping cart is something as good as the "Boeuf de Hohenlohe" - although this magnificent Mastrind, which set the tone in French haute cuisine at the end of the 18th century, was almost declared dead. Today, the famous brown and white critters pluck clover and herbs from the fertile Hohenloher hillside pastures.

Hohenlohe is booming. Even in economically desolate times, the unemployment rate here is only 5.8 percent. Also because there are projects like the "Landfrauenservice", founded by women farmers with the help of the EU. The women from the district take guests to where they normally can not get - directly into the stables and gardens, the kitchens and cellars of the producers themselves.

Travel information Hohenlohe

Stay

Moses mill: cozy, more than 600 years old village mill, wonderful breakfast and weekend food in the noble renovated former shed; Double / F 40 Euro (74595 Langenburg-Bächlingen, Tel. 07905/940042, Fax 940044).

Jagstmühle: Country inn in the romantic Jagsttal. Down-to-earth cuisine from the region - for example, wild garlic jellyfish and daisy-capers; beautiful, newly designed apartments from 105 euros for people including breakfast (Jagstmühlenweg 10, 74673 Heimhausen, Tel 07938/90300, Fax 7569).

Gasthof zur Post: 300 years old, former washhouse of the monastery Schöntal. Good kitchen with vegetables and herbs from the monastery garden; DZ / F from 72 Euro incl. Breakfast and wellness (Hauptstr.1, 74214 Schöntal, Tel. 07943/2226, Fax 2563)

to eat and drink

To Lindenau: famous village tavern, specialty in autumn catch-fresh Jagst eel; Main courses from 7 Euro (Wanderstr 5, 74592 Kirchberg, Tel. 07954/8590 Fax 1297). Roessle:

rustic inn with creaking floorboards and a large shady garden. Known for the best Blootz far and wide - but only on Fridays; cheap small dishes, z. B. onion cake (Blootz) for 1.20 euros (Saurach 3, 74564 Crailsheim, Tel 07904/297).

Wald & Schlosshotel Friedrichsruhe:

a Michelin star and two Gault Millau caps - Friedrichsruhe is a place of pilgrimage for connoisseurs; Main course from approx. 30 Euro, gourmet menu from 82 Euro (74639 Zweiflingen / Friedrichsruhe, Tel. 07941/60870, Fax 61468, www.friedrichsruhe.de).

Restaurant Railway:

For three generations a term in Hohenlohe, a Michelin star, z. For example, for herbal milkferridge backs; Main courses from 19 Euro, menu from 43 Euro (Karl-Kurz-Str.2, 74523 Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental, Tel. 0791/930660, Fax 93066110, www.restaurant-eisenbahn.de).

shopping

Farmers Market Schwäbisch Hall: fresh products of the producer group - meat from the Schwäbisch-Hällische Landschwein and the Boeuf de Hohenlohe, sausage, ham, fruit, vegetables, sheep and goat cheese specialties (Raiffeisenstr 20, 74523 Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental, Tel. 0791/9329050).

Sheep cheese factory Atzenrod: The aromatic raw milk specialties (soft cheese, camembert, blue cheese and hard cheese) are produced by hand (Blaufelder Str. 49, 74595 Langenburg Atzenrod, Tel. 07905/475, Mon. to Fri. 9-13 and 15-18, Sat. 12 o'clock).

Hällische Delikatessen & Bistro: new, exquisite shop of the producer community, many delicious specialties for tasting and buying; especially good: Elderberry sparkling wine (Neue Str. 2, 74523 Schwäbisch Hall, Tel. 0791/9466521).

Café Bauer: The prince also tasted it - the Langenburger "Wibele", a tender pastry made of powdered sugar, egg white, flour and vanilla (Hauptstr. 28, 74595 Langeburg, Tel. 07905/363 Fax 735, www.echte-wibele.de).

Fruit distillery Klaus Käppler: Hutzelbirn-, quince or pomace brandy: The "waters" with 40 to 48 percent alcohol content ripen partly in ash barrels (Bachstraße 14, 74635 Kupferzell-Füßbach, Tel. 07944/940080). Winery Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen:

top German winery, with the "Verrenberg Verrenberg" has a prime location for Riesling and Lemberger (Im Schloss, 74613 Öhringen, Tel. 07941/944910, Fax 37349, www.verrenberg.de, Mon. to Fri 8-12 and 13-17, Sat. 9-12).

The "Rural Women's Service" organizes tailor-made tours for groups - no matter, whether the visitors want to taste the best elderberry spirit or want to be welcomed by the trumpet choir in the Regenbacher Crypt; Day trips from 65 Euro per person (ChroniquesDuVasteMonde Ströbel, Reiseservice Vogt, Tel. 07939/99080, Fax 990828, www.reiseservice-vogt.de).

Group tours to the famous Hohenloher Bauerngärten and herbal walks are organized Brunhilde Bross-Burkhardt, Prices by arrangement; (Brunhilde Bross Burkhardt, Aubäcker 10, 74595 Langenburg, Tel 07905/5430,).

Books

"A culinary journey of discovery through Hohenlohe-Franconia": Innkeepers, winemakers, schnapps distillers, brewers, butchers, bakers and cheese makers reveal their recipes (Gertrud and Eberhard Löbell, Verlag Umschau / Braus, 24.90 euros). "The new dining class":

a political cookbook with information about organic agriculture and politics by Manfred Kurz and Rezzo Schlauch (Swiridoff Verlag, 19,50 Euro).

"The best of Schwäbisch-Hällischen Landschwein":

refined pork dishes and the history of the Schwäbisch-Hällischen country pig by Josef Thaller (Verlag Umschau / Braus, 29.90 euros).

"Hohenlohe - The Travel Guide": profound knowledge, real insider tips from the Hohenlohe expert Brunhilde Bross Burkhardt (Swiridoff Verlag, 19.80 euros).