Discover Jettingen: cycling route, views and history

Get to know Jettingen via the panoramic cycling route, striking viewpoints and historic sites. For planning your trip, it is worth exploring its different themes: the route leads to panoramas and several special stops, while the old water tower draws your gaze to the landscape and distant views. There are also historical connections and local traditions to discover in various places in Jettingen and Sindlingen.

The Jettingen Panoramic Cycling Route

The Jettingen Panoramic Cycling Route is about 25 kilometres long; its measured distance is 24.25 kilometres. As a circular route, it can practically be started anywhere. Official starting points are at the community centre, Oberjettingen cemetery, the FCU sports clubhouse in Unterjettingen and, in Sindlingen, by the inn. If you want to use a particular starting point, check the local directions before setting off.

There are 16 viewpoints along the route. Information boards explain the panorama at each one and give every viewpoint its own thematic focus. This means you can plan your ride not only around its length but also around the stops where you want to take in the landscape. There is also a barbecue area at the edge of the forest near the sports ground.

Distant views and the Heckengäu

A striking feature of the landscape is the old Jettingen water tower, at an elevation of 626 metres. From there, views stretch across the Black Forest peaks; on clear days, you can see as far as the Hornisgrinde and the Feldberg. The tower is described as the highest point in Böblingen district and the town of Nagold, which meet there.

The Heckengäu also features in descriptions of this viewpoint: at the old Jettingen water tower, a narrow belt of original Heckengäu landscape is said to remain, of which little can still be seen elsewhere. The views and the character of the landscape go hand in hand here, but remain distinct aspects of the place: on a clear day, distant views reach as far as the named Black Forest mountains, while the Heckengäu comes into focus through its narrow belt of original landscape.

Historical traces in Jettingen and Sindlingen

Sindlingen Castle was the residence of Franziska von Hohenheim during her widowhood. She was first the mistress and later the second wife of Duke Karl Eugen of Württemberg. This historical connection gives the castle a specific biographical link, distinct from the cycling route’s landscape themes.

A different kind of history is associated with the wooden monument “Beim Arm.” It stands about six kilometres past Oberjettingen cemetery on the panoramic cycling route. According to local tradition, a herb woman was murdered there on her way home about 160 years ago; her hand, protruding from the ground, is said to have brought the crime to light. This story should be understood as local tradition. It therefore differs from the clearly identified historical connection of the castle.

In the forest just behind the shooting club, on the left, are the remains of a Celtic quadrilateral earthwork, about 2,000 years old. It was probably built as a place of worship. Its presumed function is therefore a possibility, not a certainty. Alongside the story associated with the monument and the history of the castle, this site shows how varied the historical themes in Jettingen and Sindlingen are: an archaeological find with a cautious interpretation, a tale and a historical personal connection.

More to explore in the wider Böblingen destination

The wider Böblingen destination also offers independent attractions with different focuses. The 13.7-kilometre Herzog-Jäger Trail in Waldenbuch is a premium hiking trail with numerous highlights and hands-on activity stations. The Heckengäu Experience Trail around Aidlingen is 23 kilometres long and includes a soil education trail, a sensory area and a low-ropes course. The details on length and stops bring out the distinct character of the two trails.

For a cultural focus, consider the museums in Böblingen, among other places. The German Peasants’ War Museum documents the German Peasants’ War of 1525. Visitors can print title pages of Reformation and Peasants’ War pamphlets using a working, true-to-scale replica of an early printing press. This part of the wider Böblingen destination offers a different thematic perspective from Jettingen’s viewpoints and historic sites.

Discover more destinations: Herrenberg, Steinenbronn, Deckenpfronn, Grafenau, Merklingen, Ehningen, Mötzingen, Holzgerlingen.

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Böblingen.