Discover Schelklingen: Lake, Castle and City History

Schmiechener See shapes Schelklingen with a body of water that changes considerably: in years with high rainfall, it expands; in dry years, it shrinks to just a few small pools. As a result, the landscape around the lake looks different from year to year. Hohenschelklingen Castle Ruins offer a different perspective. They stand on a mountain spur whose western side projects far into the Schelklingen valley, formed by the ancient Danube. Water and terrain thus provide two different ways to experience the landscape: one through the lake’s changing nature, the other through views of the striking mountain spur.

If you’re looking for accommodation for a stay in Schelklingen, these contrasts can help with your planning: Would you most like to experience nature, explore local history or allow time for longer tours? The town brings together a variety of themes without requiring a single set itinerary.

City History and Pottery

A historic city walk leads through Schelklingen and includes twenty stops. Information about the route is available to download. It’s a way to explore the town’s history one stop at a time, with a different focus from a hike lasting several days.

Schelklingen City Museum also offers an opportunity to discover pottery: the museum houses a pottery workshop. Pottery demonstrations and pottery courses can be booked on request and subject to availability. If you’d like to include these activities in your plans, be sure to check in advance and take availability into account. This helps you align the cultural part of your trip with the actual opportunities to visit.

Hiking and Cycling Tours Around Schelklingen

Several challenging and scenically spectacular multi-day hikes in the Swabian Alb pass through Schelklingen. They’re an option for a longer hiking holiday, while the historic city walk focuses specifically on local history. The Albwasser Tour is a themed route in Schelklingen, adding another way to explore the area on foot.

Cycling tours also invite you to explore Schelklingen and the Ach and Schmiech valleys. This offers a range of ways to get around and discover the area: a city walk with historic stops, a themed route, multi-day hikes and cycling tours. Which of these you choose to focus on may help determine where to stay and how to plan your trip.

The Wider Alb-Donau District

Those including the Alb-Donau district as a wider travel destination will find more cultural and nature-related themes. Hohle Fels near Schelklingen is a UNESCO World Heritage cave and the discovery site of the “Venus of Hohle Fels” and the “vulture-bone flute.” Both finds are about 42,500 years old. Hohle Fels thus links a specific site near Schelklingen with two important Stone Age finds.

The hiking options in the Alb-Donau district offer another selection: the 20 “Ice Age Trails” circular routes are 6 to 14 kilometres long and are suitable for day hikes. In addition, there are family-friendly “Ice Age Tracks,” ranging from 1 to 6 kilometres, as well as the Contemplation Trail for multi-day tours. These regional routes differ in length and character; they complement the trails in Schelklingen without being the same as them.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Holzkirch, Neenstetten, Blaubeuren, Rammingen, Öllingen, Griesingen, Staig, Merklingen.

Back to the wider travel overview: Alb-Donau district.