Cottahaus

Swabian Alps Region


The Cottahaus is the one-time home of Johann Friedrich Cotta, who first published the works of Schiller and Goethe. A bit of a lad, Goethe conducted detailed research on Tübingen’s pubs during his week-long stay in 1797. The party-loving genius is commemorated by the plaque ‘Hier wohnte Goethe’ (Goethe lived here). On the wall of the grungy student digs next door is perhaps the more insightful sign ‘Hier kotzte Goethe’ (Goethe puked here).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Swabian Alps Region attractions

1. Stiftskirche St Georg

0.03 MILES

The late-Gothic Stiftskirche shelters the tombs of the Württemberg dukes and some dazzling late-medieval stained-glass windows.

2. Hölderlinturm

0.04 MILES

You can see how the dreamy Neckar views from this silver-turreted tower fired the imagination of Romantic poet Friedrich Hölderlin, resident here from…

3. Am Markt

0.09 MILES

Half-timbered townhouses frame the Altstadt’s main plaza Am Markt, a much-loved student hang-out. Rising above it is the 15th-century Rathaus (town hall),…

4. Neptunbrunnen

0.09 MILES

Statues of four women representing the seasons grace the Neptunbrunnen, the centrepiece of Am Markt square.

5. Platanenallee

0.1 MILES

Steps lead down from Eberhardsbrücke bridge to Platanenallee, a leafy islet on the Neckar River canopied by sycamore trees. From here, there are views up…

6. Rathaus

0.11 MILES

Drawing the gaze high above Am Markt, Tübingen's 15th-century Rathaus sports a riotous, exuberantly frescoed baroque facade and an astronomical clock.

7. Schloss Hohentübingen

0.21 MILES

On its perch above Tübingen, this turreted 16th-century castle has a terrace overlooking the Neckar River, the Altstadt’s triangular rooftops and the vine…

8. Museum Alte Kulturen

0.22 MILES

Housed in Tübingen's hilltop castle, this fascinating archaeology museum houses the 40,000-year-old Vogelherd figurines – the world’s oldest figurative…