Nellingen: Monastery Courtyard, Nature Trail and Culture

In the south of the district lies Nellingen’s medieval village center, around the monastery courtyard and Riegelstraße. Preserved buildings tell stories spanning several centuries; the fruit and nature trail offers another perspective, with paths through fields and meadows and explanatory panels. When planning your trip, you can therefore take into account both architectural history and nature-related themes.

Monastery Courtyard and Architectural History

The surviving buildings within the walled monastery courtyard include the provost’s building, the Old Rectory from 1565, and today’s town hall from 1599. The oldest beams in the provost’s building have been dated to 1498. The different dates give the ensemble its own span of time, from the late 15th century to the early modern period.

A late Romanesque church, built around 1220, stood at the center of the monastery courtyard; its tower is still preserved today. Around 1250, a provost’s residence was established in the area of a former castle in Nellingen. As the northernmost outpost of a monastery, it served to administer its lands and income. The church, tower, and provost’s residence add further chapters to the village’s history alongside the surviving buildings.

Culture and Routes in Nellingen

A cultural center is housed in a former tram depot at An der Halle. It is home to the municipal adult education center and music school. The Filder cycling tour also includes Nellingen in a longer route: it is a circuit through Ostfildern via Ruit, Kemnat, Scharnhausen, and Nellingen.

The complete circular route of the fruit and nature trail extends to the outskirts of Nellingen. There, the path runs alongside the Katzenbach through fields and meadows; panels explain different nut trees. Above Wörnizhäuser Mill, the nature trail descends gently alongside the Körsch. Small signs along the path explain trees and shrubs bearing wild fruit. The described sections combine landscape views with information about the plants along the way.

Light Rail and Day Planning

From the Nellingen terminus, light rail lines U7 and U8 take you to Stuttgart’s main train station in approximately 30 minutes. This approximate travel time can help you plan a trip to Stuttgart. Check travel times before your trip, as services and timetables may change.

Nellingen indoor swimming pool has set swimming times. These include a children’s swimming session on Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. If you want to plan your visit around this time, check the current schedule before you go. Free Wi-Fi is available in Ostfildern’s city area at the An der Halle center and at KuBinO in Nellingen.

More Perspectives in Ostfildern

Ostfildern also offers cultural and landscape attractions to consider when planning your trip. Since 1976, the Ostfildern Municipal Gallery has presented five to six changing exhibitions of contemporary art each year. Public art includes Rosalie’s large-scale sculpture “Sitting and Darting Hares” and Sol LeWitt’s monumental sculpture “Structure.”

The Scharnhauser Park community gardens were created after local residents took the initiative to continue tending parts of the Dream Fields from the 2002 State Garden Show. The community gardens include the Geotreppe, a rock collection that brings geological history to life through touch. The landscape steps in Scharnhauser Park are a 1.4-kilometer-long green park of meadow fields, with views of the Swabian Alb. Ostfildern therefore offers a choice of art and exhibitions as well as geological and landscape attractions.

Find Accommodation to Suit Your Trip

When looking for accommodation in Nellingen, you can use the focus of your trip to help you decide: are you particularly interested in historic architecture, routes through the countryside, or the light rail connection to Stuttgart?

Discover more destinations: Kirchheim unter Teck, Neidlingen, Wendlingen, Großbettlingen, Bissingen an der Teck, Plochingen, Beuren, Aichtal.

For the main travel overview: Esslingen.