Local news translated – July 29, 2024

Graphic of person holding newspaper
Graphic by U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Public Affairs Office

Host Nation Update, July 29, 2024

Böblingen – Schönaicher Straße closed from Monday

The important connection to Schönaich is to be extensively renovated. From Monday, the area between Heusteigstraße and Achalmstraße will be completely closed.
Work will begin on Schönaicher Straße in Böblingen. It is to be extensively renovated at the level of the Baumoval. From this Monday, July 29, it will be the turn of the first construction phase between the junctions with Heusteigstraße and Achalmstraße/Schönbuchstraße. The road in this area is expected to remain fully closed until the end of September, according to the city of Böblingen. The second construction phase up to Brunnenstraße will then follow. The important link to the east of the town and to Schönaich will therefore probably be closed until the end of the year. Next year, it will then be the turn of the section between Brunnenstraße and Kalkofenstraße. According to the city, during the first closure it will still be possible to turn right from Schönaicher Straße into Schönbuchstraße, continue straight on from Achalmstraße into Schönbuchstraße and turn right from Achalmstraße onto Schönaicher Straße towards the city center.
Schönaich is at the bottom right of the picture. From there, the detour leads via Panzerstraße to Böblingen. /City of Böblingen Important to note: There is also a roadworks site on Schönbuchstraße. The road is currently closed due to sewer work between Röhrer Weg and Tiergartenstrasse. Back to Schönaicher Straße: The city has signposted a detour for motorists. It leads in a wide arc around Schönaicher Straße via Tübinger Straße, Poststraße, Spielbergstraße, Herdweg and Panzerstraße to Schönaich. The recycling center, the indoor swimming pool parking lot and the supermarket can still be reached from Schönaich. According to the city, pedestrians and cyclists will be able to pass through at all times. Bus services, on the other hand, will be subject to restrictions, with the bus stops Schönaicher Straße, Hallenbad, Breitensteiner Straße and Reiterhof being closed.

Schönaich is at the bottom right of the picture. From there, the detour leads via Panzerstraße to Böblingen. /City of Böblingen  (Stgt Nachrichten, July 26)

Extensive renovation – Road from Schönaich towards Waldenbuch closed until October

The country road from Schönaich in the direction of Waldenbuch is badly damaged, which has already been criticized frequently. Now the road needs to be repaired up to the junction to Neuweiler. The road will therefore be closed for almost three months from Thursday. The costs of around two million euros will be borne by the federal government. During the first construction phase, in which most of the road construction work is taking place, the area between Hohenstaufenstraße and the T-junction of Waldenbucher Straße and Schönbuchstraße will be fully closed. The junction area will remain open on the eastern side, so it will be possible to drive in both directions between Neuweiler and Waldenbuch. The closure is expected to extend from the T-junction to Hohenstaufenstraße in Schönaich from the end of September. From this point onwards, the junction area between Neuweiler and Waldenbuch will no longer be passable. The closure is expected to be extended to include the third construction phase from the beginning of October. In this area, the road surface will simply be repaired, which will take place in the course of paving the adjacent construction sections. This will result in a closed-off section of the L 1185 from Bühläckerweg up to and including the junction to Neuweiler. Traffic from Schönaich in the direction of Waldenbuch will be diverted via the K 1051 road during the entire construction period.  (Stgt Nachrichten, July 22)

Detours in connection with the widening of the A 81 between the Sindelfingen-Ost and Böblingen-Hulb junctions.

From Sunday, August 4, 2024, approx. 10 p.m., until probably Saturday, August 31, 2024, 6 a.m., the slip road in the direction towards Stuttgart will be fully closed in the area of the Böblingen-Ost junction.
The detour will take place from the Böblingen-Ost slip road via the K1055 and the Sindelfingen-Ost slip road. It can be seen in the attached diagram.
The reason for the closure is initial construction work for the redesign of the entire junction area. Further information on the project: www.deges.de/a81-erweiterung

Stuttgart’s hangman’s festival on Wilhelmsplatz from July 31 to August 3

“Watch out, or you’ll end up on the cheese” (place of execution) – this was once used to threaten people in Stuttgart when they wanted to intimidate them. The place of execution, which was located outside the city, was popularly known as “Käs” because of its circular shape. From 1581 to 1811, executioners sounded their swords on the town’s place of execution. Hauptstätter Straße owes its name to this main site. This street was the route to the place of execution, which was located in front of the Hauptstätter Tor gate on today’s Wilhelmsplatz square. However, nowadays, the festival is a platform for local bands. There’s a special Salsa-day on Saturday to celebrate its 30th birthday: two dance schools are creating an interactive program that invites you to dance along. Two salsa bands will also be playing: Forr’o Houseband and Los Del Campo.  In addition to its past as a place of execution, Wilhelmsplatz hides another secret – underground: a bunker was completed here in 1941. The 4200 cubic meter room was intended to protect 450 people from air raids. After the war, the shelter was used as a warehouse for the Kaufhaus für alle. Due to a lack of hotels, the bunker was vacated by the department store in 1947 – a U-Hotel was built, similar to the one under the market square. Even today, an underground passageway leads from Henkersplatz to the former executioner’s house at Hauptstätter Straße 37, where the Stuttgart Hells Angels had their quarters. And one more (useless?) fact about the place where hangmen’s parties are held: Wilhelmsplatz, where Henkersfest takes place from July 31 to August 3, was once the temporary location of the marketplace fountain during the construction of the new town hall.  The 30th Henkersfest takes place from July 31 to August 3. Event times are from Wednesday to Friday from 4 pm to 1 am, on Saturday from 2 pm to 1 am. (Stgt Nachrichten, July 29)