Schwenningen: Trails, Chapels and Straw Figures

Schwenningen can be explored through a variety of trails and themes: a 17.5-kilometre history and natural history trail leads through the village, combining history with natural history; chapels, a historic church tower and the straw park each add their own distinctive touch. When planning your holiday, it is therefore helpful to decide first what you would like to focus on: longer hikes, a cultural theme or—if there is enough snow—cross-country skiing. Choose your holiday apartment in Schwenningen to suit the kind of holiday days you want to enjoy.

A trail combining history and natural history

The “Discover Schwenningen...” history and natural history trail is 17.5 km long. It starts at the Werenwager Straße car park, leads to the Horn children’s playground and passes through the village on its way back to the starting point. There are 29 information boards along the route. This brings the trail and its interpretive stops together: when planning, you can take into account both the distance and the route’s connections to local history and natural history. The trail thus offers a different perspective from routes focused on scenic views or individual buildings.

Chapels, church tower and Way of the Cross

A trail around Schwenningen passes St. Anthony’s Chapel, as well as the Wendelinus and Lourdes chapels. The three chapels add a religious and cultural dimension along the route. The tower of the parish church of St. Columban offers a distinct perspective on the village’s history: its upper section dates from the 17th century and its lower section from the 12th century. These dates refer to different parts of the tower and make its architectural history especially vivid.

The Schwenningen Way of the Cross is another circular route in and around the village. It takes in features of the landscape and offers views of Schwenningen. The cultural and scenic options therefore differ: the chapels are located along the trail, the church tower highlights two building phases, and the Way of the Cross connects landscape features with views of the village.

Compare hiking trails and cross-country skiing

Five circular trails run through the Danube Valley, ranging in length from 6 to 17.5 km. Distance is therefore a useful point of comparison when choosing a hike. Trail conditions can vary, so be sure to take the conditions on your chosen route into account.

The Schwenningen cross-country ski trail offers several routes from 1 to 12 km at elevations between 810 and 950 m above sea level. It is possible to connect to the Nusplingen trail. Unlike the hiking trails described above, cross-country skiing depends on snow; the current trail status can also vary. Check it before planning your activities around skiing. Route length and elevation are two different factors to consider when choosing a trail.

Straw figures and a poetic nature theme

The Schwenningen Straw Park is a recurring open-air exhibition of straw figures on a meadow near the Heuberghalle, in the direction of Stetten am kalten Markt. The focus here is on the figures and their exhibition site, rather than on a walking route. As this is a recurring attraction, it is worth planning your visit around its scheduled dates.

The “Blue Flower” in the Finstertal valley near Schwenningen offers a different scene: it blooms in its natural surroundings, adding a poetic nature theme to the trails and buildings. When weighing up the different sides of the village, you can choose between routes, traces of culture and impressions of the landscape without combining them into a single excursion itinerary.

Cultural themes in the wider destination of Sigmaringen

In the wider destination of Sigmaringen, Sigmaringen Castle offers a distinct historical focus. It developed from a medieval castle into a princely residence and is considered a landmark of the town. Castle tours tell almost 1,000 years of the history of the House of Hohenzollern. The castle also has a private collection of weapons comprising around 3,000 objects. This history belongs to Sigmaringen and offers a distinct cultural highlight alongside the trails and themes of Schwenningen.

Choose the right focus for your holiday apartment

Your interests can help you choose a holiday apartment in Schwenningen: would you like to compare hiking trails, focus on the chapels and architectural history, or plan for a possible period of cross-country skiing? The lengths of the trails and ski routes offer concrete guidance; for the ski trail, snow conditions and the current status are additional factors. The Straw Park and scenic features also offer a different experience from a circular hike.

Discover more destinations: Thiergarten, Krumbach, Pfullendorf, Mengen, Gammertingen, Herdwangen-Schönach, Schwäblishausen, Hettingen.

Go to the overview of the wider destination: Sigmaringen.