Schönbuch

Schönbuch (German pronunciation: [ˈʃøːnˌbuːx] ^ⓘ; Swabian: Scheebuach) is an almost completely wooded area southwest of Stuttgart and part of the Southern German Escarpment Landscape (German: südwestdeutsches Schichtstufenland). In 1972, the central zone of Schönbuch became the first nature park in Baden-Württemberg.

The borders of the Schönbuch-Region are vague; however, the area of the Nature Park itself is strictly defined and is discernible from the adjacent areas. In the south, west, and east, the borders of the Nature Park and Schönbuch-Region are roughly the same; however, the region’s boundaries also include the cities and communities which lie on its edges. The southern border is defined by the Ammer and Neckar river valleys. The western boundary is generally accepted to lie within the Gäu flats, beginning east of the Filder Plateau. The features making up the northern edge of the region are the Siebenmühlental (Seven-Mill Valley), a clearing in the forest referred to as the “Schönbuchlichtung,” along with the surrounding woodlands. In the Schönbuchlichtung lie the villages of (from west clockwise) Hildrizhausen, Altdorf, Holzgerlingen, Schönaich, Steinenbronn, and Waldenbuch, with Weil im Schönbuch and Dettenhausen sitting in the southern portion of the clearing.