"... To Lorch a. Rems (climatic health resort) – train stop, popular destination of excursions – with inexpensive train connections for the trip there and back.“ That's how the town of Lorch advertised in a newspaper add in 1907. After all, it had become quite a popular destination of trips and excursions in the course of the 19th century. In fact, Lorch had a much of what 19th century travelers hungry for rest, relaxation and knowledge were looking for. An idyllic countryside, good air and old ruins from the era of the Staufers. Friends of nature, who were also enthusiastic nationalists or in a romantic mood both felt equally attracted to Lorch. The guests came from near and far, not just from Stuttgart and the Württemberg region, but also from other European countries and – surprisingly – from Russia, Africa and America!
But that wasn't always so. Following the Reformation and the expulsion of the monks from Lorch in 1535, the monastery primarily served as an economic and administrative center. Not until interest in the Middle ages awakened in the Romantic age and poets and painters recognized the beauty of the Swabian Highlands (Schwäbische Alb) did Lorch become the focus of interest again. Sagas and legends of the region were rediscovered and soon the Staufers and their family castle stood, along with the Monastery, at the center of the enthusiasm for the Middle Ages in Southwestern Germany. The decayed monastery ruins become a tourist attraction. From 1879 to 1883, i.e. relatively late, it was restored with comprehensive restoration work.
One of the first visitors to the "Luftkurort" (climatic health resort), which Lorch had now become, was the poet Eduard Mörike. "The good air and absolute quiet", he wrote to a friend in 1867, "is in particular very soothing to my wife's nerves, so that we probably plan intend to spend half, if not the entire winter here". The Mörikes lived a total of two years in Lorch and enjoyed not only the air, but also the surrounding area and above all the nearby monastery, about which the poet wrote the following short verse on a coffee bowl, "Wenn die Amseln wieder singen, und zum Neste fliegt der Storch / trinkt man den Kaffee zu Sechsen, dort im Klosterhof zu Lorch." (When the blackbirds sing again, and the stork flies to its next/people will drink coffee in groups of six, there in the monastery courtyard of Lorch)
Beginning in 1871 the Lorch Beautification League (Verschönerungsverein) made an effort to make the stay of the resort guests in Lorch as attractive and pleasant as possible. Walking trails were established, benches were set up at locations with an attractive view and tree-line avenues were planted to beautify the town's appearance. A spa garden was laid out and at the "Harmonie" guesthouse the Gmünd Military Band played dance music. Also important for the health resort was the establishment of bathing areas and the Rems Railroad already inaugurated in 1861, with which brought the guests quickly and comfortably to Lorch. Resort business boomed! It did not come to a standstill until the beginning of the Second World War. In addition to a Mörike statue in downtown Lorch, postcards, photographs and newspaper articles primarily bear witness to those splendid days.