The Swabian Alb is in the state Baden-Wuerttemberg and pulls through Swabia from southwest to northeast. The unique landscape, part of the European Jura mountain range, has been known as Geopark recognized, some sub-regions were recognized as biosphere reserves by UNESCO in 2009. In 2017, six caves around Blaubeuren and in the Lone Valley were named Caves and ice age art in the Swabian Jura on the list of World Heritage Site by Unesco set.
Regions
The Alb foreland extends from southwest to northeast of the Baar until Nordlinger Ries
- 1 Southwestern Alb foreland between the upper reaches of the Neckar and Albtrauf. Wooded landscape around the small Heuberg and the Rammert; The most famous upstream Zeugenberg in the region is the Hohenzollern (marked Bisingen -zimmer) with the distinctive castle complex of the same name.
- 2 Middle Alb foreland in the triangle between Fils, Albtrauf and Neckar up to about the height of Horb. Agriculturally and industrially used region around the cities Metzingen, Reutlingen and Goeppingen. The area of Teck is here around the most famous witness mountain in the region.
- 3 Eastern Alb foreland, it extends between the Albtrauf and the upper reaches of Rems and Kocher from Göppingen to Bask or. Bopfingen, where with the striking and nationally known Ipf, the easternmost Zeugenberg of the Swabian Alb is located in front of the state border with Bavaria.
South of the Albtraufs stretch the regions (from west to east)
- 4 Donaubergland, Beuron Abbey, Upper Danube Nature Park, Danube sinking
- 5 Zollernalb, former Hohenzollersches area
- 6 Laucherttal
- 7 Middle Swabian Alb With Uracher Alb, Münsinger Alb, Reutlinger Alb and Zwiefalter Alb.
- 8 Helfensteiner Land
- 9 Alb-Danube region with the Ulm Alb and Blaubeurer Alb as well as the Hochstrasse.
- 10 Stauferland with the Albuch and the Heidenheimer Alb
- 11 Eastern Alb with the Härtsfeld and the transition to the Ries
The Jura mountains of the Alb continue to the southwest Baar-Alb, Hegau-Alb and the Rhine Falls far into Switzerland, in the northeast they merge into the Franconian Alb.
North of the Swabian Alb lies the Virgin forest and the Swabian-Franconian Forest, in the west (west of the Neckar) is the Stuttgart region with its southern Gäu landscapes, the Schönbuch and the Filder Plain, to the south, delimited by the Danube valley, which is located in the Molasse basin Upper Swabia and in the east lies the Bavarian region Swabia (administrative district).
places
- 1 Reutlingen
, City in the central foothills of the Alb - 2 Ulm on the Danube, largest city in the region
- 3 Bask at the foot of the Ostalb, with the Limes Museum
- 4 Blaubeuren on the southern edge of the Alb, with the Benedictine monastery and the Blautopf
- 5 Ellwangen (Jagst) in the eastern foothills of the Alb
- 6 Heidenheim an der Brenz in the Stauferland, with Hellenstein Castle
- 7 Heubach in the Stauferland, with castle and castle ruins Rosenstein
- 8 Laichingen, Leineweberstadt on the Alb plateau
- 9 Sigmaringen in the Donaubergland, former capital of Hohenzollern, with a fairytale castle
- 10 Double folds on the middle Swabian Alb, with a baroque Benedectine abbey}}
Further locations are listed in the respective sub-regions.
Other goals
background
The Swabian Alb is a low mountain range that consists almost entirely of Jura rock. She is part of one variscan Low mountain range that begins in Switzerland and extends to the Franconian Alb. From the beginning of the Baaralb on the Swiss border in the canton Schaffhausen until Nordlinger Ries the Swabian Alb has a length of around 180 km, the width of the mountains is 30 - 40 km.
The Alb is a plateau that rises flat from the south-east of the Danube and has a sharp, often rocky break off to the north-west. This so-called. Nightmare reaches its greatest height difference in the vicinity of Rottweil with about 300 meters of altitude. Here the Alb reaches its highest point in the area of the Great Heubergs at a little over 1000 m a.s.l. Very impressive rock and landscape formations appear again and again along the Albtraufs. The Alb slowly drains towards the northeast with ever smaller elevations.
The southeast side of the Alb is the Surface alb according to the Table Jura. The northwestern side of the Alb along the Alb eaves is called Calf calf their origin corresponds to that of the Folded Jurassic. The border between these areas lies roughly on a line between Tuttlingen and Donauwörth. North of the Alb eaves lies the Alb foreland. Due to the erosion of the limestone, there are numerous mountains of witnesses here. The area of the Alb is bounded to the north by the Neckar and its right tributary, the Fils.
The plateau of the Alb is a decidedly rural area in which there is, with the exception of the united city Albstadt there are no bigger cities. In many smaller towns there are no longer any shops, so having your own vehicle is almost inevitable for everyday purchases. Nevertheless, many places on the Alb are geared towards local tourism. The prices are very moderate here.
The attraction for visitors lies in the sparsely populated, hilly landscape or the rocks on the Albrand. The Alb is well developed for hikers and climbers. Points of attraction are also the many castles and castle ruins in almost all sizes and states of preservation. Also of interest are the karst phenomena with the numerous caves, the Danube breakthrough and the infiltration of the river, the ground collapses (sinkholes) and dry valleys as well as the various and often spectacular karst springs.
language
A strong dialect is spoken on the Alb, which is sometimes difficult to understand, even for Swabians from the cities. High German is always understood, of course, but the counterpart's high German replies often still sound very Swabian.
getting there
The next national airports are in Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Munich.
Long-distance trains stop in Stuttgart and Ulm (ICE), Bask, Horb, Rottweil and Tuttlingen (IC). The S1 line of the Stuttgart S-Bahn runs every half hour from Stuttgart via Plochingen and Wendlingen to Kirchheim unter Teck.
The Swabian Alb is served by two federal motorways (A7 and A8, which intersect east of Ulm), numerous federal and state roads and several railway lines (see below #Mobility) crosses.
mobility
Guest card Albcard
Overnight guests have received the AlbCard from 140 participating overnight stays since July 2020. It is handed over free of charge at check-in and includes free use of public transport during the stay (including return on the day of departure) as well as free entry to over 130 sights and experiences, including the Limes Museum, the Panoramatherme and Hohenzollern Castle. The use of public transport is unlimited during the stay and possible as often as desired. Entry to the sights is limited to once per day per partner. However, several facilities can be visited one after the other per day.
Public transport
Getting around with Fines can be quite lengthy on the Alb due to the wide-meshed network of lines and thin bars. Also, not every area of the Alb is covered by a transport association. The residents are prepared to get around with their own vehicle.
Caution: When driving with the own vehicle Suddenly slippery ice can be expected on the ascent to the Alb in spring and autumn.
Caution: Due to the relatively long distances and low traffic density, speed restrictions are not taken very seriously. (It doesn't often crash, but when it does, it's right.)
The Swabian Alb is of some regional and supraregional Railway lines different categories, but on some routes there is only sporadic or no passenger traffic at all. Otherwise, there are usually at least hourly stops of RE and RB trains at the stations on the Alb plateau, in the lower cities such as Aalen, Göppingen, Nürtingen, Tübingen, and Rottweil national long-distance trains (IC) stop occasionally, in Ulm also the ICE. The best known routes are the Kocher-Brenzbahn (Aalen - Heidenheim - Ulm), the main line (Stuttgart -) Geislingen - Ulm with the Geislinger Steige, the branch lines of the Neckar-Alb-Bahn Plochingen - Tübingen - Horb (Teckbahn with S-Bahn traffic to Kirchheim unter Teck, Tälesbahn, Ermstalbahn), the Swabian Albbahn (Schelklingen - Münsingen - Kleinengstingen and partly beyond) the private Hohenzollerische Landesbahn (HzL) from Hechingen via Gammertingen to Sigmaringen (with various branches and connecting lines), the southern cross connection from Tübingen via Hechingen and Albstadt to Sigmaringen, the southern triangle of the Gäubahn in the Baar area between Rottweil, Tuttlingen, Donaueschingen and Villingen (with branch lines), which is planned for by the so-called "HzL ring train", and finally the upper Danube valley, which is fully accessible by rail .
On some routes, in addition to scheduled operation, there is occasional tourist traffic with historic steam trains or railcars (especially on weekends). This is the exclusive transport offer only during the summer season on the connections Neresheim - Sägmühle near Katzenstein (Härtsfeldbahn of the HMB, meter gauge), Amstetten - Gerstetten (local train of the UEF), Amstetten - Oppingen (Albbähnle of the UEF, meter gauge), otherwise operations are suspended here.
Tourist Attractions
Landscape and nature
- Nightmare, the striking north-western steep drop of the Alb, for example at Albstadt-Onstmettingen on the Raichberg (Albvereinshaus Nail house) or in the Kirchheimer Alb area between Filstal and Reutlingen. This section went down in literary history as the "Blue Wall" described by Eduard Mörike.
- Blue pot, Karst spring of the blue, in Blaubeuren
- Stew pot, Karst spring of the Brenz in Koenigsbronn
- Danube breakthrough at Beuron
- Lone Pot in Lonsee-Urspring and subsequent, partly dry-falling Lone Valley
- Fog cave and Bear cave at Pfullingen
- Wimsen cave (also Friedrichshöhle called) between Hayingen and Double folds, only water-bearing show cave accessible by boat
Castles and Palaces
- Achalm Castle at Reutlingen
- Hohenneuffen castle ruins
- Castle Hohenzollern at Hechingen. Free entry with the AlbCard.
- Lichtenstein Castle at Pfullingen
- Stauferland with the ruins of Hohenstaufen, Hohenrechberg and Staufeneck as well as the Washer Castle (free entry with the AlbCard) Wäschenbeuren.
- Teck Castle at Kirchheim unter Teck
- Sigmaringen Castle. Free entry with the AlbCard.
Churches and monasteries
- Blaubeurener Monastery. Free entry with the AlbCard.
- former abbey and Monastery church of Double folds
Locations
- "Siebentälerstadt" Geislingen an der Steige
- Bad Urach with Hohenurach castle and ruins, as well as the Urach waterfall
- Wiesensteig with the Alb ascent and descent of the A8 and the neighboring Filsursprung
activities
hike
The Swabian Alb is home to over 70 certified hiking trails: 6 long-distance hiking trails and countless day tours. The most famous tours run along the Albtraufs and the river valleys of the region.
- Particularly noteworthy is that Albsteig (also HW1 or Schwäbische Alb Nordrandweg), which covers 360 kilometers, divided into 14 stages, along the Alb eaves of Donauwörth after Tuttlingen runs.
- Shorter long-distance hiking trails with a total distance of less than 200km are the Donauberglandweg, the Albtraufgänger, the Danube-Zollernalbweg, the Albschäferweg and the Ehinger reflection path.
- Day tours along the Albtraufs, known for impressive views, are the Klippenecksteig at Spaichingen, the Hochalbpfad Tieringer Hörnle Meßstetten, the eaves Zollernburg Panoramaweg Albstadt, the waterfall trail at Bad Urach, the Dreifürstensteig at Mössingen as well as the rock round at Bad Ueberkingen.
- Popular day tours in the foothills of the Alb are the 7 valley tours in Rottenburg am Neckar, the Schönbuchspitz circuit near Ammerbuch and the Staufer circuit near Wäschenbeuren,
- All certified multi-day and day tours are on the Swabian Alb Tourism website https://www.schwaebischealb.de/wandern/ listed.
Climb
The climbing areas are from southwest to northeast[1]:
- Upper Danube Valley
- Zollernalb
- Great Lautertal
- Reutlinger Alb
- Uracher Alb
- Lenninger Alb
- Blue valley
- Filstal
- Roggental
- Eastern Alb
- Eselsburger valley
Rescue net:
The rescue service on the Swabian Alb is ensured by the mountain rescue service Württemberg as a specialist rescue service of the German Red Cross in rough terrain. [2].
Winter sports
In the Swabian Alb there are winter sports opportunities for fans of Nordic skiing as well as for alpinists. More information is in the article "Winter sports in the Swabian Alb" to find.
kitchen
They are a specialty Aluminum lenses, a staple food in the region in earlier times due to the barren Alb soil.
nightlife
climate
The Alb plateau has a harsh climate. The temperatures are between 5 ° C and 10 ° C below those of the deeper surroundings. Because of the exposed location, a moderate to strong wind often blows here. In autumn and winter, a stubborn fog can settle on the Alb. However, the Kuppenalb is one of the sunniest areas in Germany, as the cold air can quickly flow into the valleys.
trips
- Öchsle narrow-gauge railway: the steam museum train on 750 mm gauge runs between Warthausen and Ochsenhausen in Upper Swabia.
- Federsee at Bad Buchau in Upper Swabia
- In the foothills of the Alb, in the Swabian-Franconian Forest and near Ulm there are several, mostly artificial, lakes suitable for swimming.
- The city is well worth a visit Nordlingen (historical town center with almost completely preserved wall ring) with the Ries of the same name (crater of a prehistoric meteorite impact), and the Bavarian Railway Museum located there, from which steam train trips to the surrounding area, including the Franconian Alb area, are offered during the season.
- The city is well worth a trip Tubingen and the adjacent Natural park Schönbuch.
- Of Customs House-Blumberg, the scheduled end point of the HzL ring train, runs the Wutachtal Museum Railway ("Sauschwänzlebahn") on the winding and tunnel-rich stretch of the former strategic railway line along the Swiss border to Weizen an der Wutach, on the edge of the southern Black Forest.
- From the Ostalb there are excursions to Schwäbisch Hall, the fortress-like Vellberg, to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, to Dinkelsbühl, in the Altmuehltal Nature Park, in the Franconian Lake District or on the Franconian Alb at.
- On the last section of the discontinued Oberen Kochertalbahn between To run and Untergröningen becomes a touristic bicycle trolley operation offered.
== Literature == noo
Web links
- Swabian Alb Tourism Association V. - official regional website
- Swabian Alb Geopark
- ↑http://www.dav-felsinfo.de/ajaxdav/ DAV-Felsinfo - Internet portal for Germany's climbing rocks]
- ↑http://www.bergwacht.de Mountain Rescue Service in Germany]
