Ostfildern: Art, Gardens and Paths Through the Körsch Valley

Ostfildern brings together a range of reasons to visit: contemporary art, public sculptures, the community gardens in Scharnhauser Park, and a nature trail through the Körsch Valley. When searching for a hotel in Ostfildern, these themes can help you work out what interests you. Would you like to focus on changing exhibitions, a rock collection, or a route through meadows and fields? The places below offer some specific points of reference.

Art and Culture in Ostfildern

Since 1976, the Ostfildern Municipal Gallery has presented five to six changing exhibitions of contemporary art each year. Public art includes Rosalie’s large-scale sculpture »Sitz- und Flitzhasen« and Sol LeWitt’s monumental sculpture »Structure«. This brings together an annual program of exhibitions and permanent public artworks as distinct forms of art.

Community Gardens and Landscape in Scharnhauser Park

The community gardens in Scharnhauser Park were created after local residents took the initiative to continue caring for parts of the Traumfelder of the 2002 State Garden Show. Their origins connect the State Garden Show with the commitment of the people who continued to maintain parts of the grounds.

The Geotreppe, a rock collection that offers a hands-on experience of Earth’s history, is part of the community gardens. The Landschaftstreppe in Scharnhauser Park is a 1.4-kilometre green park made up of meadow fields, with views of the Swabian Alb. This means that Scharnhauser Park has two distinct focal points: the rock collection and hands-on experience of Earth’s history on the one hand, and meadow fields and views of the Alb on the other.

Orchard and Nature Trail Through the Körsch Valley

The orchard and nature trail in Ostfildern runs through the Körsch Valley, along meadows and fields and past the Amortempel. Points of reference for joining the trail include Scharnhauser Park at the Kreuzbrunnen stop, the Körschtalhalle in Scharnhausen, and the area near the cemetery in Nellingen. The route and these access points help to identify the trail as a distinct nature and landscape attraction in Ostfildern.

The chestnut avenue also leads to the Amortempel and to Scharnhauser Schlößle. The Amortempel is therefore both a destination along the chestnut avenue and a point on the orchard and nature trail. The trail and the Landschaftstreppe differ in their described features: one runs through the Körsch Valley past the Amortempel, while the other is a 1.4-kilometre green space with views of the Swabian Alb.

Local History and Annual Events

Philipp Matthäus Hahn was born in 1739 in the old parsonage in Scharnhausen.

The annual calendar of events includes the kite festival, organised by the Ostfildern municipal cultural office. If the festival is relevant to your travel dates, check the date before making plans. This lets you take a possible reason for travelling into account without assuming that the event will take place on a particular day.

In the Broader Esslingen Destination

The broader Esslingen destination puts the Esslingen district in a wider context. It is shaped by six landscape areas: Schurwald, Schönbuch, Fildern, the Neckar Valley, the Alb foothills, and the Albtrauf. The district’s orchard landscape includes 1.5 million fruit trees and shapes the scenery. This regional context sits alongside the specific Ostfildern attractions, such as the trail through the Körsch Valley.

Cycling routes are also described at district level: since 2020, cyclists in the Esslingen district have had access to around 1,200 kilometres of district cycling routes, and continuous bicycle route signage is in place throughout the district. The broader Esslingen destination thus offers a wider framework for planning your trip, while art, community gardens, and the nature trail are the featured attractions in Ostfildern.

Discover more destinations: Kirchheim unter Teck, Wolfschlugen, Esslingen, Wendlingen, Lenningen, Nellingen, Großbettlingen, Filderstadt

To the broader travel overview: Esslingen.