Local hiking trail Danube sinking

Welcome to Local hiking trail Danube sinking

This tour takes you past the "Lower Castle" and the "Danube Embankment Park I". After a short hike, you will reach the natural phenomenon of "Danube seepage". Follow the bank to the ford and above the railroad line back to Immendingen.

At the very beginning of the circular walk, you will experience how new life is being created on historical ground. The first machine factory in Baden emerged from the former seat of the Lords of Reischach in the Lower Castle in 1835. In 2008, this area was transformed into the residential and recreational area "Donauuferpark" with a public park.

The Danube submerges! Another highlight of this tour is the natural phenomenon of "Danube seepage". Due to the heavily karstified subsoil, the Danube loses around 5,000 liters of water per second in this area, and significantly more during floods. At 2,840 km, the second longest river in Europe disappears without a trace into sand and debris. After a maximum of 60 hours, the water has flowed through a huge system of caves and crevices and emerges again in the Aachtopf, Germany's largest spring, some 182 meters below. In the summer months, the Danube completely disappears here on around 155 days a year, leaving behind a dry riverbed and you can walk dry-footed over the bare gravel banks and the areas of the riverbed that are partially overgrown with grass.
The sinking points can be seen as whirlpools at normal water levels, which can be easily seen from the signposted path along the Danube.
However, all it takes is one heavy rainfall and the water no longer flows into the North Sea, but into the Black Sea within a few hours.

Source: DZT Knowledge Graph