Discover Blaubeuren

©bärbel kächele grafikdesign, www.visuelles.de
Fotografie: W. Adler, B. Thiemann, Arge Blautopf
Blaubeuren
Tourist Centre
Aachgasse 7, 89143 Blaubeuren
Entrance “Auf dem Graben”
Tel. 0049-7344 - 92 10 25
Fax 0049-7344 - 95 24 34
e-mail: [email protected]
Further information from the
Municipal Administration:
Stadtverwaltung Blaubeuren
Rathaus, Karlstraße 2
89143 Blaubeuren
Monday to Friday
Tel. 0049-7344 - 96 69- 0
www.blaubeuren.de
Opening times
April to October:
Friday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday, Holidays
10 a.m. to 12 noon
and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
November to March
Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
We look forward to your visit.
A81
K
Karlsruhe
uhe
Heilbronn
H
Würzburg
S
Stuttgart
Deutsche
Fachwerk
Straße
A81
A7
Kirchheim
u.Teck
Göppingen
A8
B297
B10
E52
Tübingen
Reutlingen
gen
Bad Urach
Singen
Giengen
an der Brenz
Merklingen
Laichingen
Tiefenhöhle
E41
B312
B10
Günzburg
GEOTOP
B492
B465
u
na
Do
Nationales
Schwäbische
Dichterstraße
Blaubeuren
Burladingen
ngen
Donauradweg
m
SteiffErlebnismuseum
B28
Erbach
Legoland
München
Discover
Blaubeuren
A
A8
Ulm
Augsburg
Ehingen
Donauradweg
A7
Riedlingen
Sigmaringen
S
en
m
E43
B30
B311
Biberach
onau
Donau
Memmingen
PfullenP
dorf
Deutsche
Fachwerk
Straße
S
Stockach
ch
Lake Costance
Meersburg
Lake
Constance
U18
U4
Ravensburg
E54
Kempten
Sights Worth Seeing
Facts Worth Knowing
Sights
The Blue Pool. Steeped in legend, the finest and probably
most beautiful karstic spring in Germany. The funnel-shaped
pool of spring water is about 21 metres deep and especially
after fairly long periods of rainfall has an intensive blue appearance. The water of the Alb collects within the limestone hills in
a huge system of caves. Groups of divers and speleologists
constantly bring fascinating new discoveries to light.
The Beautiful Lau
Eduard Mörike included his “Story of
Lau, the beautiful water-nymph” in his
cycle of stories “Das Stuttgarter
Hutzelmännlein”.
This beautiful, romantic tale tells of a
water-nymph who lives at the bottom
of the Blue Pool, and as a result of
heartening experiences in Blaubeuren
is released from an evil curse.
Historic Hammer-smitty
The industrial museum at the Blue Pool
has a real impressive exhibit – a blacksmith´s workshop of the early 19th
century driven by water-power.
Open
April to October: daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Monastry. The perfectly preserved
monastery grounds of the former
Benedictine Monastery. The choir stalls
of the monastery church with the double winged gothic High Altar is one of
the most important cultural monuments of the Middle Ages. Also particularly worth seeing are the cloisters,
the fountain chapel, the chapter room
and also the herb garden in the inner
courtyard.
Open: April to October: daily 9 a.m. to
6 p.m.; November to March: Monday
to Friday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.,
Saturday, Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Monks´ Bath-house and the
Museum of Local History
The only preserved medieval monks´
bath-house in Germany and the rooms
of the museum of local history offer
insights into the history of monastry
life and the town. Particularly impressive is the festival hall with its unique
wall-paintings.
Open: April to October: Tuesday to
Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday,
Sunday and holidays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Guided Tours and Trips
The historic old part of Blaubeuren town is regarded as one
of the best preserved medieval town centres in the country.
Grand middle-class houses like “Hoher Wil” or “Spital” put
their stamps on the image of the town. Idyllic lanes like “KleinVenedig” along the “Aach”, the mill quarter by the Blau, the
“Webergasse”, “Markt- or Karlstraße”, little shops, cafés, inns
and much more invite one to stroll around and tarry a while.
The Prehistoric Museum. Unique
discoveries in the caves around
Blaubeuren such as the most ancient
works of art, little ivory sculptures, and
the world´s oldest musical intruments,
flutes made of bone and ivory made
the town world-famous. The museum
exhibits objects discovered in the
“Aach”- and “Lone”- valleys, as well
as life and culture or our ancesters in
the Old Stone Age. Guides tours of
caves and activities in experimental
archeology can be arranged for groups.
In the “Gallery of 40thousand years
of art”, constantly changing exhibitions
of modern art stand in sharp contrast to art of the Ice Age.
Open:
15th March to October: Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
November to 14th March: Tuesday and Saturday 2.p.m. to
5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Good Friday.
Guided Tours and Trips. We´d be glad to accompany you.
From April to October the Tourist Centre offers every Saturday
from 10.30 a.m. to 12 noon a guided tour of the town. Meeting
place and tickets at the Tourist Centre “Auf dem Graben”. For
groups we offer guided tours with varied sights, as well as walking tours and trips. You can find further details in the brochure
“Guided Tours and Sights”. Info and bookings through the
Tourist Centre or Mrs. Ohm, Tel. 07344 - 910 100 or through
www.blaubeuren.de
Guided Tours of the monastry (when not required in the
framework of a guided tour of the town) should be booked
please through Tel. 0049-7344 - 96 26 25
or through www.kloster-blaubeuren.de
Guided Tours of the prehistoric museum and the “Gallery
of 40thousand years of art” (when not required in the framework of a guided tour of the town) should be booked through
Tel. 0049-7344 - 9 28 60 or through www.urmu.de
The “Blue Pool Touristic Railway” will
take you on a Panoramic trip in and
around the town. From April to October
the train can be boarded at the weekend
at the departure point at the Blue Pool.
Other tours such as the “Tour of the
caves” or the “Schillerstein-Tour” can
be arranged on request. Info and bookings
through the Tourist Centre or through
“Auto-Mann”, Tel. 0049-7344-96 30 30.
Blaubeuren Town Centre
Cemetery
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Coach parking ground
D
f District hospital
Church
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V
Filling Station
Public toilets
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District
hospital
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station
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Tourist information
a Parking ground
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Observation point
Rucken
587m
Ulmer Straße
Discounter
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Sports field
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Municipal
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Oberamteigasse
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Municipal
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library
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Footpath
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Leisure Facilities
In Blaubeuren there is a splendidly
situated open-air pool, an indoor pool
with sauna, bowling alleys in some
pubs, tennis courts, outdoor and indoor; there are also fine barbeque
areas around blaubeuren and its
constituent villages.
Infrastructure
In the town centre you will find attractive little shops, good and varied
eating places and cafés, the town
library, banks, post-office, chemists,
doctors, and a health centre including
clinic. At the edge of the town, near
the railway station, a large shopping
centre has developed.
Hotels and Catering
Blaubeuren offers in the town and its
constituent parts plenty of accomodation in hotels, inns or holiday
homes. The Blue Pool Town is also a
popular destination for youth-hostellers and caravanners. Please ask for
our information pamphlet “Catering
and accomodation”.
Round about
Blaubeuren
The Rusenschloss, the ruins of “Hohengerhausen” castle from
the 11th century, lies high above the town and can be reached
on foot in about half an hour. There are also fantastic views
over the original Danube valley from the observation point at
the “Schillerstein” memorial or from the “Ruckenkreuz” which
is close to the centre.
There is a great variety of footpaths around the town, both in
the valley and also on the hills of the Alb and the “Hochstraess”
area. Typical country inns in the surrounding villages invite you
to pause a while. Blaubeuren lies on “Hauptwanderweg 2”
(Mainfootpath 2) of the “Swabian Alb Society”. Guided walking tours can be arranged through the Tourist Centre.
The “Danube”cycle track and the “Neckar-Alb” cycle track
cross in Blaubeuren. The former follows exactly the valley of
the Danube. Between Ehingen and Ulm via Blaubeuren exists
an alternative track. The prehistorical valley of the Danube is
nowadays the valley in which the rivers Aach and Blau are flowing.
Climber´s paradise. The splendid rock formations in and
around the town are well known to insiders as a climber´s paradise offering various standards of difficulty.
Opportunities for sport. Nearby the constituent village of
Sonderbuch there is a fine glider airfield. There are opportunities for riding on the “Hessenhoefe” and for coach rides in the
constituent village of Seissen. At the ski-lifts wintersports are
possible. The Swabian Alb plateau offers exellent cross-country
ski-tracks which run for several kilometres.
Geological Information
Speleological information. “National GeoPark” and “National
Geotope” are distinctions awarded to the karstic landscape of
the “Blaubeuren Alb” and the Blue Pool. As well as the information stand of the Geopark in the prehistoric museum, the Merkle
company at the “Altental Quarry” provides geological information plaques about the formation of the “Swabian Alb”, geological characteristics, as well as the industrial exploitation of the
limestone.
Exploration of the Blau cave. The Blue Pool is supplied with
water from the largest and longest cave of the Swabian Alb.
Only after a distance of 600 meters does the cave passage first
emerge above the surface of the water. Mr. Jochen Hasenmayer´s
group of divers ventured the first moves into the underwater
cave, and later used a mini-submarine (“Speleonaut”) specially
constructed for the Blue Pool. In the meantime the divers of the
“ARGE Blautopf” group have penetrated to unbelievable depths
and distances. The Blue Pool cave has been reconnoitred to a
distance of 3 km, and there is no end to the numerous passages
in sight. In October 2006 the cavers of the “Grabenstetten
Society” discovered the “Vetter cave” from above via a shaft
excavated with some difficulty, and from there a connection with
Blau cave. Perhaps the gigantic halls with fantastic dripstone
formations and the realm of the beautiful Lau can one day be
made accessible to the public. In the Blue
Pool house a film is to be shown about
the latest dives and results of research.
Cultural Matters and Special Items
The “Pearl of the Swabian Alb” is the name given to Blaubeuren
because of its historical buildings, cultural, archaeological, scenic
and geological treasures, which lie embedded in the original
Danube valley like a pearl in a mussel.
The literature museum, “Schubartstube”, in the monastry courtyard recalls the arrest there of the poet and political commentator Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart. Two other poets who
where active in or had an effect on Blaubeuren are remembered
here: Eduard Mörike and Agnes Sapper. Guided tours for groups
are arranged through the Tourist Centre. Individual visits are possible via themonastery.
The Swabian Poet´s Road. Fascinated by the Blue Pool Eduard
Mörike made this the scene of his Story of Lau, the beautiful
water-nymph. Scene of German half-timbered houses. Up to
this day numerous, well maintained original half-timbered houses
characterice the medieval townscape of Blaubeuren.
The Protestant Seminar in the monastery, maintained by
Württemberg Protestant Church, is one of the schools of
Württemberg most rich in tradition. Great personalities have set
their Advanced Level examinations in ancient languages at this
boarding school. The special ambience of the monastery concerts
with up-and-coming artists and great names of classical music is
an inside tip worth knowing. Information via:
www.seminarblaubeuren.de
Heinrich-Fabri-Institute. Further education centre for the humanities of the University of Tübingen. Heinrich Fabri was abbot of
the monastery in the Middle Ages, and one of the founders of
the university.
The Summer stage at the Blue Pool offers a colourful cultural
programme every year in July and August, with regional artistes
and also stars of world-wide reputation. Artistes and audience
are enthusiastic about the special ambience of the open air
stage. Information via: www.sommerbuehneblautopf.de
Numerous markets and events such as
the weekly market, farmer´s market,
Sunday on which shops are open, a motor
show, children´s festival and Christmas
market enjoy great popularity. At the
beginning of May monastery garden-days
or the medieval market transform the
monastery courtyard into a market-place.
The grocers and itinerants offer their wares and entertainment.
Historical costumes, old games, medieval sounds and exceptional aromes transport the visitors to bygone times.
Holidays in Blaubeuren. As well as the many sights and numerous opportunities for walking and leisure activities, Blaubeuren
is an ideal starting-point for trips to the surrounding area: Ulm
cathedral - 20 km; Laichingen “Tiefenhöhle” (so called “Deepcave”); Westerheim “Schertelshöhle” (so-called Schertel´s
cave”)- 22 km; the waterfall at Urach - 35 km; Its a distance of
50 km to the primeval discoveries at Holzmaden; Stuttgart can
comfortably be reached by car or train in barely an hour.
Günzburg “Legoland” - 50 km away, can be reached in a short
time. Also Lake Constance or the Allgäu region which lies on
the east of it, with its royal palaces is only a good hour away by
car. We´d be delighted to advise you.