Großcomburg Abbey

From below, Großcomburg looks like a castle: a ring wall, defensive towers and, above them, three pointed Romanesque towers on a spur of rock around which the river Kocher makes a loop. In fact it was a monastery and collegiate foundation for over 700 years. You can walk the full circuit of the wall on the battlement walk, looking across the valley to Schwäbisch Hall. Inside hangs one of the most precious treasures in Baden-Württemberg, a wheel chandelier designed to depict heaven.

History: counts' castle, abbey, noble chapter

Around 1078 the Counts of Comburg-Rothenburg founded a Benedictine abbey on the site of their castle, and one of the founders, Count Burkhard, became a monk himself. A few years later an abbot arrived from Hirsau, bringing Comburg into the Hirsau reform movement. Because all the monks were noblemen who resisted stricter rules, the abbey was turned into a college of noble canons in 1488. The ring wall with its towers dates from the 16th century, and the present church was rebuilt in Baroque style between 1706 and 1715 under Dean Wilhelm Ulrich von Guttenberg, keeping the three Romanesque towers.

In 1802 Württemberg occupied the foundation. The church treasure was melted down and the library went to Stuttgart. The site later served as a garrison for invalid soldiers, an adult education college and, under the Nazis, a school and camp. Since 1947 it has housed an academy for teacher training.

What to see

• The wheel chandelier: Named after Abbot Hartwig, it is 5 m across and about 16 m round. Twelve gilded copper panels and twelve towers up to a metre high represent the heavenly Jerusalem. Only four Romanesque wheel chandeliers of this kind survive, the others are in Aachen and Hildesheim.
• The antependium: The gilded copper altar front also dates from around 1130.
• The Hexagonal Chapel: This small Romanesque building in front of the church door, probably from around 1230, has an unusual two-tier, almost pagoda-like roof. Its original purpose is still a mystery.
• Gatehouse and St Michael's Chapel: A Romanesque chapel sits above the inner gate.
• The battlement walk: Walk all the way round on top of the ring wall, with views over the Kocher valley.

Visiting and prices (as of October 2026)

• Grounds and battlement walk: open during the day, free of charge.
• Collegiate church: The interior can only be seen on a guided tour. The standard tour runs from 1 April to 31 October; adults pay €5, concessions €2.50, families €12.50. Children under 12 go free.
• Groups: A tour of the church and grounds for up to 35 people costs €70 plus admission.

Many buildings are used by the academy and the parish and are not open to the public. Allow an hour for the wall walk and grounds, or one and a half to two hours with a tour.

Getting there

The address is Comburg 5, 74523 Schwäbisch Hall. The operators recommend "Großcomburger Weg" for sat-nav. Without a car, take bus line 4 from Schwäbisch Hall station to "Steinbach Comburg" and walk up from there.

Tripto tip

The best photo of Comburg is taken not from the top but from opposite: from the Limpurg castle ruins or from the slope of Kleincomburg, whose Romanesque church of St Giles is only about a 15-minute walk away. If you have not seen Schwäbisch Hall old town yet, combine the two for a day trip.