Winterlingen: Planet Trail, Theater and Nature

A true-to-scale view of the solar system, hands-on theater and protected habitats give Winterlingen a varied character. For families who enjoy discovering new things as well as sharing experiences, there is plenty to choose from, ranging from nature and outdoor activities to theater and local history. Which of these appeals to you most can be a good starting point for deciding whether Winterlingen is right for your trip.

From the Solar System to Wetland Habitats

The Winterlingen Planet Trail depicts the solar system to scale at a ratio of 1 to 1 billion along the “Space Path.” At this scale, each unit in the display corresponds to one billion of the same units in the solar system.

Nature also offers a specific reason to explore Winterlingen. The Winterlingen natural swimming pool is a valuable wetland habitat that is specially protected under nature conservation law. It is home to great crested newts, alpine newts and smooth newts. Nature-loving visitors can therefore look out not only for landscapes, but also for specific native amphibians. The Harthauser Heide, in the associated municipality, is also designated as an extensive natural monument under Section 32 of the Nature Conservation Act. Guided tours for adults and children are offered there in summer.

Theater and Local History

K3 combines theater and sociocultural work: it is a small theater and, since 2022, a sociocultural center. Children, young people and adults can take part in theater themselves in various theater groups. This offers a different perspective from a visit where you simply watch.

Another cultural stop is the Winterlingen Postal Museum, housed in the old post office at Ebinger Straße 56, 72474 Winterlingen. Its collection contains more than 5,000 postal items. These include a complete old post-office counter and more than 300 postal caps from around the world. These examples illustrate the breadth of the collection: it ranges from a fully equipped counter to a large group of headwear from different countries.

In Harthausen, the local history museum is located in the Harthausen town hall. It opened on 10 October 1987 and was assembled from collections and loaned items. As a village museum and a place to encounter the past of the local area, it focuses on local history. The Postal Museum and the local history museum thus offer different cultural perspectives: postal items from around the world at one, and the past of the local area at the other.

Water and Winter Days

If you are considering an indoor swimming pool, Winterlingen has one with clearly specified dimensions: it is 25 m long and 10 m wide, with a water surface area of 250 m².

Cross-country skiing is another option, but only when snow conditions are suitable: the WSV Winterlingen grooms the Winterlingen trail above the Dickeloch ski lift as a 5.6 km classic cross-country route. About 1 km is lit during the ski lift’s opening hours. If you are considering Winterlingen in the colder months, take these conditions into account when planning your trip; the trail is explicitly dependent on suitable snow conditions.

Which Side of Winterlingen Is Right for Your Trip?

One clear difference to consider when choosing your travel dates is that guided tours for adults and children are offered in the Harthauser Heide in summer, while the Winterlingen trail is groomed only when snow conditions are suitable.

If you would like to discover more places: Tieringen, Balingen, Meßstetten, Weilen Unter Den Rinnen, Hausen Am Tann, Obernheim, Dormettingen and Bisingen.

For the regional travel overview: Zollernalbkreis.