Schütte-Tower

Horb am Neckar stands on a hill above the Neckar valley where the river cuts deep into the Gäu plateau. The old town with its market square and town hall at 422 metres shows how the town grew from a swampy riverside settlement. The Neckar leaves the area at 375 metres, while the highest point reaches 706 metres near the Black Forest edge. The town’s history goes back to the 11th century, when it was first called ‘Horv’, meaning swamp. A fire in 1725 destroyed most of the medieval centre, yet the Hackbrunnen spring still supplies water from deep inside the Schüttenberg spur. The town changed hands from the Counts of Hohenberg to the Habsburgs before becoming part of Württemberg in 1806. Visitors walk through the well-preserved old town with its narrow streets and the restored market square. The Hackbrunnen passage leads down to the source beneath the hill. Views open over the Neckar valley and the surrounding Gäu countryside. The town’s 17 outlying villages add quiet lanes and small vineyards to the landscape.