Anyone who looks up at the sky on a balmy summer night is looking for more than just the Big Dipper. Baden-Württemberg is one of the few places in Germany where the starry sky is not swallowed up by the light of the cities, making it a particularly good place for stargazing. Between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb, Lake Constance and the Odenwald, real sky stages await night owls, curious minds, and stargazers.
Bad Mergentheim: The Milky Way for Advanced Stargazers
In a world full of streetlights and neon signs, darkness is a luxury. It is precisely this luxury that awaits all stargazers around Bad Mergentheim. The region in the northeast of the state is one of the areas with the least light pollution in all of Baden-Württemberg. The sky above Lake Hachtel is particularly spectacular. On a clear night, the Milky Way is so clearly visible that photographers from all over Europe travel here to capture its sparkling splendor.
Heilbronn: High Tech Meets Celestial Bodies
One of Europe’s largest telescope domes sits enthroned on the roof of the futuristic “experimenta” science center in Heilbronn. Thanks to special technology, visitors can marvel not only at stars and galaxies, but also at the surface of the sun – completely glare-free. If you want to learn more about the universe, don’t miss the programs offered by the Robert Mayer Observatory. Nighttime tours take you on a journey through our solar system and far beyond.
👉 Visit the experimenta website.
Karlsruhe & Stuttgart: Cinema With no Ceiling
In the new “PLANET KA” planetarium in Karlsruhe, the sky is not the limit, but a screen. Since May, the “100 Years of Eternity” exhibition has been showing spectacular 360-degree projections of stars, nebulae, and galaxies. In addition, you can see the real sky – live and clear above the city. Star fans will also get their money’s worth in Stuttgart: the observatory there on the Uhlandshöhe is one of the oldest in the state. With its huge telescopes, it also shows faint objects such as planetary nebulae and distant galaxies.
👉 Click here to visit the Planet Ka website.
Swabian Alb: Between the Albtrauf and Space
Surrounded by rolling hills and wild juniper heaths, a region is applying for the official title of “star park.” The Swabian Alb is one of the darkest regions in southern Germany – the ideal terrain for nighttime expeditions into space. Although the International Dark-Sky Association has not yet awarded the certificate, the conditions are already right. In Zainingen, for example, a specially equipped stargazing area with comfortable loungers awaits nighttime visitors. Those who sit here not only see stars – they forget the world below for a moment.
Black Forest: When Wishes Fly Through the Night
Every year in August, the Perseids enchant the sky above the Black Forest. Up to a hundred shooting stars per hour rush through the atmosphere – a spectacle that makes eyes light up and keeps wish-makers awake. Those who not only want to marvel, but also want to understand how the phenomenon occurs, can take part in guided shooting star hikes from “Adventure Blackforest“. They explain exactly what meteors are, why they burn up – and whether they really grant wishes.
👉 Click here to visit the Adventure Blackforest website.
Lake Constance: Wellness Meets the Magic of the Stars
During the day, Lake Constance sparkles with its lake and Alpine panorama. At night, silence descends over the water – and the show begins in the sky. It is particularly impressive at the Haldenberg Chapel near Ailingen or on the Gehrenberg Tower near Markdorf. Both places are easily accessible and offer a panoramic view of the night sky. Those who prefer to combine the spectacle with wellness should head to the Lake Constance Thermal Spa in Überlingen. Every month, there is a full moon evening with sauna infusions, regional snacks, and sky cinema – an experience for all the senses.
