Nattheim offers concrete points of interest for two different kinds of travelers: the Coral and Local History Museum combines local history with fossils, while the seventh stage of the Albschäferweg is described with details on distance, duration, and elevation gain and loss. This lets you decide whether cultural history or hiking should be the focus of your stay.
Coral Fossils and Nattheim’s Local History
The Coral and Local History Museum is located in the Old School in Nattheim. Its local history topics include iron ore mining, charcoal burning, the quarries in Steinweiler, and cigar making. Fossils are also on display, including fossils known as “Nattheim corals.” The topics thus range from local history to finds from the history of the Earth.
A selection of fossil corals, sea lilies, sea urchins, oysters, mussels, and snails from the White Jurassic has been found exclusively in the area around Nattheim. Anyone interested in the Nattheim corals will therefore find a concrete connection to their origins, as well as their name. The fossils and local history topics offer different ways to explore the museum: through its finds and through the history of the town.
The Seventh Stage of the Albschäferweg
The seventh stage of the Albschäferweg, from Heidenheim to Nattheim, is listed as a hiking option. It is rated moderate, is 9.14 kilometers long, and is estimated to take 2 hours and 34 minutes. It also has 120 meters of elevation gain and 135 meters of elevation loss. These figures help you gauge the time and physical effort involved; check the route details before setting out.
The stage then leads to Schafhof Nattheim. Another useful reference point is the 1.5-kilometer distance from the end of the stage at Schäferei Wiedenmann to Nattheim. These locations and distances may be useful when planning to include the hike in your stay. The stated stage time of 2 hours and 34 minutes is a specific estimate for the route, not the duration of a full day’s hiking.
Heidenheim as the Regional Setting
In the wider destination of Heidenheim, karst features, lively rivers, forests, and heathland are part of the landscape of the Heidenheim Brenz region. The Brenz flows through this region for 52 kilometers. The certified Albschäferweg runs for 158 kilometers through the Heidenheim Brenz region, a cultural landscape in the Swabian Alb shaped by migratory sheep farming. The trail is dedicated to shepherds and their flocks.
The Eselsburger Valley is also part of this regional context: it is considered by far the most valuable habitat for amphibians and reptiles in the Heidenheim district. This classification adds to the picture of the landscape and long-distance trail in the wider destination of Heidenheim. In Nattheim itself, the museum and the specifically described stage remain the local points of interest.
Plan Your Stay Around Your Priorities
You now have two different points of interest to help shape your stay. If you would like to combine both, you can factor the stated stage duration into your schedule; check the route details before hiking.
Bus routes 50 and 51 are listed for the return trip from the “Nattheim Einkaufszentrum” bus stop to Heidenheim Central Bus Station. Check the current timetable before traveling.
Discover more destinations: Gerstetten, Königsbronn, Heidenheim an der Brenz, Herbrechtingen, Niederstotzingen, Giengen an der Brenz, Dischingen, Steinheim am Albuch.
View the wider travel guide: Heidenheim.
