Bretten Germany

Day 62 Sunday 5 July 2026

We headed off after our morning coffee, driving about 1 hour to Bretten. We had an inkling that the towns’ major yearly Peter and Paul festival was on this weekend so we weren’t too sure if we would mange to find any parking. We eventually did find a spot in P6 along with a few others. We think it helped arriving early at 9:30 before the action began for the day.

 It is one of southern Germany’s oldest and most vibrant heritage celebrations. It  commemorates Bretten’s successful defense during the 1504 siege by the Duke of Württemberg. Everybody dresses in historical costumes and there are processions on the streets, artisan markets and various activities. This Festival is included in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.

After breakfast around 10:30am we ventured in, paying €15pp entry fee. Most of the stalls were still closed but it was nice to stroll around without too many people about.  

Bretten has one of those lovely market squares surrounded by half-timbered houses dating back from the early 18 c.

The Town Hall was reconstructed to its glory and now it proudly dominates the market square with its 19 c. imposing facade in “German Renaissance” style.

The Melanchthon’s House standing on the market square is an imposing reddish Neo-gothic building. It hosts the second biggest exposition in Germany dedicated to the Reformation. It was built in 1897 but was burnt down in the big city fire of 1689. The fountain in front of it, is the only structure on the square that has survived the devastating fire.

The Doggie of Bretten – the dog that once rescued the town. By fattening him up during a siege, they tricked the attackers who thought that they couldn’t win as it appeared the town had plenty of food!

We did a few laps looking at the stands and the town..

We had a bite to eat and a beer 

We then went to watch the parade that showcased all the participants in the festival from the aristocrats to the peasants along with the homeless and criminals. It took over 1hr 30mins. We also experienced a heavy downpour in the middle.

By the end the sun was shinning once again. So we dried off as we walked around some more and of course enjoyed some more food and a beer or 2.

Feeling fatigued after 8 hours we ventured back to Bluey and called it a day. 

Cheers. Although we did move a bit later to the zoo carpark as we thought the trains would be noisy during the night.

53km today