"Hegauer Kegelspiel" Old Post Road

The Old Post Road was already used by messengers partly on foot but also mounted in 1561 to transmit messages from Engen to Alsace. From 1700, the Old Post Road lost significance because the so-called Dauphin Road was built from Engen to Donaueschingen. Today, the Old Post Road is still known as a hiking trail beyond borders.

The starting point is the parking lot at the Old Post Road Hut, above Watterdingen. At the parking lot at the Old Post Road Hut, the approximately 10 km long hike on the Old Post Road begins. From Hohen Rain to Napoleon's Corner, you continuously enjoy one of the most beautiful views over the Hegau all the way to the Alpine range. Various rest areas invite you to pause along the way.

The path leads hikers towards Leipferdingen. From the Haseln viewpoint, you not only look into this next village but also beyond the district boundary. Through the forest and on meadow paths, you reach the Hundsrücken directly to Napoleon’s Corner. Here, panoramic views open over the Hegau with its distinctive volcanic mountains. You can see Hohenstoffeln, Hohenhewen, Hohenkrahen, and Hohentwiel in the distance. With good visibility, Lake Constance and the Alpine range appear just a stone's throw away. The sky lounger there invites a short break.

In 1800, a battle between French and Austrian forces took place at Napoleon’s Corner during the Napoleonic War. The Austrians had positioned themselves from Bisberg, which you will reach next, down to the valley in Watterdingen. The French took up their battle formation parallel to the start of the premium hiking trail. The battle extended to the district of Engen. The French achieved an important victory here against the Austrians. Therefore, the name of the town Engen is immortalized in the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

After the Maienbohl viewpoint, where the Hegau shows itself once again from its most beautiful side, you reach Bisberg. This completely treeless molasse height of 766 m offers a remarkable panoramic view. About halfway to rejoining the Old Post Road, you can discover the Biber spring. The small Biber creek, shortly after its source in Watterdingen near Blumenfeld, receives the Etzelbach flowing in from the Rohrertal and flows through Beuren a.R. and Büßlingen into Switzerland until the Biber finally flows into the Rhine.

The approximately 2.5-hour route eventually leads you back onto the Old Post Road and from there to the starting point of the hike, the parking lot at the Old Post Road Hut. There, a barbecue area and several tables and benches invite you to a final rest.