Local news translated – May 24, 2023

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

Host Nation Update, May 24, 2023

Aerial bomb discovered on the outskirts of Stuttgart – Defusing at Greutterwald

Emergency forces of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service discovered an aerial bomb in the Greutterwald in Stuttgart on Wednesday morning.  About five houses had to be evacuated near the discovery site between the districts of Weilimdorf and Zuffenhausen, a police spokesman said. How many people were affected by the measures was not known.  The spokesman expected the defusing to take place before noon. Accordingly, the explosive ordnance disposal service discovered the bomb presumably during exploratory work in the forest area.  (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, May 24)

ADAC warns of long traffic jams this weekend during Pentecost vacation

On the long Whitsun weekend, drivers must expect considerable traffic jams on the Autobahns, according to the ADAC. In addition to the long weekend, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland start their vacations. The danger of traffic jams is particularly high in the south of Germany.  The most massive traffic disruptions are therefore expected on Friday afternoon, in the south also on Saturday morning and on Whit Monday. Last year, the Friday before Pentecost was the third most congested day of the year.  The most congested routes include the Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich metropolitan areas, the Autobahn to the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and numerous Autobahn routes, for example the A4 between Kirchheimer Dreieck and Dresden, the A7 from Hamburg in the direction of Füssen, and the A9 between Munich and Berlin.  The wave of Whitsun travel also includes the classic international routes such as the Tauern, Inntal, Rhine Valley, and Brenner highways, as well as the Gotthard route. Drivers also need a lot of patience on the highways to the Croatian coasts.   (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, May 24)

Railroad line closure between Wendlingen and Ulm – Train traffic in the Esslingen district affected

Due to repairs on the railroad line between Wendlingen am Neckar (Esslingen district) and Ulm, there were disruptions on Wednesday again. The new IRE 200 was affected, Deutsche Bahn announced on Twitter. The route is closed. Accordingly, there may be delays and partial cancellations. How long the closure will last, was initially unknown. Most recently, technical problems occurred on Monday evening on the newly built line between Ulm and Wendlingen, which slowed down rail traffic for several hours. According to a railroad spokesman, the reason was a signal box malfunction near Merklingen (Alb-Donau district). Some trains were at a standstill for a long time. (Stuttgarter Nachrichtgen, May 24)

Brewery festival on Friday and Saturday in Böblingen – Schönbuch brewery will party

To celebrate its 200th anniversary, Schönbuch-Braumanufaktur invites you to “Rock’n’Bräu” on the company grounds between Porstplatz and Lange Straße. On Friday, May 26, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and on Saturday, May 27, from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., many bands will play. Lord Mayor Stefan Belz taps the keg on Friday around 8 pm. Admission is free, but admission is limited. The band Blackbyrds will kick things off on Friday at 6 pm. After the tapping of the barrel, Stammwürze, the band of brewery boss Werner Dinkelaker, will be on stage from 8.30 p.m. onwards. On Saturday, the rock group 200bar will play from 3 p.m., and from 6 p.m. Fast Eddy’s Blue Band will set the party mood with their appearance starting from 20.30 o’clock Madison Bow closes the brewery celebration.  (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, May 24, 2023)

Column of smoke in Böblingen – Transporter is in flames

A black column of smoke in the east of Böblingen caused concern on Tuesday afternoon. Around 5 p.m., the police then reported that a vehicle was in full fire on the district road 1055. An inquiry with the responsible presidency in Ludwigsburg resulted in that a transporter of the mark Iveco on a company access road in the area of the thermal bath crossing had gone up in flames. The emergency call was probably received by the control center shortly before 5 p.m., whereupon the police and fire department responded.  The van is said to have had foam loaded, but no hazardous material, said police press officer Steffen Grabenstein. Probably due to the easily combustible material, there had been a massive smoke development. In addition to the emergency services, the towing service was called in at about 17:30.  (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, May 24)