A river worth exploring. Along the banks of the Neckar, between the Schwenninger Moos and Mannheim, a diverse cultural landscape has developed since the Middle Ages, gaining particular European significance in the 19th and 20th centuries. Few regions have played a comparable role in the intellectual development of Germany; one only needs to think of Hölderlin and Schiller, Waiblinger and Mörike, Kerner and Uhland, as well as Berthold Auerbach, Hilde Domin, Hermann Lenz, or Siegfried Unseld. Tübingen and Heidelberg, Esslingen and Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg and Marbach – Jan Bürgers vividly and knowledgeably narrated book about the historical and cultural dimensions of the Neckar Valley, which follows the river's course and describes the most important places, practically invites readers to embark on a journey along the Neckar themselves. Thus, this book is many things at once: a travelogue that expands into a small history of Swabian literature; a mirror cabinet where yesterday and today illuminate each other; a history of industry and mentality.