Discover Gerlingen: Church, Forest and City Museum
Accommodation in Gerlingen
Gerlingen can be explored from many different perspectives: its landscape stretches from the Strohgäu region to the Glemswald forest, while St. Peter’s Church and the City Museum offer insights into history and culture. There is also a forest discovery trail, a pump track and a light rail connection to Stuttgart. When choosing Gerlingen as a holiday destination, you can weigh up whether nature, culture, cycling or the connection to the state capital is particularly important for your trip.
File:Gerlingen 2019 -Altes Rathaus- by-RaBoe 002.jpg
Photo: Ra Boe via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Landscape and Gerlingen’s History
The local area has a varied landscape. To the north, it is part of the Strohgäu region; the slope leading up to the higher ground forms the middle section, and the Glemswald forest lies on the plateau. These three landscape areas give Gerlingen a varied setting.
St. Peter’s Church tells a distinctive story of the town’s history. Its oldest part is the 35-metre-high tower. The nave was built between 1463 and after 1495 by the building workshop of Peter von Koblenz and Hans Wunderer of Pfaffenhofen. Outside the choir is the burial place of Johann Caspar Schiller, Friedrich Schiller’s father, and his sister Christiane Karoline, known as Nanette. Both died in 1796. The church thus brings together different historical connections: its construction history and the memory of the Schiller family.
The Gerlingen City Museum is housed in a 200-year-old schoolhouse and a neighbouring residential building. Its permanent exhibitions explore everyday life in earlier times, as well as emigration and mobility. Two major special exhibitions are added each year, each with an accompanying programme and a wide range of cultural and educational activities. In front of the museum, the KulturKiosk displays historical tools and equipment from crafts and agriculture. Anyone interested in ways of life in the past will find several different points of entry here: the museum exhibitions and the historical objects at the KulturKiosk.
Forest and Activity
The forest discovery trail in Gerlingen Forest has interactive stations where you can learn interesting facts about the forest and its inhabitants. As an attraction in the local recreation area, it is designed to appeal especially to families with children. The stations make the forest the focus of a visit, so the trail is a good fit for a stay that includes nature and discovery.
The pump track at the Roter Platz by the school centre offers a different kind of activity. The paved cycling track measures 36 by 24 metres and has numerous bumps and bends. Riders navigate them by shifting their weight rhythmically. This makes it clear what to expect when planning a visit: riding along a winding track with a series of rises and dips. The ADFC Strohgäu also offers after-work cycling tours for cyclists from Gerlingen, Ditzingen and Korntal-Münchingen.
If you would like to explore Gerlingen on foot, you can consider the town trail. The Gerlingen Local History Association established it in 1980; it now has 32 stops and is regularly updated.
Gerlingen as a Starting Point
If a connection to Stuttgart is important to you when choosing a holiday apartment, you can take the light rail into account: Stuttgart Transport and Tariff Association (VVS) line U6 connects the terminus in Gerlingen with the state capital’s main railway station in 27 minutes. This gives you a concrete reference point when planning a stay that includes both Gerlingen and Stuttgart.
Other places to discover include Großbottwar, Steinheim an der Murr, Eberdingen, Kornwestheim, Remseck am Neckar, Erligheim, Markgröningen and Affalterbach.
For the wider travel guide: Ludwigsburg.
