Hiking in Kraichgau

Tracks

From Bretten to MaulbronnGPX
14 km  3/2
From Oberderdingen to GondelsheimGPX 24 km       5/6
Around Oberöwisheim and Neuenbürg GPX14 km 3/3
From Bruchsal to WeingartenGPX
16 km 4/4
From Dürrenbüchig to DurlachGPX
19 km5/6
From Liedolsheim to Leopoldshafen
GPX 14 km
 1/1

Descriptions

From Bretten to Maulbronn

With the city of Melanchton as a starting point and the UN heritage site Maulbronn (an ancient monastery) as destination, the route between the two pales in comparison.
Clear View: 1/5
Nature: 2/5
Culture: 5/5

From Oberderdingen to Gondelsheim

Similar to the route above this track lives most from its start and destination villages, although here there are some clear views and with the Bernhardsweier a nice lake on-route. Don't forget to visit the castle of Gondelsheim and the restaurant "Löwenthor" ("Lions' Gate").
Clear View: 2/5
Nature: 3/5
Culture: 4/5

Around Oberöwisheim and Neuenbürg

This is a loop route through the loam sunken roads of the Kraichgau. So, what you're doing here is to march through wind shocks in large chunks of dirt. Watch for ants, how they form their roads. Take a look in Neuenbürg, if the "Guggusneschd" ("Cuckoo's Nest", but in the local dialect, so rather "Guggoo's Neshd") has opened.
Clear View: 1/5
Nature: 4/5
Culture: 2/5

From Bruchsal to Weingarten

At the beginning of this trail you have to pass the "Ungeheuerklamm" ("Monsters' Gorge"). On the further path you'll pass an old Jewish graveyard and later you'll climb the Michaelsberg, which grants a great view over the Rhine valley. The track ends in Weingarten, which is quite a beautiful town.
Clear view: 3/5
Nature: 4/5
Culture: 3/5

From Dürrenbüchig to Durlach

It's early in the year. The sun is shining, it seems to be spring, but in the shadows it's still winter. Time to search the warmer spots in the neighborhood in the low hills of Kraichgau. From Dürrenbüchig near Bretten back home to Karlsruhe. Dürrenbüchig is a small village, but it is more suburbia than countryside and a tramtrain runs directly there from Karlsruhe's city center. Through forest, up a small hill and down from it again through one of the ``Hohlwege´´ which are characteristic for the Kraichgau the first next village along the way is Jöhlingen. Behind another forest on a hill there is Berghausen, which already is connected with Karlsruhe by continuous housing. In Berghausen there is a restaurant which takes pride in its most famous guest having been Napoleon. We follow Napoleon's decision for a restaurant, but avoid the housing on our further way. In fact out of Berghausen, already in the backyard of Karlsruhe due to the topology the landscape seems to be more remote than anywhere else on the tour. We walk onto the Turmberg from its east side. From this officially northern-most hill of Black Forest where the later soccer world champions prepared for the tournament in 1954 one has a great view over Karlsruhe and to the north beyond Heidelberg and to the south to Strasbourg. It is said that it was possible sometimes to recognize Strasbourg Cathedral. We were not sure. At least it was not possible to see two towers :). We concluded the tour by going down to Durlach with the funicular.
Clear view: 3/5
Nature: 3/5
Culture: 3/5

From Liedolsheim to Leopoldshafen

This track is admittedly not correctly categorized as being within Kraichgau as it is entirely located in the midst of the Rhine Valley. However, to avoid having to open a new category I have placed it here. The starting point in Liedolsheim can be reached from Karlsruhe via the S1 and a bus. Although it is anything but a long journey, being out of the scope of Karlsruhe's LRT system there is also not much left of any other urban look-and-feel elements – and that's only the starting point. If we would not know that we are walking towards the Rhine we might wonder why the few streets which are running in this direction get smaller and smaller while more and more water expanses on both sides of the way can be seen. Every time one sees a house one believes that this one must be the last one before the river, but this is not true before one reaches the small village of Alt-Dettenheim. Alt-Dettenheim was called Dettenheim before it was left by nearly all inhabitants after a sequences of floods. Assuming Einstein was right with his idea that it is - aside man's modifcations of the river's course - the Coriolis force which on the Northern hemisphere makes that right river sides are more eroded, one might say that Dettenheim was kicked to the east (where it nowadays is called Karlsdorf) by the Coriolis force. Today again a few dozen people live in a few houses including the old and original tavern of Alt-Dettenheim . Now they are protected by a dike. The forest behind the dike invites to be explored and to continue the way there, but toward the south the way ends as dead end as the map unveils. So we have to continue our way on the dike. Right away to our right this jungle extends which of course is anything but primeval, but at least it gives the impression. A short time later a large quarry pond is left hand with large machines still active – but not at weekends. This landscape has become home to numerous animals which have a hard time at most other places in Germany. We were able to spot goose, storks, and herons. One gains an impression of what was lost with the rectification of the Rhine. A ship anchors somewhere, probably forever, and from the perspective of the dike it appears as if it anchored in midst of the forest. At home a satellite view reveals that in fact it is an arm of the Old Rhine which different from other such still carries significant amounts of water. At the end of this entertaining section a marker points to the Isle of Rott. The isle is situated between Old and New Rhine and is the destination of many local excursionists. Two restaurants offer fish – of course – as their specialty. Crossing the isle we reach the east bank of the Rhine. From here a straight fortified way leads directly next to the river about southward. About half way multiple signs warn of an undertow. This is caused by a below ground pipe which connects the New with the Old Rhine, in fact it appears as if with this connection this arm of the Old Rhine nowadays is fed with its water. The curls is clearly strong enough that the warning is justified. Not far from the ferry between Leopoldshafen and Leimersheim, right before the path widens, is its lowest point since the Isle of Rott. At this day it is in fact below the surface level of the Rhine. So we have to wade through its water which is not very warm at this time of the year when the Rhine is fed by the snowmelt in the Alps. The water's drift over the path orthogonal to the main direction of the river recalls that the current straight path of the Rhine is not a stable state and that without constant active confinement it would again start to meander through the valley. The ferry terminal and the oppositely located restaurant also are excursion destinations and the spot is much more lively than where we passed through so far at this day. Along its former harbor we reach Leopoldshafen and in its center an LRT stop of the line with which we arrived in the morning.
Clear view: 1/5
Nature: 4/5
Culture: 2/5