Schönbuch ( Swabian : Scheebuach ) is an almost completely wooded area southwest of Stuttgart and part of the Southern German Escarpment Landscape ( German : südwestdeutsches Schichtstufenland ). In 1972, the central zone of Schönbuch became the first nature park in Baden-Württemberg .
53-625: The borders of the Schönbuch-Region are vague; however, the area of the Nature Park itself is strictly defined and is discernible from the adjacent areas. In the south, west, and east, the borders of the Nature Park and Schönbuch-Region are roughly the same; however, the region’s boundaries also include the cities and communities which lie on its edges. The southern border is defined by the Ammer and Neckar river valleys. The western boundary
106-579: A contract between the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen and the state monuments office of Baden-Württemberg. Schönbuch served as a timber source, woodland pasture (Hutewald), and hunting ground until the 19th century. Hunting was reserved only for the rulers of the House of Württemberg, whereas logging and pasture use were carried out by the so-called Schönbuch comrades (Schönbuchgenossen). This involved around 70 townships and cities in
159-417: A destination in their network with six weekly flights to Manchester from April 2015. Air Berlin announced the start of a service to Abu Dhabi from December 2014. On 31 May 2016, Air Berlin ceased its flights to Abu Dhabi . In October 2016, Air Berlin announced it would close its maintenance facilities at the airport due to cost cutting and restructuring measures. In July 2020, Lauda announced
212-520: A large part of them are edible mushrooms. One of the more rare species to mention is the porcini mushroom, but even in the middle of winter, mushrooms such as the velvet foot and the oyster mushroom can be found in the Schönbuch. Schönbuch, the unsettled nature park, is not only a refuge for plants, but also for animals. Here, there are fire salamanders, yellow-bellied toads, black woodpeckers, and stag beetles, which are animals that have fallen victim to
265-766: A model for similar infrastructure in other locations. In addition to the already mentioned Geological Nature Trail in Kirnberg, there are the following nature trails in or around the Schönbuch: Nature Trail Schlossberg in the Herrenberg City Forest: geology, trees, shrubs, birdlife Forest Teaching Path Betzenberg: geology, arboretum, birdlife, Stubensandstone quarry Stuttgart Airport Stuttgart Airport ( German : Flughafen Stuttgart ) formerly Flughafen Stuttgart-Echterdingen ( IATA : STR , ICAO : EDDS )
318-634: A protected designation, as dictated by the Nature Park Ordinance. In 2001, the Schönbuch Nature Park and adjacent areas were incorporated into the Europe-wide Natura 2000 protected areas network, as the region is home to many rare plants, forest communities, and endangered species. Pre- and early-historical traces of human settlement are, different from other forest areas, not rare. The earliest piece of evidence
371-682: A refuge that exists only in the park and not in the area around the park. Alone, the narrow and limiting Goldersbach Valley holds over 400 plants and over 90 species of moss. In the large Goldersbach Valley above the Devil’s Bridge and in the Fishbach Valley and the Lindach Valley, the two source streams of the Goldersbach Valley lead to many wet meadows, which are farmed. The masses of Troll flowers that one can find in
424-708: A swampy prairie instead. Newer research suggests that Birkensee is the last sandbox created during the removal of sticky sand and silver sand in the Bromberg Hill region. Birkensee has been exposed to more and more silt in recent years. Many of the rare marsh and bog plants that have been recorded previously have now disappeared. Nevertheless, Birkensee still remains one of the most interesting natural areas of Schönbuch. Among other things, one can find Pipe Grass, Red Foxglove, Broombrush, Bracken, Sundew, Narrow-leaved and Broad-leaved Cottongrass, Heather and Carnations, Lycopodium, Bilberries, various Peat Mosses, and, of course,
477-532: A three-year hiatus from 2020 to 2023 due to COVID-19) and will deprive the airport of any scheduled long-haul destinations. Stuttgart Airport consists of four passenger terminals which have separate check-in facilities and entrances but are directly connected to each other and share a single airside area which features eight jet bridges as well as about two dozen bus-boarding stands. The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Stuttgart Airport: There are two major highways: Just north of
530-703: Is a blade made of Jura limestone that was found by the Teufelsbrücke (Devil’s Bridge); the dating of this piece to 10,000 B.C. remains uncertain. The residence of the Nomads in the Mesolithic period (8,000 until 5,500 B.C.) is confirmed, since there were living areas found by the Schönbuchtrauf near Herrenberg. During the Neolithic period, a farming culture with dense residential areas emerged in what
583-599: Is an international airport serving Stuttgart , the capital of the German state of Baden-Württemberg . It is christened in honor of Stuttgart's former mayor, Manfred Rommel , son of Erwin Rommel , and is the sixth busiest airport in Germany with 11,832,634 passengers having passed through its doors in 2018. The facility covers approximately 400 hectares (1,000 acres ), of which 190 hectares are green space. The airport
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#1732772330030636-400: Is designated as a natural landmark, and today, the area provides a “transition biome” from a bog to a wetland. Birkensee allegedly emerged at the beginning of the 19th century in the base of an abandoned sandstone quarry. The bottom of the lake is stabilized by natural cementation; these stone formations have become impermeable to water. A resource from 1667 depicted Birkensee, the lake, but as
689-735: Is generally accepted to lie within the Gäu flats, beginning east of the Filder Plateau. The features making up the northern edge of the region are the Siebenmühlental (Seven-Mill Valley), a clearing in the forest referred to as the “Schönbuchlichtung,” along with the surrounding woodlands. In the Schönbuchlichtung lie the villages of (from west clockwise) Hildrizhausen, Altdorf, Holzgerlingen, Schönaich, Steinenbronn, and Waldenbuch, with Weil im Schönbuch and Dettenhausen sitting in
742-917: Is located within the rural districts of Böblingen and Tübingen, with smaller areas included in the Esslingen and Reutlingen rural districts. Bebenhausen is the only municipality located within the park itself. Beyond the villages of the Schönbuchlichtung clearing, other nearby settlements include (in clockwise order) Aichtal, Schlaitdorf, Walddorfhäslach, Pliezhausen, Kirchentellinsfurt, Tübingen, Ammerbuch, Herrenberg, Nufringen, und Gärtringen. Major parts of Schönbuch are also designated as FFH (Flora, Fauna, and Habitat) areas (No. 7420-341 totaling 11,249 hectares or ~27,797 acres), as well as Special Protection Areas, or SPAs (the EU’s bird reserve program) (No. 7420-441 totaling 15,362 hectares or ~37,960 acres). The Schönbuch conservation area contains 12,424 hectares (30,700 acres) over
795-409: Is operated by Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH (FSG). It goes back to Luftverkehr Württemberg AG, which was founded in 1924 and initially operated Böblingen Airport . Since 2008, 65% of the operating company is owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg and 35% by the city of Stuttgart. It is located approximately 13 km (8.1 mi) (10 km (6.2 mi) in a straight line) south of Stuttgart and lies on
848-567: Is particularly popular among runners, Nordic skiers, walkers, and cyclists. In addition, there are also special trails marked for horseback riding throughout the town. The large forest area of Schönbuch is ideal for running because it is only intersected by a few roads. Schönbuch is also increasing the events the town holds. The most well-known runs here are the Schönbuch Run, which is over 25 kilometers starting in Hildrizhausen, and
901-416: Is still home to quite a large number of mammals. Tübingen scientists have counted 44 mammal species, 40% of which are already classified as endangered. The most common species in the nature park include: the red deer, wild boar, roe deer, badger, red fox, European hare, pine and stone marten, polecat, squirrel, hedgehog, stoat, weasel, mole, dormouse, muskrat, various shrews, and other mouse species. Schönbuch
954-403: Is threatened by deforestation of old oaks. There are also many fireflies that, like many species of butterflies and moths, need clean flowing bodies of water. On the topic of insects, relevant to mention are the fruit orchards on the outer edge of Schönbuch. In this area, 53 species of butterflies, 19 species of orthoptera, and 119 species of wild bees were recorded, the latter 32 of them being on
1007-588: Is today the fertile area on the border of Schönbuch. The central area of Schönbuch remained undeveloped. The seemingly impenetrable ancient forest was often cleared during the Hallstatt period (880 until 450 BCE) for wood and was further damaged for more forest pastures. One can find 300 Celtic mounds from this period, including a mound in Lehbühl near Schlaitdorf. In the eastern part of Schönbuch are three Celtic rectangular ditched enclosures that can be traced back to
1060-458: Is well-known for its red deer. Visitors can observe the red deer and wild boars in a specially designed observation enclosure along with special observation points in the park. Various bat species can also be observed in Schönbuch. In recent years, researchers from the University of Tübingen have detected over ten different bat species. These range from the brown long-eared bat, which lives in
1113-752: The United States Army took over the airport until returning it to German authorities in 1948. For the duration of the Cold War the runway and facilities were shared with the United States Army who operated helicopters, the Grumman OV-1 Mohawk and other fixed wing aircraft as Echterdingen Army Airfield on the southern portion of the airfield. Some of the units operating at Echterdingen were headquartered at nearby Nellingen Kaserne - now closed and redeveloped. In 1984–5,
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#17327723300301166-442: The corona lockdown . The original 1938 terminal was finally replaced in 2004 and there are now four terminals with a maximum capacity of approximately 12 million passengers. Politicians, town planners and nearby residents have been arguing for years about the construction of a second runway. However, on 25 June 2008 Minister-President Günther Oettinger announced that for the next 8–12 years no second runway will be built and that
1219-471: The 14th century. The hermitage on Bromberg Hill stemmed from the Late Middle Ages (13th to 15th century). It had been previously considered a chapel. In 1974, the defensive walls of a chapel and a small residential building made of Rhaetian sandstone were exposed. The storm “Lothar” heavily damaged the remains of the hermitage. The remains of the small residential building were restored in 2004 after
1272-497: The 223rd Aviation Battalion (Combat) of the 11th Aviation Group (Combat) was headquartered at Echterdingen, with three aviation companies assigned (one at Schwäbisch Hall ). The U.S. Army still maintains a small helicopter base - Stuttgart Army Airfield - on the southern side of the airport, which it shares with the Baden-Württemberg State Police helicopter wing. The police helicopter wing falls under
1325-700: The Birch Trees that give the area its name. To protect the vegetation from trampling by visitors, a boulder dam and other paths made of bark mulch were laid in 1988. The typical form of fruit production in the past was orchards, which are in many places on the edge of the nature park, especially around the western Schönbuch slope. The extensively used meadows have shaped the landscape on the edge of Schönbuch for over 100 years, and today they are of particular importance from an ecological perspective. Around 3000 animal species have been identified in orchards, including 50 breeding birds, some of which are heavily dependent on
1378-659: The European Iron Age. Schönbuch was annexed by the Roman Empire in 80 A.D., and evidence from this time gives the impression of a lively marketplace. There were quarries, pottery, and farms. After the Romans withdrew, the Alemannic immigrants initially avoided Schönbuch so the forest could recover from its damaged areas. The reclamation and clearing of Schönbuch started from the north only in the 6th century. Only
1431-529: The Forestry Office of Herrenberg, the storm has felled around a third of the entire coniferous forest in its area, and eight percent of the deciduous forest. In the entire Schönbuch, the amount of damage was equivalent to approximately one million cubic meters of timber. The last storm "Kyrill" in January 2007 caused much less damage compared to the earlier storms. The resulting accumulated storm damage
1484-525: The Nikolaus Run, which starts in Tübingen and is over a half marathon in length. The exercise trails from the fitness craze of the early 1970s are somewhat out of fashion now and are in unsatisfactory condition for working out. In 2005, employees of the park worked with Karls University in Tübingen to try and make the facilities better for the future. It remains to be seen if this project will serve as
1537-423: The Schönbuch area, which exchanged money, grain, and chicken in return for the use of the land. The storms “Vivian” and “Wiebke” in the spring of 1990 caused Schönbuch considerable damage, exacerbated by a subsequent bark beetle plague in the hot and dry years that followed. Nevertheless, “Lothar” surpassed all previous expectations on Boxing Day 1999. While “Wiebke” knocked down the shallow spruces, “Lothar” hit all
1590-626: The Schönbuch, connecting Dettenhausen to Böblingen where it links to the S-Bahn system. The Schönbuch was awarded the title of "forest area of the year 2014" and "quality nature park". The Schönbuch Nature Park is the largest contiguous forest reserve in the Stuttgart region. The park boundaries were established in the 1974 Nature Park Ordnance. The reserve spans approximately 25 kilometers (about 15.5 miles) east to west and around 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) from north to south. Much of Schönbuch
1643-502: The Schönbuch, you are essentially dependent on self-sufficiency, as the places to stop for refreshments are not particularly numerous and are limited to the outskirts of the nature park, which underlines the originality of a hike. For example, you can stop off at the “castle Hohenentringen,” the “Weiler hut,” the “nature friend house Herrenberg,” and various restaurants in Bebenhausen. However, one looks in vain for waste containers in
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1696-517: The airport grounds with direct connections to several major cities. Stuttgart Airport can be easily reached within 30 minutes from the city's main railway station using the Stuttgart suburban railway S2 or S3 from Stuttgart Flughafen/Messe station . It is planned to connect the airport with the future Stuttgart - Ulm high-speed railway line currently under construction as part of the major Stuttgart 21 railway redevelopment program. Therefore,
1749-588: The airport runs the Bundesautobahn 8 (A8), which connects the cities of Karlsruhe and Stuttgart to Ulm, Augsburg and Munich. The Bundesstraße 27 (B27) leads to downtown Stuttgart, as well as to Tübingen and Reutlingen in the South. From the regional cities of Esslingen am Neckar , Reutlingen , Tübingen and Kirchheim exists a connection by coach. Additionally, German long-distance coach operators DeinBus and Flixbus maintain their stop for Stuttgart on
1802-535: The airport unveiled new branding and corporate design, changing its official name from Flughafen Stuttgart to Stuttgart Airport . In September 2014, United Airlines cancelled their route to Stuttgart from Newark due to insufficient demand leaving Stuttgart Airport with only one remaining long-haul connection to Atlanta provided by Delta Air Lines . In October 2014, easyJet announced they would serve Stuttgart as their seventh German destination by March 2015. In December 2014, Ryanair also added Stuttgart as
1855-619: The areas of four districts and therefore additionally covers four nature reserve area numbers (1,15,016, 1,16,037, 4,15,009, and 4,16,004). Economic activity in the conservation area is allowed, although restricted. Numerous natural monuments in Schönbuch enjoy the strictest reserves, such as those in the nature reserves of Eisenbachhain, Grafenberg, Hirschauer Berg, Neuweiler Viehweide, Schaichtal, Schönbuch-Westhang/Ammerbuch, Spitzberg–Ödenburg, and Sulzeiche. Additionally, there are sections within Schönbuch which have even tighter restrictions, called “Bannwäldern” (protected forest) or forest areas with
1908-486: The boundary between the nearby town of Leinfelden-Echterdingen , Filderstadt and Stuttgart itself. In 2007, the Messe Stuttgart convention center – the ninth biggest exhibition centre in Germany – moved to grounds directly next to the airport. Additionally, the global headquarters for car parking company APCOA Parking are located here. The airport was built in 1939 to replace Böblingen Airport . In 1945,
1961-655: The central area between Herrenberg and Bebenhausen was never touched, and this area would later make up the center of the unsettled Schönbuch forest. Chapel of the hermitage with an altar on the Bromberg Hill In the Early Middle Ages, there were many imperially controlled forests. From the middle of the 12th century, the Palatine counts of Tübingen controlled the majority of the area. The House of Württemberg gained control of Schönbuch in its entirety in
2014-484: The closure of their base at Stuttgart Airport – which has been operated as a wetlease for Ryanair — by October 2020. Prior to this announcement, the base staff rejected a new labour agreement. In August 2024, Delta Air Lines announced the end of their flights to Stuttgart from Atlanta after already having reduced their service to a seasonal one in March 2023. This marked the end of the connection after 36 years (with
2067-513: The coniferous forest, to the noctule bat and the mouse-eared bat, the largest native species. Deer herd on the Dickenberg pasture. Schönbuch has been home to the red deer for ages. Today, the red deer live in a 15 m² (40 km²) enclosed game reserve that was set up for them in 1959. Increasing hunting pressure and tourism heavily frightened the animals in Schönbuch that they were rarely found in grazing areas and instead peeled off tree bark in
2120-536: The control of Stuttgart Police Department and has six modern helicopters based at Stuttgart and two in Söllingen . The airport was expanded after World War II . The runway was extended to 1,800 m (5,906 ft) in 1948, then to 2,250 m (7,382 ft) in 1961 and finally to 3,345 m (10,974 ft) in 1996. Renovation was scheduled for 2020, full closure phase was preponed to be completed in April during
2173-473: The forest, they often cause considerable damage to agricultural land. Roe deer have also benefited from the areas affected by the major storms of 1990 and 1999 and have increased considerably. Given that the Landesforstverwaltung (“Land Forest Administration”) declared its intent to conserve the red deer in Schönbuch for cultural consideration, five wildlife privacy zones have been added inside
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2226-615: The game reserve. There are 560 kilometers of marked hiking trails available in the nature park, only a small portion of which are asphalted. In spring 1998, a new, uniform indication system was installed throughout the entire nature park. This so-called “visitor guidance system” has now been awarded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment. Visitors also have access to over 100 parking spaces, 38 playgrounds, 84 fireplaces, and 75 shelters. However, on extended hikes through
2279-481: The habitat as species on the Red List are. The Schönbuch forest, because of its climate conditions and the popularity of trees, is especially suitable for mushrooms. The particularly special mushrooms are the stinkhorn and the dog-tail, the fly agaric, or the octopus stinkhorn, which was introduced and has now established itself. The number of different macrofungi species in the Schönbuch is estimated at about 800, and
2332-450: The human-use of land outside of the park. Schönbuch, like other forests, is home to many insects that are useful, such as ants, and harmful, such as bark beetles. The beetles make up the largest proportion of the insect population in Schönbuch; there are thousands of different species. The stag beetle is the biggest in size and also one of the rarest found in Schönbuch; it has found a haven in Schönbuch. The stag beetle, due to its numerosity,
2385-414: The nature park. The rubbish left behind by visitors had become an ecological and financial problem, so the nature park administration had the rubbish bins dismantled some time ago. Visitors are encouraged to take their trash home with them. In 2003, warning signs were put up at critical points such as barbecue areas. In addition to hiking and walking, Schönbuch is also home to many endurance sports. The park
2438-420: The pioneer tree species – the silver birch – the tree of the year 2000. Nevertheless, it will still take decades until Schönbuch is again at a comparable level before “Lothar.” The former intensive utilization of Schönbuch as a woodland pasture and the extraction of leaf litter has caused a nutrient deficiency in many areas, which is valuable from a nature conservation perspective. As a result, plants are provided
2491-525: The restrictions for night operations stay in place. After the death of former mayor Manfred Rommel in November 2013 local politicians proposed renaming the airport after him. This proposal caused public disputes as he was the son of Erwin Rommel but also highly respected for his work on intercultural affairs. In July 2014 it has been announced that the airport will be named Flughafen Stuttgart - Manfred Rommel Flughafen from now on. In September 2016,
2544-479: The southern portion of the clearing. The Schönbuch is located in central Baden-Württemberg – approximately 25 km south of the city center of Stuttgart and about 15 km southwest of Stuttgart Airport . It is also close to Reutlingen (south-east), the university city of Tübingen (south), Herrenberg (southwest), and Böblingen (northwest). A commuter train called the Schönbuchbahn runs through
2597-426: The spring are striking. The wet meadows are valuable for orchids. Today, the meadows are useful for agriculture. To preserve biodiversity and natural succession, they must be mowed once a year. The forestry administration mows the meadows in early summer to prevent bush growth in the valley. Stick Dam at Birkensee On the edge of Bromberg Hill lies Birkensee, a lake which is the location of rare plant communities. It
2650-462: The trees. A majority of them were knocked down in a domino effect. “Wiebke” toppled over most of the trees together with their roots, whereas “Lothar” simply broke off a good twenty percent, which was also detrimental to the utilization of the wood. “Lothar” raged throughout all of the Schönbuch. However, the worst was the western part that was affected. According to previous convictions, younger stormproof trees were damaged. According to calculations of
2703-455: The woods. For the trees to recover from this damage, the original population of 16 deer per square kilometer was reduced to four to five in 1989. Currently, about 150 red deer live in the area. Today, the wild boar also plays an important and critical role in Schönbuch. Compared to red deer, wild boar are not as bound to their habitat, and the fencing around the red deer habitat is not a significant obstacle for them. During their migration outside
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#17327723300302756-488: The “Red List” of endangered species. The insects also benefit from the clearings provided by the storms of 1990 and 1999. Before people settled in the Schönbuch region, other mammals lived in the forest. Since many of the large carnivores became a danger to the settlers and competition for the red deer hunters, the animals were eradicated. The introduction of mammals in the region began with bears in 1600, followed by wolves, lynx, and finally wild cats in 1916. Today, Schönbuch
2809-460: Was easily within the normal scope of logging. On the one hand, the reason for the far less dramatic consequences was that “Kyrill” did not develop its full impact in the Schönbuch area. On the other hand, the soil was less soaked than usual. Today, the damage is also seen as an opportunity to change the composition of the forest to increase the proportion of deciduous tree species. The ecological winners after “Lothar” include many sun-hungry plants and
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