Tuttlingen

Tuttlingen is a town in southern Baden-Württemberg in the valley of the Upper Danube. With 33,000 inhabitants, it is the largest town in the district also known as Tuttlingen, and a regional centre of Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg.

City Highlights

Tuttlingen, or more precisely the climatic health resort of Möhringen, is home to a natural phenomenon unique throughout the world. Here the Danube sinks into the karst rock – completely in summer, only partly in winter – to a depth of 183m and re-emerges, some 60 hours later and about 12km away, as the Aachtopf, Germany's largest spring. The water then flows along the minor Aach river to Lake Constance, from where it flows via the Rhine into the North Sea.

Its location between Lake Constance, the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb makes Tuttlingen the perfect starting point for those wishing to explore southern Germany's loveliest holiday regions. Sports lovers will find all kinds of health, fitness and leisure activities set among wonderful countryside. Two major cycle paths, the Danube Cycle Route and the Hohenzollern Cycle Route, pass close to a motorhome campsite and provide the ideal opportunity to explore the Danube valley and Lake Constance.

Tuttlingen is great for museums. A particular favourite (and not just for lovers of nostalgia) is the German Steam Locomotive and Model Railway Museum, housed in the former railway depot in Möhringen. The old engine shed contains a fully functional turntable and no fewer than 26 historical steam locomotives.

Tuttlingen has more to offer than you might think. Following the fire of 1803, it was rebuilt on a square grid layout and became the cleanest and most modern town in Württemberg. Although there's nothing straitlaced about Tuttlingen.

The town has plenty of surprises up its sleeve, with its architectural styles (from art nouveau to award-winning new buildings), prestigious art in public spaces and in the town's art gallery, a wealth of green spaces, and a municipal history that to this day shows Tuttlingen to be progressive and open to the world.

Accommodation and cuisine in Tuttlingen

Tuttlingen's choice of places to eat is fully up to the standards one would expect from a regional urban centre, and its high number of holiday homes make it possible to have an extended, yet still affordable, stay in the region. Twelve pitches are available for motorhomes at the pretty Donaupark close to the town centre. Overnight stays are free and there is a coin-operated service station.

Activities in Tuttlingen

The major routes of the designated cycle and hiking trail network lead directly into the town. The beautiful Danube valley, the Hegau region, Lake Constance, the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb are some of the popular places for days out within striking distance of Tuttlingen.

In Möhringen you can see the unique geological phenomenon known as the Danube Sink. And in Nendingen, you're at the gateway to the Danube valley itself.

Events

The Stadthalle Tuttlingen is open all year round and is a major regional venue for concerts, opera, theatre and literature. Fans of comedy and variety will find plenty to enjoy in the Bühne im Anger programme and the nationally recognised Tuttlinger Krähe prize.

Tuttlingen also puts on numerous annual fairs and festivals, such as the Gauklerfest (for street performers) and Run&Fun event in the heart of the town, and Summer in the Park on the banks of the Danube. The Honberg Summer marquee music festival takes place against the backdrop of the medieval castle ruins. And in neighbouring Neuhausen, the Southside Festival is one of Germany's biggest open-air festivals.

Tours in Tuttlingen

From January to December tourists have the opportunity to take guided tours through the Danube sink. While from April to November Tour of the Nightwatchmen is also available.

Tuttlingen and the invisible river

There is a lot to see in Tuttlingen, the town of straight roads. After the great fire of 1803, Tuttlingen was redesigned as a model example of a planned town with a grid system built around the large market square. Discover a wealth of culture and beautiful buildings, Honberg Castle in the centre of town, Baden-Württemberg's oldest art nouveau church and the TuWass spa and leisure centre. One thing you won't see in Tuttlingen, or in its Möhringen district to be precise, is the Danube – at least not for 150 days of the year. In Möhringen, itself a well-known climatic health resort, the Danube disappears through the sand and scree. This natural summertime phenomenon, the Danube Sink, allows you to walk along the riverbed towards Immendingen without getting your feet wet – you might even see some spectacular fossils along the way.

For more information visit:

http://www.tuttlingen.de/en/Culture+Tourism/Tourism

Did you know that the cave system into which the Danube disappears between Immendingen and Tuttlingen remains largely unexplored? The entire network stretches all the way to Germany's largest spring, the Aachtopf.

Stadt Tuttlingen
Tourism department
Rathausstrasse 1
78532 Tuttlingen

Tel.: +49 (0)7461 99340
touristik@tuttlingen.de
www.tuttlingen.de

Find out more about Germany