View of the Schussen River

a wonder of nature in every season

Wonderful short tour from Weingarten or Baienfurt

59 kilometers. That's how long the Schussen is - from the source near Bad Schussenried to the mouth in the Eriskircher Ried. Here it flows into Lake Constance. Over its entire length it loses 182 meters in height, and this gradient was used early on to generate energy.
The Schussen flows through the Schussen Valley. That alone is nothing special and is widely known. Less well known are the varied and exciting stories that have played out over the centuries on the river and along the banks of the Schussen.
At the beginning of the 18th century, wood from the Altdorf Forest was still floated here to the shores of Lake Constance, to then be sold to Switzerland. In Ravensburg, the Schussen offered separate bathing areas for men, women and children, including bathhouses, from 1845 onwards. Around 1870, the Schussen Valley between Mochenwangen and Weißenau was the most important industrial region south of Ulm. And it was not until more than a hundred years later, in 1987, that the last hydroelectric power station was shut down. The river then became unused and murky in its bed, the water quality left much to be desired, and floods in the early 1990s required regulatory measures. But today, in times of climate change and the search for ideas for the future, the Schussen is receiving more attention again. And it deserves it.