Black Forest town claiming the Danube's source beside the spring in Fürstenberg Palace grounds
Donaueschingen claims the title of the source of the Danube, and while geographers might quibble about whether the river really begins here or a few kilometres upstream where the Breg and Brigach rivers merge, the town has made the most of the claim. The Donauquelle, a circular spring in the grounds of the Fürstenberg Palace, is dressed up with an allegorical sculpture and is the most-photographed spot in town. From this modest beginning, the Danube flows 2,850 kilometres to the Black Sea, passing through ten countries along the way.
The Donaueschingen Palace itself is worth a visit for its art collection and the surrounding park is pleasant for a stroll. The Fürstenberg Brewery, one of the oldest in Germany, has been brewing here since 1283. Donaueschingen is also known in music circles for the Donaueschinger Musiktage, one of the oldest and most important festivals for contemporary classical music, held annually since 1921. If avant-garde composition is your thing, October is the time to come.
The town sits at the eastern edge of the Black Forest, and the surrounding countryside is lovely. Cyclists following the Danube Cycle Path typically start here and ride all the way to Vienna or Budapest. Even if you are not doing the full route, the first stretch east through the Swabian Alb is beautiful and mostly downhill.
Guide
Getting There
Donaueschingen is a railway junction in the south-eastern Black Forest, well connected to the rest of Baden-Württemberg.
By train: the Schwarzwaldbahn from Karlsruhe to Konstanz stops here; so does the regional line from Stuttgart via Rottweil. Connections from Freiburg run via Villingen. Trains from Stuttgart take about two hours, from Freiburg about two hours, from Konstanz around an hour. The station sits a short walk from the old centre and palace grounds.
By car: the B27 and B31 main roads pass through the town, linking it to the Swiss border, Stuttgart, and the Lake Constance basin. Parking is plentiful and inexpensive.
The nearest airports are Zurich (about 90 km south), Stuttgart, and Basel. None is especially convenient, but Zurich is the fastest by car.
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When to Go
Donaueschingen sits at around 700 metres in the Schwarzwald-Baar plateau and gets proper continental weather: warm summers, cold winters, and frequent snowfall from December to March.
May to September is the best stretch for visiting — the palace grounds are at their prettiest, beer gardens are open, and the Danube cycle path is comfortable. The Donaueschinger Musiktage, one of the world's most respected festivals of contemporary classical music, takes place over a long weekend in mid- to late October. If avant-garde composition is your thing, that is the time to come; book accommodation well ahead. Otherwise the town is quiet in winter, with little open and shorter daylight hours.
