So, I climbed my 'mountain' yesterday. The Michaelsberg, near Cleebronn, is a very special spot. First a Celt sacred site, then a Roman temple honouring the moon, then an Alemannic church, it finally ended up a Capuchin monastery.
Legend has it that the 'mountain' was the site of a battle between the Devil and St Boniface. Boniface prayed to St Michael, and Michael sent a feather with which Boniface defeated the Devil. The feather was then kept as a relic until the Reformation, when it was stolen...
...the punchline to the legend is that St Michael then supposedly cursed the Duchy of Württemberg with a 'writing madness' - a way of explaining away the reputation of locals as rebels and revolutionary authors.
What is beyond doubt is that a church has existed on the 'mountain' since 793, and fragments of wall paintings have survived from the 14th and 15th centuries.
On the way down the Michaelsberg, you pass Burg Magenheim - the home of the feudal lords of the church and monastery. It's in private hands, but they do weddings, conferences and awesome techno parties, apparently.
I think one of my favourite parts, besides the medical art, was coming across this little table for anyone to sit and relax behind - it even had slots for wine glasses!
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