Discover Ostelsheim: Nature, History and Trails

Ostelsheim offers several points of interest for a trip: a nature reserve within the municipality, historic tower beams in the Protestant church and a yellow-marked hiking trail through the village to the Hermann Hesse Railway station. Landscape, church history and a specific route therefore come together here.

Natural surroundings and protected landscape

The 60-hectare Hacksberg and Steckental nature reserve lies within the municipality of Ostelsheim. This gives the municipality a clearly defined landscape focus alongside its church history. When planning a stay, you can consciously weigh these interests: the protected area and nature on one hand, historical details and local history on the other. These different perspectives can help you put together a travel programme based on your own preferences, rather than following just one theme.

Tower beams and Protestant history

In the Protestant church in Ostelsheim, tower beams dating from 1342 have been preserved largely in their original condition; some even date from 1293. The dates give the historic timberwork a specific depth: some of the beams are older than most of the surviving pieces. Protestant services have been held in Ostelsheim since 1548. The beams and the history of Protestant services illuminate different aspects of the local past—material heritage and religious tradition.

A marked hiking trail through Ostelsheim

A yellow diamond marks a hiking trail that runs along Goethestraße and Gechinger Straße, the footpath by Ostelsheim church and Bahnhofstraße to the Hermann Hesse Railway station. A route description published on 12 August 2026 gives this route. The named streets and paths provide a clear idea of the trail through the village; its endpoint is the station. Unlike the nature reserve, which covers an area, the hiking trail follows a sequence of individual sections through the village—two different focuses to consider when planning your trip.

More experiences in the wider destination of Calw

The wider destination of Calw offers more experiences that vary by location and theme. On Nagold Castle Hill, the ruins of Hohennagold Castle still contain the foundations of various buildings in the castle’s inner precinct, dating from the 12th century. Schömberg Barefoot Park offers a trail about 800 metres long, featuring more than 20 different materials. As it operates seasonally, check the season before your visit.

The Haiterbach Nature Discovery Trail offers children an engaging way to learn about trees and their leaves, as well as geology in the quarry. At the animal long-jump station, visitors can also compare the jumping power of animals. For families who enjoy discovering nature together, this offers a different kind of experience from Ostelsheim’s historical sights. Calw and its surroundings also have a wealth of well-marked trails and routes for exploring the Black Forest Central/North Nature Park on foot.

There are also examples of other interests at specific named locations. Handcrafted single-seat hot rods are used for excursions through the Black Forest at the site of the Old Blanket Factory in Calw; they reach speeds of up to 90 km/h. If you are planning such an excursion, check availability with the operator. In Calw, visitors can experience coffee with all their senses at a coffee roastery and discover the secrets of the coffee bean.

The Backhausfest in Ebhausen takes place every year on the first weekend in May. As part of the programme, visitors can sample onion tart and wood-fired bread from the local bakehouses. If you plan to attend this festival, check the date for your chosen year of travel. This makes it possible to give landscape, cultural and culinary interests different weight when choosing destinations.

Choose the right focus for your trip

When searching for accommodation, it helps to decide first what you would like to focus on: would you like to centre your trip on Ostelsheim’s nature reserve, the history of the church and the route described here, or include experiences at other locations in the wider destination of Calw? This decision gives your search a clear direction and helps you plan your trip around the activities that genuinely interest you.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Simmozheim, Oberreichenbach, Bad Teinach-Zavelstein, Bad Wildbad, Wildberg, Egenhausen, Nagold, Ebhausen.

Back to the main travel overview: Calw.