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Landscapes around Ludwigsburg
Swabian forest with the mountains of Löwenstein (Schwäbisch - fränkischer Wald mit Löwensteiner Bergen)
Do you love walking through marvelous forests with beautiful lakes, small villages and towns which are still magic today? Your children or grandsons can discover the legends of rocks, grottoes, treegiants and mermaids. Try a look how beautiful, relaxing and exciting this variety of nature and culture can be!
It's our mission to care for and preserve this remarkable landscape of the nature park "Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald" in its peculiarity and beauty and to develop it as a home for the resident population as well as the native flora and fauna.
Simultaneously we support projects improving the infrastructure of recreation and tourism. An extensive network of tracks and cycleroutes in addition of playgrounds and places for barbecue, shelters, towers of beautiful views and lakes, which are suitable for swimming, are the main attractions.
Other treasures are cultural sights like remnants of the "Limes" with its fortifications, old mills and a lot of small historical sites.
We hope that it will encourage you to stay with us and wish an exciting and relaxing visit in the nature park!
For more information see www.naturpark-schwaebisch-fraenkischer-wald.de
The valley of the Bottwar River (Bottwartal)
Tourists are surprised by the variability of this valley. It combines the wide wine-producing landscape with many sightseeing points and castles. Beilstein is located next to the mountains of Löwenstein, one of the most well-wooded areas of the region. A trip to the near nature park "Schwäbisch-fränkischer Wald" is a nice supplement.
Viticulture is very important for the villages of this region. The excellent quality of the wine is internationally highly valued.
Nearly every wine-grower (like estate Graf Adelmann or estate Hohenbeilstein for example) has his own traditional public house. They open several times per year and present their wines and local food to their visitors.
Like pearls castles are located along the valley of Bottwar, historical buildings, very interesting and charming with their unique truss.
Historical buildings, churches, museum of primitive man and Schiller’s museum are further highlights of this beautiful landscape.
The Swabian Alb (Schwäbische Alb)
The Swabian Alb with its bizarre formations and gentle curves emerged from the Jurassic ocean millions of years ago; this low mountain range extends for a length of roughly 200 kilometres and a width of 50 kilometres right across Baden-Wuerttemberg in the south-west of Germany, ranging from the western part of Lake Constance right up to the Bavarian border. Where sheep peacefully graze today in a landscape full of juniper trees, incandescent rocks were ejected upwards millions of years ago, for there are few places in the world where more volcanoes ware active than here. Those who explore the Swabian Alb, this unique natural and geological park, will discover a multitude of geological facts and phenomena demonstrating its evolution.
Tourists are enthusiastic about these mountain ranges between the rivers Neckar and Danube; during hiking or bicycling tours they will have a view of the distant Alps, the Black Forest and the Alb's lovely land, leaving them with wonderful memories of unforgettable holidays spent in the midst of a stimulating landscape.
Need it be mentioned that physical well-being is part and parcel of such holidays, to which the justly-renowned Swabian cuisine with its specialities and regional products contributes not a little? The typical country inns and first-class hotels on the Alb keep this tradition alive.
We invite you to discover and enjoy the Swabian Alb in all its variety and wish you an interesting and pleasurable stay; may you go home with a store of unforgettable impressions and may our lovely landscape, the Swabian Alb, refresh and rejuvenate you.
The geological varieties, the wealth of fossils and of singular geological features, are unique in Germany; this also applies to the many caves and their fantastic subterranean scenery.
The appearance of the Swabian Alb's landscape with its juniper heaths, woods, wide plateaux, its hilltops and winding valleys bears the distinctive stamp of its geological formation. The rivers have dug deep beds into the white limestone. The oozing of water through the porous rock stratum has produced hundreds of fantastic stalactite caves; more than 25 of them are open to visitors and their subterranean wonders fascinate hosts of tourists every year. There are few places in Europe that can boast of having as many caves as the Swabian Alb. Because of all these geological phenomena the Swabian Alb is predicated as "National Geo-Park" in Germany and since 2004 the Geo-Park has been incorporated in the networks of European- and worldwide UNESCO-Geo-Parks.
Cities and culture
When roaming through the romantic valleys of the Swabian Alb, the traveller often comes upon an attractive, historical town, founded in Roman times or during the Middle Ages and nestling below a fortress or castle. In all these old towns tradition is still alive; one is struck by their peculiar charm and the peaceful atmosphere from which the hectic rush of modern life is totally absent. For those interested in cultural activities there is a great variety of unusual museums and a wealth of cultural events; but they will also find breath-taking sights, not to mention excellent shopping facilities and factory outlets. These interesting sights and museums, which can be visited during the entire year, provide permanent evidence not only of the rich history of the Swabian Alb as a cultural region, but also introduce one to interesting traditions and customs still alive today.
Castles
One often finds that fortresses, castles and ruins surmount the rocks and hill-tops of the Swabian Alb, a rare sight in Germany, indeed in the whole of Europe. Names like "Hohenstaufen" and "Hohenzollern" remind us that great dynasties, which influenced German and European history for centuries, came from this part of Germany. The fortress of Hohenzollern, the impressive castles of Sigmaringen, Haigerloch, Tübingen and Heidenheim and the fortress of Lichtenstein are amongst the most rewarding cultural sights of this region.
(for more information see: www.s-alb.de)
The Black Forest is Germany's largest national park
Approximately 200 kilometres long and 60 kilometres wide, the Black Forest is not only one of the most varied but also one of the biggest and probably best known holiday region in Germany.
The Black Forest with its dense forest, bright mountain tops and peaks with the most spectacular views, mysterious glacial lakes and romantic valleys is a popular destination for holidaymakers and visitors. The picture post card sights: Quaint little Black Forest farms nestled into the hills, glittering lakes, wide rolling moors and romantic gorges.
The Black Forest maids, Black Forest Cottages, Black Forest gateau, Bollen hats, cuckoo clocks - the Black Forest embodies everything that the rest of the world expects of a German picture book holiday. The TV series "Black Forest Clinic" has brought images of the perfect, cosy holiday world to over 40 countries in 17 languages.
Hardly any other holiday region is as diverse as the Black Forest. 13,500 km² in the south west of Germany is home to a rapidly changing landscape, with forests in the north, the less dense middle Black Forest and the mountainous 1493m heights of the south leading down to the Rhine. Germany's highest "low mountain range" comprises only around half of the total surface. The lush, sprawling heights of the Baar in the East, the wine country to the west, in the Rhine valley and to the South: Whether it's the Baden "Weinstrasse", Kraichgau, Ortenau, Breisgau, Tuniberg, Kaiserstuhl or Markgräfler Land, - each store has top-quality wines from its regions.
The Black Forest enjoys the highest density of restaurants with top chefs, Gault Millau or Michelin stars. But even in the small village restaurants the entire selection of the hearty regional cuisine can be enjoyed in many of its delicious variations.
Thermal baths like Baden-Baden, Badenweiler, Bad Wildbad have a long tradition. Such a wealth of thermal springs can be found nowhere else in such close proximity.
The location at the meeting point of Germany, Switzerland and France offers guests the most attractive and diverse cultures and landscapes within the shortest of distances
The mountain "Feldberg" is, at 1493 metres, the highest mountain in the range. The Black Forest is the birthplace of skiing in mid-Europe. The first ski club was founded here, the first wooden skis were carpentered and the first ski lift built. The Feldberg region is home to one of the largest ski resorts outside the Alps.
The Black Forest Association was founded a good 130 years ago and since then has signposted walking routes of over 23,000 kilometres in the Black Forest.
Cyclists and bike enthusiasts of all kinds will also find ideal conditions in the south west stretches of Baden-Württemberg. More than 3,000 kilometres of cycle paths have been signposted for mountain bikers alone.
Regular visitors to the Black Forest appreciate rich and varied landscapes, a diverse selection of health and wellness resorts, delicious regional foods, cultural and architectural treasures especially in local cities, lively regional traditions, a wealth of country sports such as hiking, Nordic walking, mountain biking and cycle tours, horse riding and golf as well as the special suitability of the area as family holiday resort with special facilities for smaller guests in all accommodation possibilities.
For more information see www.blackforest-tourism.com
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