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Swabian Alb
Swabian Alb
Dark chocolate
A motorcycle tour over the Swabian Alb has it all: wonderful curves between bizarre rocks and mystical castles as well as paths along sunflowers and orchids.
Josef Seitz
06/07/1999
“Heiligs Blechle, that was good!” That is roughly how a motorcycling Swabian would express himself when he came from the short valley between Bermaringen and Blaubeuren-Asch. Basically there is nothing to add to that. Except that there is a lot of this kind of curve swarm in the heights of the Swabian Alb. In the half-timbered Blaubeuren, however, it is first about the depths of this low mountain range, whose erosion-prone karst subsoil is criss-crossed by a veined cave system like Swiss cheese. The Blautopf, a pond around fifteen meters in diameter near the Blaubeurer monastery, is the open end of such a vein. For years the legendary spring was the research object of the cave diver Jochen Hasenmayer. In a daring expedition he advanced 1250 meters against the current of the water through this “blue-green eye of the earth” and shed some light on the myth of the Blautopf. I shudder at so much courage when I find out about it when I see this little pool. I prefer to experience the Alb on the bench of my Africa Twin. A couple of sweeping serpentines climb from Blaubeuren up to Beiningen. Then it goes right to Schelklingen and through the Lutheran Mountains towards Munsingen over to the Lauter valley. This is one of the declared favorite destinations of hikers, boaters and motorcyclists. The first rave about the lovely landscape, the second use the sluggishly flowing Grobe Lauter to play captain in rented kayaks, and the third enjoy the winding route down to the Wimsener Hohle. It is also under water, but for a small fee it can be accessed by wooden barge. An eerily beautiful excursion into the world of darkness. After a short rest at the Friedrichshohle inn, a tiny lane directly above the entrance to the Wimsener Hohle, which climbs up to the Zwiefalter Alb and seduces you to leisurely motorcycle hikes in the silence of the forest landscape. A little further south, the Danube forms the natural southern border of the Swabian Alb. Between Sigmaringen and Tuttlingen it has dug its way deep into the sand-lime brick, on whose steep walls and pinnacles free climbers compete weekend after weekend. After the wide bends along the course of the river, the route climbs behind Beuron Abbey to wild curve chasing and climbs over a ridge to Fridingen. Only two kilometers away from the city center of Fridingen, the Danube creates something that one would hardly trust the second largest river in Europe: Much of its water seeps away underground here, around twelve kilometers further south, in Aach, Germany’s most water-rich source step and flow over the Rhine into the North Sea. The rest of the river that does not seep slowly sway down into the Black Sea. In this south-western part of the Swabian Alb, the hilltops just scratch the thousand meter mark. In between there are numerous good, exciting motorcycle routes. One of them meanders over Kolbingen up to Bubsheim and back down to Durbheim, from where the detours along side roads to the Trinity Mountain and the Klippeneck are worthwhile just because of the view. Some were worshiped by the Celts, Romans and Franks as the “Holy Mountain”, others by glider pilots. In the northeast, the towers of Hohenzollern Castle tower up towards the sky, visible from afar. The fairytale-like magnificent building, ancestral seat of the last German imperial family, attracts half a million visitors every year to a height of 855 meters. Not far away, near the playful Lichtenstein allotment garden, but the underworld is calling again. For the largest stalactite caves in the Alb, the Nebelhohle and the Bear Cave, neither diving equipment nor a boat are necessary. They can be visited on foot. In the bear cave there are actually still skeletons of the animal that gave this bizarre, millennia-old limestone tunnel its name. The finds on display in the Hauff Urweltmuseum in Holzmaden are likely to be even older. When the fossils of ichthyosaurs, pterosaurs and crocodiles were a little more alive, a trial machine would certainly have been more practical to explore the Swabian Alb. However, the 750cc Honda gets along quite well on the winding road of the Staufer, past Schwabisch Gmund to the south. The last stage destination is the Eastern Alb with its rugged valleys, striking rock formations and neat baroque churches. Behind Heidenheim stretches the Hartsfeld, a barren, in earlier times rather unpopular piece of earth. Stony farmland was never popular. In the meantime, however, the Hartsfeld has grown into an Eldorado for nature lovers. In addition to juniper trees, orchids also grow here. The tour ends in Nordlingen. Strictly speaking, this already belongs to the Ries, but firstly it is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Germany, secondly it is 1100 years old this year, and thirdly there are a lot of good pubs in Nordlingen, in which this milestone birthday is due lets celebrate.
Info
The Swabian Alb not only offers highly ingenious motorcycle routes (especially in the western part), but also plenty of opportunities for activities on the left and right of the street.
Arrival: Coming from the east, take the A 8 to the Merklingen / Blaubeuren exit and continue via Merklingen and Treffensbuch to Bermaringen. Those arriving from the north on the A 7 can already start the tour in Heidenheim. From the west and northwest, the A 8 via Stuttgart to Aichelberg or Merklingen is also recommended. Spend the night: The cheapest are private rooms that offer accommodation from around 25 Marks. In most towns there is at least one inn that also rents rooms. Some recommendations: The Gasthof Waldhorn, 89143 Blaubeuren, Klosterstrasse 21, telephone 07344/6342, fax 07344/3918, double room with breakfast from 45 marks per person is only a few meters away from the Blautopf. The Gasthof Traube is located in an old half-timbered house directly below Sigmaringen Castle, Furst-Wilhelm-Str. 19, 72488 Sigmaringen, phone 07571/64510, fax 07571/645120, double room with breakfast 50 marks per person. The Landhotel Wittstaig is located on the Grobe Lauter, Wittstaig 10, 72525 Munsingen-Gundelfingen, phone 07383/94 96-0, fax 97383/94 96 99, double room with breakfast from 49 marks per person. Things are a little nicer near the Barenhohle in the Hotel Hirsch, Im Dorf 12, 72820 Sonnenbuhl-Erpfingen, phone 07128/92910, fax 07128/3121, double room with breakfast from 67.50 marks per person. Worth seeing: The most impressive stalactite caves are the Barenhohle and the Nebelhohle near Lichtenstein and the Charlottenhohle near Herbrechtingen. You can drive into the Wimsener Hohle near Zwiefalten in an old wooden barge. The most interesting castles and palaces in the Swabian Alb include Hohenzollern Castle, Lichtenstein Castle and Sigmaringen Castle. The latter houses one of the largest collections of weapons in Europe. Information by phone 07571/729230. A tour of the Swabian Alb definitely includes a visit to the Urweltmuseum Hauff in 73271 Holzmaden with its impressive fossils (closed on Mondays). There are some quarries nearby where fossils can still be found. Information: Tourist Association Swabian Alb, Marktplatz 1, 72574 Bad Urach, Telephone 07125/948106, Fax 07125/948108. In places without a tourist office, information is often available from the mayor’s office.Activities: Canadians or kayaks including equipment can be rented for a leisurely boat tour on the Grobe Lauter. Info: KANU TOUREN, Volker Schmack, 72525 Munsingen-Bichishausen, phone 07383/408. Literature: Pretty much everything about the region is available in the Baedek Swabian Alb for 29.50 marks. If you find the Swabian language too difficult, you can try the Ployglott phrase book “Swabian for Reigschmeckte”. It costs 9.80 marks and does not have to be taken seriously. The regional map of Germany, 1: 200,000, sheet 10, Stuttgart-Black Forest-Lake Constance from RV is ideal for orientation.
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