Pliezhausen: Orchards and Village History

Pliezhausen brings together several cultural and historical themes in a landscape shaped by traditional orchards: old fruit varieties, village history and a local tradition connected with Mercury. When planning a trip, you can distinguish between natural and cultural landscapes, museum exhibits and specific historical features. The following sections describe these highlights and their distinctive characteristics.

Orchards and trails in the Schönbuch

Traditional orchards are a prominent feature of the landscape around Pliezhausen. They provide valuable habitats for many animal and plant species and serve as a local recreation area for residents. The landscape, habitat and recreation are distinct aspects of the same cultural landscape. Pliezhausen is also one of the towns and municipalities that are members of Schönbuch Nature Park. One specific trail is the Reichenbach Loop: it winds through woodland and meadows and passes through the southeastern part of the Schönbuch near Pliezhausen. This means that Nature Park membership and a named route offer two different connections to the landscape.

Old apple and pear varieties

The orchard of the Pliezhausen Fruit Variety Museum preserves mainly old apple and pear varieties that are also found in the region. The museum’s entire collection of trees, including the extension, comprises 257 trees. Visitors can learn about the varieties from two information boards, while the older trees are marked with name plaques. The information is presented on two levels: the boards cover the varieties, while the name plaques identify older trees. Unlike the expansive views across the traditional orchards, the orchard focuses on specific old fruit varieties and their preservation.

Mercury relief and temple replica

A 1.30-metre-high relief of Mercury is set into the wall at the Church of St Martin in Pliezhausen, lying on its side. It depicts Mercury wearing a winged hat and holding a herald’s staff and a money bag, and is popularly known as the “Pliezhäuser Teufelchen” (“little devil of Pliezhausen”). The name probably stems from the fact that, in the 16th century, the wings on the hat were mistaken for horns; this explanation is therefore only a possibility. Another connection to Mercury is a publicly accessible replica of a small Mercury temple in the garden of the Zimmermann family at Rosenstraße 10. The VEX LEG VIII AVG interest group created it to complement the original relief and show what a small Mercury temple of this kind might have looked like. The relief and replica offer different perspectives: one depicts the figure of Mercury, while the other illustrates one possible form of the small temple.

Village history at the Ahnenhaus

In Pliezhausen’s village centre, at Entenhof 17, you’ll find the “Ahnenhaus” Village Museum, housed in a former farmhouse dating from 1570. The permanent exhibition features a former village shop from the 1940s, a one-room school, the rare craft of chimney masonry, and a shoemaker’s workshop and a tailor’s workshop. Trade, education and different crafts each provide a distinct focus within the exhibition. The village museum grounds also include a bakehouse and a cottage garden that visitors can explore. The Ahnenhaus therefore offers more to see than the subjects covered in its permanent exhibition, with additional exhibits around the museum grounds.

These highlights have distinct focuses: the traditional orchards and Reichenbach Loop showcase the landscape and natural environment, while the Fruit Variety Museum, Ahnenhaus and Mercury sites each explore specific cultural and historical themes.

Discover more destinations: Zwiefalten, Sonnenbühl, Münsingen, Pfullingen, Dettingen An Der Erms, Gomadingen, Reutlingen, Hohenstein

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