In Hikes and excursions in and around Stuttgart

On the Möhringer Witch Trail on a sunny winter day

Hi guys! Even though the calendar tells me it’s winter, I don’t really believe him. No snow but blue sky and sunshine. So Moritz and I made up our minds to go for a walk today and explore some new sides of Stuttgart. We decided to do the first part of Möhringer Hexenweg which means Möhringer Witch Trail in English.

For all of you who are new to this blog: my dad writes hiking books about Stuttgart and the surrounding area so I always use his books when I feel like going for a walk. For todays hike, we used “Stuttgarter Wanderbuch” by Dieter Buck.

We took a U-Bahn to the station Riedsee in Stuttgart-Möhringen and started our walk.

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We followed the U-Bahn tracks until we reached the Riedsee on the right.

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And that was where we saw the sign the first time:

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A big, black M, the head of a rather friendly looking witch and a broom stick. If you don’t have a map or a hiking book but want to do this walk anyway, just follow these signs, they are well placed along the track.

After the lake and the restaurant with the same name, we turned left and walked along the north side of the lake.

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After we had passed this tree with it’s watchful eye we turned right onto a country lane.

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From here we had a nice view to what I think is THE symbol of Stuttgart: The Television Tower (Fernsehturm).

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We followed the lane until we reached the next asphaltic street and walked along garden plots and nurseries. We followed Korinnaweg and turned into Lohbauerweg until we reached Degerlocher Straße.  We crossed the tracks and followed them until Anna-Peters-Straße. Here we turned left and walked up to Sonnenbergkirche (church of Sonnenberg).

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I didn’t like the bulk, grey building  a bit, I have to admit. But it won the Paul-Bonatz-Architecture prize once and is actually a great example for sacral buildings from the 1960s. What we liked much more though was this statue showing three cute kids with books and footballs… wait a minute… Zwinkerndes Smiley

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We turned left into Orplidstraße and then left again into Grundlerstraße. We were now in the quarter Sonnenberg which is a great area to live in, I think. We saw so many beautiful houses at Möhringer Witch Trail.

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Moreover, we passed creative gardens and owners, that loved Stuttgart, as well:

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We crossed Laustraße and followed the street Im Betzengaiern downwards.

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After a left turn of the street we reached the forest.

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And all of the sudden, there was a little, mossy stream next to the track and we were passing through a small canyon.

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What a beautiful place! And remember, we’re still within the boarders of Stuttgart.

At the end of the canyon, we had to pass a tiny bridge and turn left (as I’m pointing out to you on the picture Smiley)Stuttgart_Hexenweg_Schwäblesklinge4.jpg

The track was leading up again until we reached houses. We turned right into Christian-Belser-Straße, walked along a hospital and took the next track on the right that brought us back into the forest.

We followed this trail that led us over a bridge and up again.

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This area looked a bit wild because of all the cut trees. We took the trail Hundsklingenweg on the left, where you can see a jogger in the distance.

After a while we reached this little lake where frogs lay their eggs in spring.

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It’s a protected area so you shouldn’t step too near.

After the lake we turned left and walked up again. Before we reached some more houses we turned right and walked parallel to the street. We left the forest after a while and had a lovely view over to the hill Birkenkopf, also known as “Monte Scherbelino”.

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After WW II many ruins and debris of the destroyed houses were brought there and piled up until a hill arose. It’s a very special place and offers an amazing view over Stuttgart.

At the end of the road we turned left and passed the Jugendfarm (kids farm), where we saw some cute animals.

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Definitely a fun place for kids!

After the farm we turned right and then right again. The trail led us left and started to become smaller but we turned left before. We walked up a hill and walked straight to some benches that overlooked a street. Here we turned left again and walked along the street and reached Vaihinger Landstraße after a while. We crossed the street, followed Lautlinger Straße until we reached the tracks of the U-Bahn and thus the end of our walk.

It took us two hours to do this easy, 8 kilometer long hike and we enjoyed the mixture of exploring beautiful quarters of Stuttgart and walking through stunning nature, we wouldn’t have expected within the city boarders.

More information about:

Stuttgarter Wanderbuch by Dieter Buck (only in German)

Artikle about the 2nd part of the Möhringen Witch Trail

Mellivinginstuttgart

Hello and welcome to "living in Stuttgart". I am Mel and I love this beautiful city. There are so many things to explore, I can't wait sharing them with you. So come along and let me show you Stuttgart the way I see it.

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