Nature

Wilhelma is the most popular place for a leisure-time visit in Baden-Württemberg's capital city. Every year more than 2 million visitors come to the Wilhelma park which is something quite unique. Not only does it combine extensive botanical gardens with a modern zoo. Owing to its historical Moorish style buildings it is also known as the “Alhambra on the River Neckar”.

On grounds covering more than 74 acres visitors can immerse themselves in the history of Baden-Württemberg. A highly diverse world of flora and fauna also awaits them, with rich botanical collections comprising more than 6,000 plant species while the zoo is home to almost 1,000 species – some 8,000 animals.

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The reagion Black Forest with its 11.000 squarekilometers truly can be called huge. The edge of Germany's biggest low mountain range is southwest of Stuttgart, just 50 kilometers away from Stuttgart. and has a lenght of 150 kilometers from north to south.

Hardly any holiday destination offers a bigger variety: Historical towns as Freiburg or Freudenstadt, mere endless hiiking trails, swimming lakes close to the Upper-Rhine and 70 peaks with a height of 1.000 meters or more, promising fun skiing or snowboarding even in relatively snowless winters.

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After the Jurassic Sea had lost ground 150 million years ago, earthquakes, volcanic events and abrasion formed the tableland of the Swabian Alb, one of Germany's most fascinating secondary mountains. Today fossil findings, countless caverns, volcanic and meteorites' craters know to impress and made the UNESCO entitle the Alb as geopark.

The corpus of finds is proof of old stone age's settlements, later on the Celts, the Romans and finally the Alamanni have taken residence. Most of the Alb's towns, such as Schwäbisch Gmünd or Ulm were founded in the 12th and 13th century. Aristocratic families, e.g. the House of Hohenzollern, left a heritage of 400 castles, palaces and ruins. Amongst others the Hohenzollern Castle, rebuilt by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV, is worthwhile visiting.

Besides geology and cultural history the Swabian Alb offers a much bigger variety: Hiking in a breathtaking landscape, rock climbing in a unique scenery, winter sports and not least shopping, e.g. in the outletcity Metzingen.

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