Newsletter October 2015  |  State Tourist Board SouthWest Germany


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Dear Members of the Travel Media,  
 
SouthWest Germany enjoys many family friendly getaways and in this newsletter we highlight a few of our favorites! Situated not far from the shore, the island of Mainau in Lake Constance is a garden kingdom for children with well-organized treasure hunts, a butterfly house and waterfalls. Stuttgart's Wilhelma Zoo and Botanical Garden, known as the Alhambra on the River Neckar, is built in 19th century Moorish style with beautiful reddish brown houses that now are home to exotic plants and animals. For even more history, families can find a village of Lake Dwellers in middle of Lake Constance. Thatched roof huts and all of their interiors are recreated as they once were thousands of years ago into a village from the Bronze Age. Also on the shores of Lake Constance, the Zeppelin Museum dedicated to Zeppelin Airships continues to fascinate visitors with its full-scale reconstruction of a part of the LZ 129 Hindenburg. Finally, deep in the middle of the Black Forest near the Kinzig River, the Hirschgrund Zipline allows you to see the Black Forest from new aerial angles as you float or fly from one valley to the next!


Enjoy the Fall Season! 
 
With kind regards, 

Victoria Larson

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    In This Issue 
  

    Island of Mainau is a Garden Kingdom for Children! 

    Private Garden Turned Zoo: Stuttgart's Alhambra on the River Neckar 

    The Past Comes Alive in a Magical Re-Creation of a Bronze Age Village on Lake Constance!

    Zeppelin's Hindenburg in Friedrichshafen Fixates and Fascinates Families

    Aerial Views: Ziplining through the Black Forest

 

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Island of Mainau is a Garden Kingdom for Families! 
 
Situated not far from the shore, the island of Mainau in Lake Constance in the southern part of SouthWest Germany is garden kingdom for children and their parents. A well-organized treasure hunt is an expeditious and creative way to visit the entire island starting with the garden for the blind, then on through the landscape for the bees and butterflies followed by rows and rows of rose varieties, waterfalls and a butterfly house with hundreds of varieties that alight on your hands and shoulders as you walk through. Children must follow the clues to each of the plants or trees, an exercise combining education, adventure and the beauty of extraordinary plant varieties and landscaping. Mainau has all�es of palm trees and a tropical climate, and is often cited as a model of excellent environmental practices, an attribute that belongs to the whole of SouthWest Germany. The island belongs to the Lennart Bernadotte-Foundation which was created by Count Lennart Bernadotte of Wisborg, formerly a prince of Sweden and a Duke. Families can also swim in the lake and participate in a very challenging and high ropes course.  You can reach the island by ferry or car. In addition to the extensive botanical gift shop in the castle with beautiful high-end household items, there are nine wonderful restaurants, cafes and even Biergartens to choose from on the island! The restaurants range from traditional such as The Schwedenschenke opened in 1937 that offers quick reasonably priced meals during the day and internationally acclaimed haute cuisine in the evening, to the Rothaus-Seeterrassen which offers a Biergarten atmosphere with breath-taking views. 

 >> Mainau


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Copyright Wilhelma Stuttgart
Private Garden Turned Zoo: Stuttgart's Alhambra on the River Neckar
 
  
Known as the Alhambra on the River Neckar, the Stuttgart Zoo and Botanical Garden is built in 19th century Moorish style with beautiful reddish brown houses that now are home to exotic plants and animals. Today, Wilhelma Park belongs to the historical heritage of Baden-W�rttemberg, but it was previously a purely private retreat of the Swabian King, Wilhelm I. Originally the private gardens and the park with buildings in the Moorish style were intended to serve the king as living quarters. The Moorish architecture had come into fashion among the royal families of Europe. Since its founding however the park has undergone a transition from being a purely private retreat to having just over 2.1 million visitors per year. The Wilhelma Zoo combines history, tradition, architecture, animals and a beautiful botanical garden. Due to its unique history, its shrewd first director and a series of lucky coincidences Wilhelma is one of the only zoos in the world to have over 1,000 species of animals as well as 7,000 varieties of plant life in the botanical garden.
 
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The Past Comes Alive in a Magical Re-Creation of a Bronze Age Village on Lake Constance! 
 
In the middle of Lake Constance set upon reconstructed pilings, thatched roof huts and all of their interiors are recreated as they once were thousands of years ago into a village from the Bronze Age. Many of these Bronze Age villages - prehistoric pile dwellings - existed around the Alps and belonged to a people called the Lake Dwellers. The Pfahlbauten (Lake Dwelling or Pilings) Museum earned its UNESCO World Heritage site status as it was modeled according to artifacts recovered in a diving excavation in 2002.  From these excavations, they re-created a new village section dated from 975 to 850 B.C. as part of an EU-Project. In this re-creation you can witness naturalistic activities illustrating the life of the lake dwellers 3,000 years ago. A village could possibility have had anywhere between 5 and 80 houses. In a larger village with houses set closely together approximately 500 people had lived in a community. The Pfahlbauten Museum with its interactive set up brings the past to life in a way you have never seen before; it allows you to witness how our ancestors lived almost 3,000 years ago and takes you right to the source of history! If you are seeking a way for the past to come alive, for history that dates back more than a thousand years, to a time before there were castles or the written word, set your GPS to the town of Unteruhldingen, and the Pfahlbauten Museum. 
 
 
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Zeppelin's Hindenburg in Friedrichshafen Fixates and Fascinates Families 

Ferdinand von Zeppelin established his famous dirigible (airship) factory at the end of the 19th century in the town of Friedrichshafen on the shores Lake Constance. Today the museum is dedicated to Zeppelin continues to fascinate visitors with its full-scale reconstruction of a part of the LZ 129 Hindenburg. The partial reproduction is true to the original and authentically furnished. It is 33 meters in length - large enough to convey an idea of the enormous dimensions of the original airship. After the impressive overview of the partial model from the outside, the folded-down retractable aluminum stepladder invites visitors to go on board. It leads into the lower deck, the B-deck, which has a bar, a smokers' lounge and toilets. In the cabins, visitors can experience the special inside ambience of a 1930s airship and learn the technical aspects of this aircraft.  The Hindenburg travelled 18 times to North and South America. On 6 May 1937, while landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey, the airship burst into flames just before touchdown and many people aboard were killed. The Zeppelin mixes art, technology and history. There is a wonderful gift shop and restaurant overlooking the harbor. 

 
>>  Zeppelin (German only) 

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Aerial Views: Ziplining through the Black Forest!
 
Deep in the middle of the Black Forest near the Kinzig River, the Hirschgrund Zipline in the Heubach Valley is close to the charming village of Schiltach and only 40 miles from Freiburg. The zip line area is a near-circular course including seven zip lines with defined departing and arrival platforms: each tour takes two to three hours. Seven zip lines connect their departing and arrival platforms made out of Douglas fir. Between zip line platforms you can walk on the beautiful trails, and see the charming fall foliage, which lead you to the next platform.  You can see the Black Forest from new aerial angles as you float or fly from one valley to the next. Feel the adrenaline rush and spend a day in nature surrounded by forest, friends and family! Throughout all of SouthWest Germany, there are many opportunities for children to zip line, climb great heights in aerial adventure parks from Mainau in the south to Sensapolis outside of Stuttgart.

       
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For interactive maps and more information on cultural events and destinations in Southwest Germany and to start planning your trip, please go to SouthWest Germany and please click here for >> press photos and images.

 
 
Victoria Larson
Press Representative, US and Canada
SouthWest Germany
917-678-7689
Martina Bareiss
Marketing and Sales Manager, Overseas
State Tourist Board Baden-W�rttemberg