Discover Dormettingen through its different themes: shale, landscape and remembrance. SchieferErlebnis Dormettingen is a ten-hectare nature and leisure park. The Schlichem hiking trail passes through the town and offers a very different perspective on the landscape. If you are looking for accommodation in Dormettingen, you can plan your stay around these different interests.
Shale history and parkland
At SchieferErlebnis, the past and present use of oil shale are part of the visitor experience. This makes it possible to explore the subject both through the history of the resource and its current use. The park includes a large waterscape with a lakeside terrace and a green hill. These features provide a landscape contrast alongside the focus on oil shale.
Another way to explore is the SchieferErlebnis circular trail: nine information stations cover recultivation, geology, landscape, nature and resource extraction. The topics range from shaping a landscape after resource extraction to geological and natural connections. The distinction is useful when planning your visit: the circular trail organizes several themes across its stations, while the park is also described as a nature and leisure area.
Hiking along the Schlichem
The Schlichem hiking trail runs from its source in Tieringen through Dormettingen to its confluence in Epfendorf. It follows a largely natural stream. Landscape features include waterfalls, rock formations, meanders, wet meadows, varied forests, a gorge and floodplain habitats. The trail thus connects different waterside and woodland landscapes as it passes through the town.
The hiking trail and the SchieferErlebnis circular trail also differ in format: the Schlichem hiking trail passes through several towns from Tieringen to Epfendorf, while the SchieferErlebnis circular trail presents a set range of topics at nine stations. When choosing between the two, you can consider the longer riverside route and the themed circular trail separately rather than planning them as one combined route.
Remembrance of the Nazi era
The approximately three-kilometre-long remembrance trail explores the use of oil shale during the Nazi era. It leads to a shale furnace memorial and an open-air exhibition. The exhibition is located in the former transformer station of Wüste-Werk 7 and documents the fate of concentration camp prisoners as well as Dormettingen’s history during this period. The remembrance trail therefore has a historical focus that differs from SchieferErlebnis’s nature and leisure perspective.
Getting to SchieferErlebnis
The nearest public transport stop for SchieferErlebnis is MĂĽhle in Dormettingen. SchieferErlebnis has more than 100 car parking spaces, three bus spaces and three accessible parking spaces. Check stop and timetable details, as well as current parking conditions, before travelling.
The Zollernalb district as a wider context
The wider travel destination of the Zollernalb district has more than 100 signposted circular hiking trails, as well as long-distance and premium trails. The regional selection also includes fourteen premium trails: eleven in Albstadt and three in MeĂźstetten. The number of trails may change as the network is updated. These regional hiking options provide a separate planning context from the Schlichem hiking trail through Dormettingen.
As a cultural destination, Hohenzollern Castle adds to the wider picture of the Zollernalb district. It is located in the municipality of Bisingen, in the area of the district of Zimmern. The present-day castle is the third fortress on Mount Zoller; after its two predecessors were destroyed and fell into disrepair, it was rebuilt between 1850 and 1867. Its cultural programme includes numerous concerts, family days, open-air cinema and exhibitions. The castle thus adds its own history and cultural programme to the regional picture, without being a feature of Dormettingen itself.
Discover more destinations: Albstadt, Burladingen, Dautmergen, Tieringen, Geislingen, Rosenfeld, Winterlingen, Zimmern Unter Der Burg.
For the wider travel overview: Zollernalb district.
