I like to drive up to Wartberg, which is located in the north of the Heilbronn Mountains. The 308-meter-high mountain with its green domes not only offers breathtaking panoramic views, but also houses the Wartberg Tower, sculptures, a mountain restaurant, and a beer garden. I love the plateau-like highlands of the mountain and the beautiful view through the vineyards to the city of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg. I can park my car in the free parking lot directly in front of the viewing platform. First, I head to the reopened beer garden. It couldn’t be used for years because dormice had nested in the roof. After they disappeared, the beer garden was completely renovated and has been open ever since. In the tropical temperatures, I treated myself to a cool non-alcoholic wheat beer and made my way to the landmark, the Wartberg Tower. This 30-meter-high tower has a long, sloping metal rod across its battlement. This light sculpture, called “Sunbeam over Heilbronn,” was created by Dutch light artist Jan van Munster and has been shining in the Heilbronn city colors on the roof of the Wartberg Tower since 2002. During the day, the polished stainless steel reflects the sunlight and appears white, while at night, neon light shines from the slits in the sculpture. Intense blue light shines toward the city of Heilbronn and neon red toward the highway. With a length of 15 meters, the sunbeam has a signaling effect and serves as a landmark. Before I could climb the tower, I passed the sculpture “Stein 2000.” It is located in front of the tower on the green lawn. It was created by sculptor Ralf Krämer on the occasion of the “Entente Florale” in 2000 on behalf of the citizens of Heilbronn. The monumental figure shows many leaves that seem to protectively surround a budding plant. In this way, the motif of the human figure is combined with plant forms to create a new unity and refers to the principle of “together we are strong.” I admired the sculpture for a while, whose intention is to make us more aware of and more intensely perceive nature, before I made my way to the tower. I climbed a few stone steps and arrived at the tower entrance. A spiral wooden staircase took me to the tower’s viewing platform, where I could enjoy a bird’s-eye view of Heilbronn. What a view! I savored this moment to the fullest before heading back down. To top it all off, I sat down on a park bench with a magnificent panoramic view of Heilbronn. The Wartberg is also very popular with couples in love, who enjoy the sunset here and end the evening romantically with a picnic under the stars. I was just happy to sit here among the wonderful vines and let my mind wander. A little time out sometimes works wonders and we learn to appreciate the little things in life more.
