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Germany
Baden-Württemberg

Tübingen District

Landkreis Tübingen
Mössingen

Belsen Chapel

Highlight • Religious Site

Belsen Chapel

Recommended by 19 hikers

This Highlight is in a protected area

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Geopark Schwäbische Alb

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    Best Hikes to Belsen Chapel

    4.8

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    1. View from Dreifürstenstein – Albtrauf Panorama Bench loop from Mössingen

    13.6km

    04:09

    420m

    420m

    Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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    Moderate

    Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

    Moderate

    Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

    Hard

    Tips

    December 27, 2021

    The Belsener Chapel is one of the oldest Romanesque choir tower churches in Baden-Württemberg. The chapel is in Belsen, a district of Mössingen in the Tübingen district in Baden-Württemberg. It is the parish church and preaching place of the Evangelical parish of Belsen in the church district of Tübingen.
    story
    The church in its present form was probably built before 1150 on the land given to the Hirsau Benedictine monastery by Lorsch. It is mentioned in the Codex Hirsaugiensis together with 16 other churches belonging to the Hirsau Monastery. It is consecrated to Saints Maximinus and John. Excavations from the year 1899 by the pastor Max Duncker in the interior of the church showed that the church was built on much older foundations. At that time it had probably replaced the Carolingian chapel that had been destroyed by fire and originated from the time of Christianization. The excavations commissioned by the Baden-Württemberg State Monuments Office in 1960 confirm the Duncker results. The foundations of this previous building are now generally accessible and can be viewed.
    The original shape of the church from 1150 was destroyed in the post-Romanesque period. The raised roof structure, tower and choir and also the large windows are no longer original. In 1824, in connection with the laying out of the cemetery, a sacristy and an exit were created in the north. When the organ was moved to its current location in 1873, a north window was installed in the choir. The sun hole in the original building is now only visible from the inside due to the addition of the sacristy. This sun hole and the legendary reliefs on the west gable are always attractions for laypeople and archaeologists. The reliefs show cross, human, ram's head, pig's head and bull's head. There is still no convincing interpretation of the image content. The discussion refers, among other things, to connections to ancient symbolism and the established Celtic and Roman settlement epoch.


    Source: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belsener_Kapelle

    Translated by Google •

      October 23, 2021

      Romanesque choir tower church with enigmatic gable reliefs and great views to Belsen, Mössingen and the Albtrauf

      Translated by Google •

        November 9, 2025

        Well suited as a starting point for the hike to Früchtetrauf Dreifürstenstein

        Translated by Google •

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          Elevation 500 m

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          Location: Mössingen, Landkreis Tübingen, Tübingen District, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

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