Explore Leonberg Tour 2

From Leonberg's old town over Engelberg, Gerlinger Heide and Solitude Palace to Gerlingen

This particularly varied hiking tour, both scenic and cultural, starts at Leonberg station and initially leads through the historic old town. Passing the Clausenmühle, it goes up to the famous Pomeranzengarten, a unique terraced garden from the late Renaissance period. The garden, laid out in 1609, is one of the few preserved of its kind and has been awarded as a special attraction of the Stuttgart region due to its cultural-historical significance.

Along the inner and outer city walls, the path runs over the Zwingerweg and through the historic ice tower, which formerly served both for cooling and defense. The route then passes the town church to Leonberg Castle, today the seat of the tax and district courts, and continues over the marketplace with the old town hall from 1468, one of the most magnificent half-timbered houses in the city.

Over the Burghalde you reach the Engelberg meadow, a popular event location. A detour to the towers on Engelberg offers additional impressions. Along meadow paths, through small woods and past viewpoints, there are repeated wide views over Leonberg and the surrounding landscape.

Further along, the tour leads into the area of the town Gerlingen and into the Gerlinger Heide, a nature reserve with open meadows, prominent solitary trees and geologically interesting exposures. Especially attractive are the views to the north as well as the view back to Engelberg with its tower.

After varied sections through residential areas, small woods and along quiet paths, you reach the Schillerhöhe. A worthwhile detour leads to Schlossberg, from where there is a wide view over fields and orchard meadows. The landmark here is the imposing bronze lion by Fritz von Graevenitz, which has symbolized strength and courage for over 60 years.

Through the forest it goes further to the impressive Solitude Palace, one of the most important Rococo palaces in southern Germany. Those who wish can shorten the tour here and take the bus back to Leonberg. However, the hike continues downhill via Ludwigsburger Allee and Schlösslesallee towards Gerlingen.

On quiet paths you finally reach the outskirts of Gerlingen and follow the Herdweg to the U-Bahn tracks of line U6. The destination of the tour is the Breitwiesen stop. From here, there is a convenient return option either by bus directly to Leonberg or by U-Bahn and S-Bahn via Feuerbach.