Sparkling water of the duck pond

A family outing to the island of Rappenwört

from Lilly Schindler

22.08.2024

Rappenwört is an old Rhine island surrounded by the Rhine and an old arm of the Rhine in the Karlsruhe district of Daxlanden. It was created by the straightening of the Rhine in the 19th century. 

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The special thing about a trip to Rappenwört Island: it is an experience for the whole family that has a special charm at any time of year. Even in winter, the Old Rhine Island invites you to take a walk with young and old.

Start at the Altrheinbrücke bridge in Daxlanden

From Karlsruhe, Rappenwört is easy to reach by streetcar line 3 in the direction of "Rappenwört". All the following highlights in the area are also very easy to reach by bike or car. The Altrheinbrücke stop, for example, is a good starting point. You can also park here by car. More parking spaces can be found in front of the Ententeich pond or the Karlsruhe-Rappenwört nature conservation center. 

However, the Altrheinbrücke stop is not only an excellent starting point, but also offers a beautiful view that sets the mood for the Rappenwört tour. From the bridge, there is a wonderful view down onto the Altrhein and the benches on the bank invite you to enjoy the view.

Old Rhine arm © KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

From the Rhine to the lake: the duck pond

There is more to the duck pond on Altrheininsel than its name suggests. The lake on Rappenwört Island can be found on the left from the Altrheinbrücke bridge stop along Herrmann-Schneider-Allee. You can already catch a glimpse of the lake's water through the bushes. The duck pond is a quarry pond and was originally used for gravel extraction. Today, the duck pond is connected to the Old Rhine arm, which borders Rappenwört Island, via small canals. As the name suggests, it is a wonderful place to watch ducks and other birds. As the size of the pond is manageable, it is easy to take a walk along the banks.

Afterwards, you can either take a narrow path directly to the nature conservation center or walk back to Herrmann-Schneider-Allee and along the railroad tracks to the center.

Animal enclosure in front of the nature conservation center

If you choose to take the main road to get to the nature conservation center, you will pass extensive animal enclosures that are home to wild boar, red deer and roe deer. A special highlight is in spring, when you can watch the cute wild boar chicks!

Exhibition at the Karlsruhe-Rappenwört Nature Conservation Center

At the end of the tour, it is worth visiting the Rappenwört Nature Conservation Center and the permanent exhibition on the Rhine and the wildlife of the Old Rhine Island . There are also constantly changing special exhibitions to discover!
The nature conservation center is a real highlight, especially for children, as there is not only a children's adventure room on the water cycle. Exciting events and workshops for school classes, where children learn through play, are also regularly offered here.

Rheindamm and Rheinstrandbad Rappenwört

If you would like to extend the excursion a little further or even make it a full day, after visiting the nature conservation center you can walk to the Rhine dam and along the banks into the forest. Here you can have a wonderful picnic on one of the many benches by the lakes, especially on sunny days, or visit the Rheinstrandbad Rappenwört in summer. 

Stop off at the Saumsee lakes in Daxlanden

The restaurants at the Saumsee lakes invite you to stop off after your excursion. One is the An den Saumseen restaurant, which offers Greek specialties, and the other is Casa Rustika, which serves an Italian menu.

To get to the Saumseen lakes, head back to the Altrheinbrücke bridge and from here along Hermann-Schneider-Allee in the direction of Daxlanden. There you reach the turn-off to the Saumseen lakes. Here, in the north of the Fritschlach nature reserve, there are several small lakes beautifully surrounded by reeds and, depending on the season, birds of all kinds can be observed at the lakes.