Local news translated – Aug 10, 2023

Graphic by U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Public Affairs Office

Host Nation Update, Aug 10, 2023

Partial closure on A8 Ulm-Stuttgart – Three bottlenecks on the A8-Autobahn will cause huge traffic jams

At the Drackensteiner Hang and near Ulm-West, lanes will be closed on the weekend of August 11 to 14, not only the Drackenstein slope will become a bottleneck on the A8: also near Dornstadt at the Ulm-West junction, only one lane will be available in each direction from Friday, 8 p.m., to Monday, 6 a.m. Major traffic jams are to be expected. (Sued West Presse, Aug 10)

Shopping at Stuttgart Airport – supermarket is open around the clock now

A supermarket at Stuttgart Airport is now open around the clock. “So, if anyone who is surprised by a midnight hunger and is faced with their empty fridge will find a remedy at the Airport-Markt.”. Thanks to digitization, the store is open 24 hours a day, with no staff present at night. Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., customers have access via a reader using their bank or credit card or digital wallet. “Those who have their desired purchases together are allowed to scan them at a self-checkout and pay cashless,” the release continues. The customer thus also assumes the function of cashier. It is the first store of this kind of a large retail chain in the city. The supermarket at the airport belongs to the Edeka chain. It is located on the arrivals level in Terminal 3. Between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., it is open for regular business hours with staff. (Stgt Nachrichten, Aug 10)

Wild boar offspring at the Schwarzwildpark between Stuttgart and Tübingen

Good news from Stuttgart’s city forest: There are plenty of offspring of Stuttgart’s wild boar park between Bärensee and Schloss Solitude. There are more than 30 young animals on the move, easily recognizable by their striped fur. Together with the grown boars, they are curiously exploring their environment. “The pure joie de vivre of the sociable animals is infectious and delights adults and children alike,” says Ralf Noack, responsible district manager in the Wildmeisterei forest district of the state-owned Forst BW company.  Every now and then, they get extra food from the forest ranger: “The cheers of the animals can’t be ignored then. Sometimes I have to end ongoing phone calls when I approach them because I can no longer understand my own words,” says Noack. To protect the animals, however, only selected food is on the menu. Therefore, the animals should not be fed by visitors.  The eight reserves at the Schönbuch forest district are an attraction throughout the Stuttgart forest. They offer a special nature experience and the opportunity to observe the otherwise shy wild animals in their natural environment. As part of the infrastructure for recreation in the forest, the wildlife resorts are cared for and maintained with great enthusiasm by the foresters.  The Schönbuch forest district, located between Stuttgart and Tübingen, covers more than 13,000 hectares of state forest with a high diversity of tree species and mostly stable mixed stands. Due to its location in the conurbation of Stuttgart and the region, the recreational function plays an outstanding role. Around 8700 hectares have been designated as recreational forest of the highest category. Therefore, the interests of different user groups are taken into account here with regard to trail conditions, forest aesthetics, intensive communication and the provision and maintenance of a varied infrastructure. In addition to many recreational facilities such as benches, barbecue and playground areas, adventure and hiking trails, the Schönbuch Forest District operates eight different resorts with four different species of wild animals. (Stgt Nachrichten, Aug 10)

Expansion of the A81 – Böblingen Airfield will be fully closed on Sunday

In the course of the expansion of the A 81 and the Böblingen cross span, the area of Flugfeld-Allee between Margret-Fusbahn-Strasse (where the DRK center is located) and the Flugfeld fairground will be expanded to four lanes in a first section starting next Sunday. The construction work is planned for the period from mid-August to probably the end of July 2024. There are several construction phases.  The construction work will involve some serious changes in traffic routing: the existing four lanes of Flugfeld-Allee will be extended to the end of Festplatz Flugfeld, and at the intersection with Wolfgang-Brumme-Allee, the access road from Flugfeld-Allee will have an additional right-turn lane.   The first construction phase will begin next Sunday, August 13, with a full closure. This will affect the section of Flugfeld-Allee between Margret-Fusbahn-Strasse and the Motorworld and Festplatz access road on the west side of the airfield. A detour via Wolfgang-Brumme-Allee, Konrad-Zuse-Straße, Calwer Straße and Flugfeld-Allee will be set up in both directions. (Stgt Nachrichten, Aug 10)

Motorworld Böblingen – Motor meeting for classic cars and NSU fans

Classic car fans should make a note of August 27 in their calendars. On that Sunday, Motorworld Region Stuttgart will be hosting a classic car get-together with the Motortreff “H-Liscense plates”. In addition to a variety of historic vehicles, a special show in the Hall of Motorworld Region Stuttgart will focus on the theme “150 Years of NSU.”  Addressed are owners of NSU vehicles and other classic automobiles and motorcycles as well as all classic car fans. The H-plate meeting will take place on Sunday, August 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  “It stands for automotive passion, passionate classic car enthusiasts, as well as clubs, and they you to stroll, discover and marvel at motor vehicle cultural assets and everything that goes with them,” so the organizers. For the younger guests, the Boy Scouts and Motorworld will prepare a children’s program, such as a Bobby Car course. In addition, there also will be various food trucks. In addition, the special exhibition “150 Years of NSU” will pay homage to the history of the traditional brand. NSU’s roots go back to 1873, when Christian Schmidt and Heinrich Stoll founded a knitting machine factory in Riedlingen on the Danube.  In 1880, the company moved to Neckarsulm and from then on the name NSU – derived from the town’s name – was inseparably linked with the town. Anno 1900 the first NSU motorcycle series was introduced. In 1906, the company took the big step into automobile manufacturing and presented the “Original Neckarsulmer Motorwagen”. With the Audi plant in Neckarsulm Today, the NSU story lives on. (Stgt Nachrichten, Aug 9)