Esslingen: Fossils, Roman Park and Landscapes

Fossils and Roman history

The Urwelt-Museum Hauff in Holzmaden displays fossils from the Posidonia Shale and is located in the heart of the Holzmaden fossil site. With around 1,000 m² of exhibition space, it is one of Germany’s largest private natural history museums. This makes it easy to focus your museum visit on fossils and the geological context of the site.

Köngen Roman Park consists of a museum building and an open-air site and is located where the former Roman fort of Grinario stood. The Romans built the fort between 90 and 95 AD and abandoned it in 155. After that, villagers used the site, among other things, to build a Roman bath. This lets you place the Roman construction, the later abandonment and the subsequent use of the site in their historical sequence.

Landscapes and cycling

Six distinct landscapes shape Esslingen district: the Schurwald, the Schönbuch, the Filder plain, the Neckar Valley, the foothills of the Swabian Alb and the Alb escarpment. The district’s orchard landscape includes 1.5 million fruit trees and shapes the scenery. These names offer a range of landscape highlights to consider when planning your trip.

Since 2020, cyclists in Esslingen district have had access to around 1,200 kilometres of district cycling routes, with continuous cycle-route signage throughout the district. Leisure cyclists will particularly enjoy the Neckar Valley. The signage therefore covers the entire district, while the special recommendation for leisure cyclists highlights the Neckar Valley.

Winter activities and Beuren

The Celtic Adventure Trail is 6 kilometres long and runs through the Late Celtic oppidum of Heidengraben, with new information stations along the way and a free multimedia app. At the Beuren Open-Air Museum, a themed trail has 18 stations on the natural and cultural landscape, orchard varieties and cultivated plants. The two experiences have different focuses: the Celtic Adventure Trail passes through the oppidum, while the Beuren themed trail explores the landscape and plants.

At the Beuren Soil Trail, the soil profile pits are accessible from April to October. Guided tours are offered regularly, and group tours can be arranged individually. For visits focused on soil and landscape, both the seasonal accessibility of the profile pits and the option of arranging a group tour individually are relevant.

Choose accommodation based on your travel plans

Take the different planning conditions into account: the soil profile pits are accessible from April to October, while cross-country skiing depends on sufficient snow. This lets you plan for a visit with fixed seasonal availability separately from a winter activity that depends on snow conditions.

Discover more destinations: Weilheim an der Teck, Ohmden, Beuren, Ulm, Göppingen, Alb-Donau district, Rastatt, Heidenheim.

Back to the main travel overview: Baden-Württemberg.