Eigenturm

Herten lies on a gravel terrace above the High Rhine, just west of the town of Rheinfelden in Baden-Württemberg. The village forms the largest district of Rheinfelden after its 1973 incorporation. To the south the river marks the border with Kaiseraugst in Switzerland, while the Dinkelberg hills rise to the east. The village dates from at least the 9th century and preserves traces of Roman settlement. Its Catholic church of St Urban, rebuilt in 1792 by Franz Anton Bagnato, contains a 1765 rococo pulpit brought from Freiburg. Nearby stands the 1928 neobaroque St Josef church with a Madonna niche. A painted Totentanz in the cemetery chapel recalls the 1790 Freiburg original. A kilometre north of Herten the 2006 Eigenturm rises on the 523-metre Hirzenleck, the Dinkelberg’s highest point. From its viewing platform the Swiss Jura and the Hotzenwald forest are visible. A short walk leads to the Grabbestei rock outcrop with its wide surrounding views. Below, the village’s vineyards and orchards slope down to the river plain.