Host Nation Update, Sept. 28, 2022
Baden Württemberg’s Health Minister Manfred Lucha: “The State (of Ba-Wü) does not want to tighten COVID rules”
No changes in COVID rules in Ba-Wü: the Cabinet decided on Tuesday in Stuttgart a new COVID ordinance, according to which the regulations currently in force in the state from October will be largely maintained and only adapted to the new Infection Protection Act of the Federation. Accordingly, there will be no mask requirement in restaurants and stores for the time being. However, Health Minister Manfred Lucha (Greens) had recently held out the prospect of tightening the rules, in case the infection situation increases significantly in the fall and winter. The seven-day incidence was 273.6 on Monday, up from 187.1 the previous week. In Germany, certain mask and test obligations against COVID will again apply in the fall and winter. This provides for new rules of the federal government to deal with the pandemic. Nationwide, masks are mandatory on long-distance trains, in clinics and doctors’ offices. States also may again require masks to be worn in restaurants and other indoor settings. There will be no more lockdowns, closures of businesses or schools. Baden-Württemberg’s Minister President Winfried Kretschmann had recently announced that he sees the state in the “transition from pandemic to endemic.” He said that there was currently no reason to fear overload of clinics, as the new omicron variants were contagious but did not lead to serious illnesses. That means it can move from “caution” to ” liberalization,” he said. “When there’s an endemic, people are back in charge of themselves. That’s the phase we’re in.” (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Sep 28)
Sindelfinger Straße: the only possible way is straight ahead
Böblingen. The avenue of warning beacons makes it unmistakably clear: On Sindelfinger Straße in Böblingen, the only way is straight ahead. The connecting ramp to Leibnizstraße can no longer be approached. At the bottom of Leibnizstrasse, the barrier stretches across the roadway. There is no further way here.
The closure of Sindelfinger Straße and the ramp to Leibnizstraße has been closed since Monday evening. This construction site is also connected with the expansion of the A81. On the one hand, the road must be relocated here and the junction area of the connecting ramp between Sindelfinger Straße and Leibnizstraße must be reconstructed. This ramp area is expected to be closed until Monday, October 10.
Work on the new bridge over the A81 is also scheduled to begin directly adjacent to the ramp in October. In detail, it is the pits for the abutments of the road overpass that will be excavated. The new bridge will then be built next to the old one. The existing overpass will then be demolished, probably before the end of next year.
In addition, at the end of October, at the latest at the beginning of November, the commissioning of the provisional route, over which the freeway traffic is led during the construction period of the cover, is still pending. Initially, traffic will be shifted to the bypass in the direction of Stuttgart. In the opposite direction to Singen, traffic will be diverted to the temporary route during construction next spring. In the meantime, preliminary construction work for the tunnel will begin in the current roadway area in the direction of Stuttgart. In addition, the first section of the Calwer Bridge between Daimler Knoten and Flugfeld Allee along the K 1073 is expected to be opened this year. Traffic will then be able to flow over the first new bridge section. (BB.heute.de, Sep 28)
Around the Bebenhausen Monastery (BB District) – This is how Schönbuch Nature Park celebrates its 50th anniversary
On March 21, 1972, the Baden-Württemberg state government decided to make Schönbuch the state’s first nature park. Its 50th birthday will be celebrated this coming weekend in and around Bebenhausen.
The two-day anniversary bash will start with a ceremonial act On Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Bebenhausen Monastery. At the monastery there will also be a diverse program on the weekend not only for parents but also their children. The Forest Queen of Baden-Württemberg, Eva-Maria Speidel, adds a royal touch to the event. Stages A puppet theater tells the story of “Brummelbutz”, the last bear of Schönbuch, magician Marco Ripperger will fascinate with his tricks and singers, and art piper Eddy Danco will perform songs and chansons. On Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m., hunting dogs will show their skills. Food trucks like “Wild Sow” near the stage will provide food, and of course there will be enough “liquid” stand, where you can even sip on a glass of Schönbuch Gin. There will also be a regional market with many products from the Schönbuch region, as well as cooks from the southern Black Forest will prepare seasonal and regional delicacies. Also, for a good cause and for the 50th anniversary of the Schönbuch, the Round Table 129 Böblingen-Sindelfingen has come up with a campaign: trees and shrubs for the garden can be purchased as a donation for the nature park. Forest courses Start a round way and there will be further interesting offers from a ropeway to a cone slingshot. All information on the anniversary is available on the Internet at www.naturpark-schoenbuch.de. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Sep 28)
Discover Herrenberg’s church bells
The tower of the Herrenberg Collegiate Church is widely known for its mighty belfry. This weekend, there will be two opportunities to take a closer look at the “Herrenberger Glucke”.
On Saturday, October 1, from 17 to 18.15 there will be a bell concert. The sound of the bells accompanies everyday life in Herrenberg in the course of the day from morning to evening and in the course of life from the cradle to the grave. With their unmistakable tone, they invite us to healing interruptions in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. How this becomes audible in the working day and on Sunday, in the high and low tone of a single bell or in the festive harmony of a polyphonic ringing – this is the theme of the bell concert. Visitors can watch the concert in front of the church and in the bell museum on the tower. Visitors to the tower climb can reserve a place on the museum’s website.
The concert begins with a short introduction in the nave of the Collegiate Church. Shortly before 6 p.m., after the ringing of the 800-year-old “Armsünderglocke” (poor sinner’s bell) and the carillon chorale “Herr bleibe bei uns, denn es will Abend werden” (“Lord stay with us, for it will be evening”), the full peal with a total of 20 bells, consisting of the Zimbel bells and the main peal, is heard. The supporting foundation is the Gloriosa, the festive bell of the collegiate church with its low b°. Admission to the concert is free, but a donation is requested for the upkeep of the museum. The following day, Sunday, October 2, will be followed by a guided tour of the Bell Museum, which is unique in its kind. The collection includes 35 bells that form a tuned scale over almost three octaves. Among them are bells from many German-speaking regions in addition to the old Herrenberg ringing. These are not museum pieces, but bells that are in daily use. The one-hour guided tour begins at 2:30 p.m., meeting point is in front of the collegiate church. Registration is not required. For the visit to the bell museum, there is an entrance fee of 2 euros for people 14 years and older. The guided tour is a free offer of the city of Herrenberg. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Sep 28)