Heppenheim, Germany

Heppenheim sits on the Bergstrasse wine route in Hesse, about 30 km north of Heidelberg, and counts roughly 26,000 residents. The town was first documented in 755 and centers on a 772 Marktplatz lined with half-timbered houses, including the 1360 Kurmainzer Amtshof that now serves as the town hall. Above the rooftops, the 1906 Starkenburg Observatory perches 280 m up the Schlossberg hill, sharing the slope with the ruins of the 1065 Starkenburg castle. The 1947 Bergstrasser Weinmarkt wine festival fills the streets every August, and the 1238 Saint Peter's Church still rises over the old center with its 16th-century tower.