Host Nation Update, Oct 6, 2023
Night closure of Autobahn A 81 – barrier will go down between Sindelfingen and BB
There is good news and bad news for motorists: The bad news is that the A 81 between Sindelfingen and Böblingen will be closed twice at night on the weekend of October 6 to 8. The good news is that it will probably be the last closure this year. “Deges”, the company developer, will widen the A 81 between Sindelfingen-Ost and Böblingen-Hulb to three lanes. Of course, this means that the old bridges, which only spanned two lanes, will have to be torn down in favor of larger structures. Deges is currently in the process of completing the bridge between Sindelfinger Straße in Böblingen and Böblinger Straße in Sindelfingen. Now that the bridge structure has been lifted into place, the infrastructure is being laid. According to Pia Verheyen, press spokeswoman for Deges, the scaffolding on both sides of the new bridge will be dismantled on the weekend, after which the supply lines will be removed from the old bridge and installed on the new bridge. At the same time, the asphalt on the road section will be repaired. After that, the old bridge between Sindelfinger Strasse and Böblinger Strasse is ready for demolition. This is planned for next spring, weather permitting, says Pia Verheyen. That will be the next time the highway will be closed. This weekend, the first full closure begins at 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6; and ends at 8 a.m. on Saturday. The second full closure begins at 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, and ends at 7 a.m. on Sunday. This is all subject to change, of course, as delays can always occur. Most of the traffic will be routed through Sindelfingen. Those who want to go south and are driving in the direction of Singen will be diverted from the Sindelfingen-Ost exit via Sindelfingen’s Mahdentalstraße, Neckarstraße, Hanns-Martin Schleyer Straße, Calwer Straße and the B 464 to the Böblingen-Hulb entrance. This detour is called U 6. Those who want to go north to Stuttgart take the U 13 from the Böblingen-Sindelfingen exit in the opposite direction. The detours are, of course, signposted. Since 2021, Deges crews have been working on widening the highway between Sindelfingen and Böblingen, which, as a typical commuter highway, was usually congested at rush hour. In addition to widening the highway from the current four to six lanes, two temporary shoulder lanes are also to be built, which will take up additional space. The total cost of the mega project is around 360 million euros. The extensive construction work was scheduled to end at the end of 2026. Deges recently admitted that a delay until the beginning of 2027 could be likely. (Stgt Nachrichten, Oct 6)
Holzgerlinge Herbst (Autumn) Festival – Food, music and shopping
24 degrees, a little bit of sun, a few clouds: That’s what the weather forecast for Sunday looks like – perfect autumn weather for the “Holzgerlinger Herbst”, which takes place this weekend. On October 8, it starts at 11 a.m., at 1 p.m. the open Sunday begins. It is now the 21st time that the event takes place on the Schönbuchlichtung. On Sunday, numerous actions are planned to entertain young and old.
Those who come hungry to Holzgerlinger Herbst should get happily full. Gastronomes like s’ Wildkämmerle, Bäckerei Konditorei Wanner, Friends on Fire, La Primavera, the Stadtcafé and the Waldhorn offer all kinds of delicacies. There will even be crêpes and Langosch. There will also be plenty of musical entertainment. Eight different groups will perform: At 11:30 a.m. the ensemble Samba Negra opens the program, from 1:45 p.m. the group “Step’in” makes a dance performance, at 4:30 p.m. “Stimmkraft” sets the mood and in the evening there will even be a Zumba class from 5:30 p.m. on. And also for the little ones will be entertained with a children’s carousel and a running wheel race will be held. Until October 7, parents can register their children for ten euros at Easy Sports in Tübinger Straße. Children up to the age of four can take part in the race – which starts at 1 p.m.
In addition, the music association will again provide hungry people with fresh farmhouse bread directly from the bakehouse in Klemmertstraße. If you enjoy the bread from the bakery, you can also stop by the local history museum in Friedhofstraße and quench your thirst: There you can get fresh apple juice, which is pressed directly with a historical cider press. The museum is open on this day – a good opportunity to view the new special exhibition “A ribbon goes around the world”, in which the history of the Binder company is reviewed. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Oct 6)
City of Böblingen – Night of bombing Oct. 7-8, 1943 – Devastating destruction still reverberates today
The devastating night of bombing on October 7-8, 1943, hit not only Böblingen hard, but also several communities in the surrounding area. On the 80th anniversary, there will be several commemorative events on Saturday.
In Altdorf, for example, most of the centuries-old town center was a victim of the bombs at that time. 13 people were killed, many suffered severe injuries and smoke inhalation and were left homeless. 40 percent of all buildings were destroyed, including the town hall and the new school building. The municipality of Altdorf and the local history working group invite to the 80th anniversary on Saturday, October 7, at 5 p.m. to the memorial plaque at the inter Schlossbergstollen Böblingen Where the people of Böblingen found shelter from bombs. Hildrizhausen was also hit hard. In the context of an ecumenical commemorative evening, which the churches, associations and organizations active in the senior citizens’ working group are jointly organizing on Saturday, October 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Nikomedeskirche, this event is to be remembered. Among other things, reports of contemporary witnesses will be presented. The Protestant youth also made a film five years ago in which contemporary witnesses have their say. This film will be shown again during the memorial evening. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity for discussion at a “Ständerling”.
In Böblingen, where large parts of the city center were destroyed, the symposium “How do we want to remember?” will already take place on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the Zehntscheuer. Speakers are the historian Stefan Wannenwetsch and the member of the Bundestag Pascal Kober, who grew up in Böblingen. A memorial hour will begin at 6 p.m. in the Stadtkirche on the Schlossberg. The Ukrainian Natalia Didenko, lecturer in German philology at the University of Odessa, will give the speech of peace. In addition, a small exhibition is currently running in the foyer of the New Town Hall. (Stgt Nachrichten, Oct 6)
Esslingen – weekend events
The leisure program in Esslingen and the surrounding area is wide-ranging this weekend. Arts, crafts and lifestyle – that’s what awaits visitors to Beutau Flair, which takes place on Sunday, October 7 in downtown Esslingen. At the traditional arts and crafts market, workshops and stores in the old Wengerter district “Beutau” open their doors and demonstrate crafts and more. Among others, the Ulrich lithography workshop, master stonemason Constantin Baki, and the Esslingen painting site will provide insights into their work from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Electro House Night at the “Penthaus”
On Saturday, October 7, there will be dancing to electro and house beats in Neuhausen. The youth center Penthaus organizes the first Electro House Night in the Rupert Mayer street – can be danced to 3 o’clock. The entrance costs 5 euros. On the way there or back, colorful works of art can be viewed: Visitors have redesigned the underground car park in the Ochsengarten Neuhausen with graffiti art in the summer. (Stgt Nachrichten, Oct 6)