Himmelsweg

Through meadows and fields to the Grafenberg with a magnificent view over Schorndorf. Continue through the forest past giant Wellingtonias and the stone monument to Karl and Olga.

Through meadows and fields and along individual paddocks, the trail starts in Schornbach. Signposted as a circular hiking trail, this tour is ideal for walking in both directions.

If you want, you can make a detour to the viewing platform on the Grafenberg vineyard. This offers a wonderful view over Schorndorf and cozy tables and benches invite you to take a break.

Gently uphill, with a view as far as the Drei Kaiserberge, the trail leads into the forest, where the corridors have evocative names such as "Sulzbuckel" or simply "Lochstein". It is an extremely beautiful path that leads through the mixed forest. As in many other places in the Rems Valley, its charm comes from its diversity: firs and deciduous trees, elegant beeches and proud oaks, and a mammoth out of nowhere! A tree from the Sierra Nevada in the middle of the Rems Valley forests. The Wellingtonia, also known as the giant sequoia or mountain sequoia. Their Latin name Sequoiadendron giganteum is supposedly derived from the Cherokee Indian Sequo-Yah, who is said to have had similarly gigantic dimensions as this tree. But how did this giant end up in the forest near Schorndorf? It is thanks to Wilhelm I, who in 1864 commissioned the Royal Building and Garden Directorate together with the Forestry Directorate to procure seeds of this giant tree from North America. The king presumably thought that a seed of this large tree would certainly be very heavy, which is why he ordered a pound. But even if the tree is large, its seed is one of the smallest and so the King of Württemberg received 100,000 seeds for his money. The seeds were sown in the cold houses at Wilhelma and from there they were generously distributed across the country, where the giants still stand today.

We encounter Wilhelm I again on this hike: at the stone monument that stands in the forest "in memory of the marriage of the high couple Wilhelm and Olga". Benches have been installed for hikers so that they can enjoy a leisurely snack and commemorate the royal couple.

From Friday to Sunday, the Thön winery's Besenwirtschaft invites you to take a well-earned break. Specialties from home-style and Swabian cuisine can be found at Gasthaus Lamm from Monday to Sunday (Wednesday is a day off).