Steinheim am Albuch brings together traces of an asteroid impact and various ways to explore them: at the Meteorite Crater Museum, along geological trails, and on a bike ride between two crater landscapes. The local history room at the Klosterhof adds a distinctive touch. If you are looking for a hotel, you can plan your trip around whether geology, landscape, or local history is your main interest.
Crater Basin and Museum
The Steinheim Basin was formed by an asteroid impact about 15 million years ago. It is considered one of Europe’s best-preserved and most distinctive meteorite craters; its features include a central cone. The Meteorite Crater Museum in Sontheim focuses on the impact, its effects, and life around Lake Steinheim during the Miocene. Fossilized plants and animals from deposits in the crater lake add traces of the environment of that time to this story. The museum is scientifically overseen by staff from the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart.
Exploring on Foot and by Bike
The geological trail can be walked in full over a distance of 9 km or in two sections of 6 km and 3 km. The shorter section is half the length of the longer one; together, they make up the full route. This lets you choose the planned length of your hike using specific distances.
For cyclists, the Crater to Crater cycle route links the Nördlinger Ries with the Steinheim Basin. The ride starts at the Meteorite Crater Museum in Sontheim. After the section to Nördlingen, it runs over the crater rim and past the children’s festival grounds on the way back to Steinheim. This gives you a choice of a route between two crater landscapes in addition to the geological trail.
The Wental is a dry valley whose bizarre dolomite rock formations were shaped by a former river. The interactive Wental geological trail starts in Steinheim and leads through the valley to the Landhotel Wental in Essingen. So when planning your route, you should also consider the destination in Essingen.
At the edge of town, the Steinheimer Schneckensand outcrop offers another glimpse of fossils. There, you can discover fossilized snails and follow their development using an information board. Unlike the basin’s large-scale formations, the focus here is on small finds and their development.
Insights into Local History
The local history room at the Klosterhof is devoted to local cultural history. The responsible association preserves local customs, demonstrates old craft techniques, and safeguards historical exhibits. On display are traditional costumes, tools, and mementos of displaced people from Neudorf and Weindorf who settled in Steinheim. You can also visit a preserved old forge and the monastery kitchen; please follow the facility’s rules when planning your visit.
Plan Your Stay
To choose where to stay, you can first decide on the main focus of your trip: would you like to concentrate on the impact and its effects, choose a route on foot or by bike, or focus particularly on local history?
Discover more destinations: Giengen an der Brenz, Dischingen, Königsbronn, Heidenheim an der Brenz, Niederstotzingen, Gerstetten, Herbrechtingen, Nattheim
View the overview of the wider travel area: Heidenheim.
