Lorch, in the Rems valley east of Stuttgart, sits on a historic seam. Just outside town, the Upper German Limes, which ran as a palisade and ditch from the Rhine, met the Raetian Limes, the stone wall running east to the Danube, and the Romans built a fort here to watch over that junction and the valley road. The fort lay beneath what is now the old town centre, and its outline, together with traces of the civilian settlement that grew around it, is marked in places in the streets. It is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site, and a reconstructed watchtower stands on a hill nearby.
Lorch has a second claim to fame. On the hill above town stands Lorch Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in the early twelfth century by the Staufer family, who went on to rule the Holy Roman Empire. Several members of the dynasty are buried here, and the abbey church, with its Romanesque core, a large painted genealogy of the Staufers and walls that still enclose the complex, has a quiet, dignified atmosphere. The family's ancestral castle stood on the Hohenstaufen, one of the three conical hills visible to the east.
The riding around Lorch is pleasant and varied. The B29 along the Rems valley is fast and busy, linking Stuttgart with Aalen, but the minor roads on either side are much more fun, climbing onto the wooded plateau of the Schurwald to the north or the Welzheim Forest, with tight bends, steep climbs and dense woods. To the south, roads lead towards the Kaiserberge and the edge of the Swabian Jura, one of the finest riding areas in southern Germany. Weekends bring crowds of riders, and police checks are common.
Lorch is a town of around eleven thousand, with fuel stations, cafés and restaurants. The abbey has a café and a garden with views over the valley, perfect for a break. Look for local dishes like Zwiebelrostbraten, beef with crispy onions, or Gaisburger Marsch, a hearty stew of beef, potatoes and Spätzle, and taste local wines from the Rems valley.