Rottenacker: Danube Experience Hike, Church and Swimming Lake

St. Wolfgang Church with its building history, and the Heppenäcker recreational and swimming lake southeast of the town. This lets you decide whether hiking, a historic building, or swimming and relaxing should be the focus of your stay.

The Danube Experience Hike and its routes

The Danube Experience Hike starts at the “Wirtles Haus” museum or at Rottenacker Town Hall. As a circular route, it crosses the ridge, passes the “Tiefer Brunnen” spring basin and follows the Danube back to the museum. The full route is 12 km long and comprises two sections, each 6 km long. This makes it easy to compare the distances: each section is half the length of the full loop. The trail links several clearly named landscape features with a starting and finishing point in Rottenacker.

Swimming lake southeast of Rottenacker

The Heppenäcker recreational and swimming lake lies southeast of Rottenacker and offers a different focus from the hiking route. The lake has a sunbathing lawn, sanitary facilities and a kiosk. You can lie back, swim and relax there. If you would rather plan a day of swimming and relaxation than a hike during your stay, the lake is a good option to consider.

St. Wolfgang Church: year built and renovations

The building’s history also provides a specific connection to Rottenacker: today’s St. Wolfgang Church was built in 1485. Renovations followed in 1882 and 1963. These dates distinguish the original construction period from later renovations and make the church a cultural-history attraction alongside outdoor activities.

More places to explore in the Alb-Donau district

The Alb-Donau district is part of the Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve. Cultural and natural attractions there include Hohle Fels cave near Schelklingen and the Ehrenstein Stone Age village in Blaustein. Hohle Fels is a UNESCO World Heritage cave and the discovery site of the “Venus of Hohle Fels” and the “Geierknochenflöte” (Vulture-bone flute); both finds are about 42,500 years old. Ehrenstein Stone Age village is a Neolithic settlement in the Blau valley. It is part of the transnational serial UNESCO World Heritage property “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps.”

Monastic complexes also shape the cultural history of the Alb-Donau district. Obermarchtal Abbey stands directly above the Danube and acquired its present form between 1686 and 1795. The former Premonstratensian abbey is located in the Alb-Donau district. Blaubeuren Monastery was founded as a Benedictine monastery in 1085; today, it consists mainly of Gothic buildings dating from 1466 to 1510. The construction dates and architectural styles distinguish the two monastic destinations, as do their respective histories.

Hiking and cycling routes in the region

For day hikes, the Alb-Donau district has 20 circular trails known as the “Ice Age Trails” (“Eiszeitpfade”). They are 6 to 14 km long. There are also the family-friendly “Ice Age Tracks” (“Eiszeitspuren”), which range from 1 to 6 km, as well as the “Path of Reflection” (“Besinnungsweg”) for multi-day tours. The routes therefore differ both in length and in their described character, from family-friendly trails to a route for multi-day hikes.

Cycling routes also range from shorter rides to longer ones: the “Ice Age Valleys” (“Eiszeittäler”) route is 75 km long, the “Berg Bier Tour” is 115 km, and the “Albtäler” cycle route is 186 km. The “Albtäler” cycle route has been awarded four stars. Alongside the 12 km Danube Experience Hike in Rottenacker, these routes offer different scales to suit your plans: a local circular trail or longer hiking and cycling options in the Alb-Donau district.

Discover more destinations: Illerrieden, Staig, Blaubeuren, Westerheim, Breitingen, Nerenstetten, Merklingen, Öpfingen.

For the regional travel overview: Alb-Donau district.