Discover the Ostalb District

In the Ostalb District, Roman frontier history, medieval monastic architecture and trails through striking landscapes come together. At Rainau, the Limes can be experienced up close with a reconstructed watchtower and a signposted circular hiking trail. Other highlights include Lorch Monastery, the Tiefer Stollen visitor mine and the hiking trails around Bartholomä. You can tailor your trip to the experiences that interest you most.

Roman traces in Rainau

The Upper German-Raetian Limes has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. In the municipality of Rainau, it runs through the districts of Buch, Schwabsberg and Dalkingen for about six kilometres. The most scenic sections and most significant individual monuments of the Limes are preserved in a unique concentration in Limes Park Rainau. A reconstructed watchtower offers panoramic views across the Ostalb; the Dalkingen Limes Gate is a unique structure along the entire stretch of the Limes between the Rhine and the Danube.

Hiking trails of varying lengths

The signposted circular Limes hiking trail near Rainau is about 11 kilometres long and takes approximately 2.5 hours on foot. It leads from the Limes wall and tower between Buch and Schwabsberg through Mahdholz Forest, following the Limes to the southern edge of Schwabsberg. The distance and estimated walking time provide a practical guide for planning your day; the route combines Roman sites with a walk through the forest.

Around Bartholomä, longer Wanderblume tours are available. The 17-kilometre Tour 4, “Im Felsenmeer” (“In the Sea of Rocks”), starts at the village hall in Bartholomä and leads through the Felsenmeer and the Wental Valley to Hirschtal near Steinheim. The 25-kilometre Tour 2, “An den Weiherwiesen” (“At the Pond Meadows”), also starts at the village hall and runs across the Weiherwiesen to Volkmarsberg and past the source of the Kocher near Oberkochen, through Tiefental Valley and via Tauchenweiler back to Bartholomä. Check local trail conditions before setting out on this tour. The Wental Valley also has a nature trail offering insights into the natural environment of the ancient river valley. A hike there towards Steinheim is particularly suitable for families: along the way, you can spot gnarled trees and bizarre rock formations that, with a little imagination, resemble fairy-tale characters and animals.

Monastic history and cultural monuments

Lorch Monastery brings together a medieval church, cloister, outbuildings and the Marsilius Tower. The tower offers views of the monastic complex, herb garden, sensory garden and surrounding area. The monastery was founded in 1102 by Frederick I, the first Hohenstaufen, and his wife Agnes of Waiblingen as their burial place. The permanent exhibition explores 900 years of monastic history, including through the richly decorated Lorch choir books.

At Kapfenburg Castle, first mentioned in a document in 1311, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo styles come together in a unique way. The castle was never destroyed and was repeatedly adapted architecturally to suit the tastes of the time. Near Bopfingen, the Ipf, a witness hill of the White Jura, is a significant cultural monument with its impressive fortifications. The Celtic open-air site there includes a reconstructed burial mound and a pavilion shaped like a Celtic square building, which provides information about Celtic history and the area around the Ipf.

Underground mining and museums

On a visit to the Tiefer Stollen visitor mine, the mine train travels past mineral deposits and small stalactites into sandstone halls covering 2,500 square metres, 100 metres underground. A multimedia show there introduces the history of ore mining in the Aalen area. A circular route through the maze of tunnels leads to former underground mining areas, with shafts, loading points and ore chambers. Here, you can explore mining history through the underground work areas.

The museums and collections of the Ostalb District also offer a variety of reasons to visit. These include year-round educational programmes, museum festivals, events around International Museum Day in May and museum nights. If you are planning to attend a specific event, check the latest dates in advance.

Choose a cycling route and an area to stay

For a cycling trip, the Ostalb Cycling Loop offers a different scale: it covers around 305 kilometres and is divided into six stages and nine connecting routes that can be combined to suit your plans. Classified as a 4-star route by the German Cyclists’ Federation, the loop runs through the Ostalb District and crosses district boundaries several times. It also passes through the districts of Heidenheim and Rems-Murr and reaches into the Bavarian district of Donau-Ries.

For a cycling trip, the stages and connecting routes can serve as a starting point for further planning. Then match your preferred location to the destinations and trails you actually plan to visit. This way, you can search for accommodation based on your real itinerary, without prematurely treating different day plans as if they were the same.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Rosenberg, Unterschneidheim, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Neresheim, Lauchheim, Kirchheim Am Ries, Ellwangen, Aalen, Böbingen An Der Rems, Westhausen, Schechingen, Waldhausen, Heubach, Oberkochen, Neuler, Bopfingen, Rainau, Gschwend, Lorch, Hüttlingen, Abtsgmünd, Eschach, Bartholomä, Adelmannsfelden, Waldstetten, Tannhausen, Stödtlen, Spraitbach, Ruppertshofen, Obergröningen, Wört, Jagstzell, Leinzell, Göggingen, Ellenberg, Durlangen, Täferrot, Mutlangen, Essingen, Heuchlingen.

Return to the regional travel overview: Baden-Württemberg.