Station: [108] The Limes Lookout Towe
M: This is the cherished Swabian Alb,
That beckons in blue
To the plain on all sides;
Where on heaths high and cool
Far from the bustle
You drink the pure air;
Where the blossoms' scent
Calls out in the valley;
You step out swiftly
Until, reaching the spring
You sink into woodland shadow.
F: The theologian and writer Gustav Schwab poetically describing HIS Swabian Alb. The poet Eduard Mörike even spoke of a "wondrous blue wall".
M: But enough about poets. Here's a panoramic view!
F: Okay then ... the towering landmark right in front of us is called the Rosenstein ...
M: ... one of the most striking hills in the eastern Swabian Alb.
F: The earliest settlements up there date back to the Palaeolithic Age, as finds from a local cave have shown. It's called the "Kleine Scheuer", the "Little Barn" and is on the south-west slope. Between 800 and 400 BC, a massive early Celtic fortification was built on the hilltop. The word Alb, by the way, means mountain meadow. The term derives from the Old High German word "alpa".
M: And another panoramic view!
F: No problem! If you look to the south-west, you'll see the three "Kaiserberge" -- The Emperor Mountains: the Stuifen on the left, the Rechberg in the middle and the Hohenstaufen on the right. For centuries, the latter had no tree cover. With its jagged, clearly visible outlines, it resembled an upturned cup – what used to be called a "stauf". Until 1525, the ancestral castle of the imperial Staufer dynasty stood on the summit. However, it was destroyed in a fire and never rebuilt.
M: Now this is where it gets weird!
F: If you have the nerve, take a detour into the Grubenholz – that's the woodland right behind the lookout tower. But beware, the place is said to be haunted by the Grubenholzmann, and he's up to no good. If you believe the tales, he's a mischievous spirit...
M: ... who has it in for nasty timber-stealing thieves. He secretly climbs on to their backs, and suddenly, their swag weighs a ton. It's what you might call a crushing experience.
F: Next up: a spot of history!
M: Since you're already standing in the forest, why not take a walk along the Limes Trail? It's roughly a mile long – a kilometre and a half, actually – and follows the course of the Rhaetian Limes. Originally, the border fortifications consisted of wooden towers and a simple palisade fence. But in the third century, probably under Emperor Caracalla, the Limes was upgraded into a stone wall – up to three metres high and a metre wide, or ten feet by just over three feet. The Germanic peoples called it "Devil's Wall", and the remains are still clearly visible.
Fotos: © Jürgen Bahnmayer