Weingarten is a city known for one of the largest baroque monasteries in Germany. St. Martin and Oswald towers over the buildings of the town, which also has a lot of historic buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The history of the city is inextricably linked with the local Benedictine abbey. It was established in the 8th century next to the site where the Alemani burial ground was discovered. Items from these excavations are now in the local Aleman Museum.
Due to numerous donations, the Weingarten abbey was one of the richest in Germany. In the 18th century it was rebuilt in the baroque style. At that time, the monumnetal basilica of St. Martin and Oswald, which is the largest baroque church north of the Alps. It is surrounded by former monastic buildings and the entire complex is Weingarten's biggest attraction.
From the mid-16th century, the city was also one of the summer residences of the Dukes of Swabia. In the 18th century, they built a summer palace, which today functions as the Schlössle City Museum. Collections related to the history of Weingarten are on display in historic rooms decorated mainly in the 19th century style.
