With the Belle, Eggenstein has a quiet spot on the Rhine that is close to nature.
The water collects the last reflections of the sky and the shore before joining the great river. For generations, walkers, cyclists and day-trippers have been drawn to the -Belle-, a place where water, floodplain forest and open spaces meet. The Alb Canal, which begins shortly before the Alb flows into the Rhine at the oil port, finds its way into the Rhine here. Following extensive renaturation in 2014, it is more vibrant than ever: side channels, narrow banks and deadwood have created new habitats in which typical floodplain species are resettling.
Incidentally, Belle takes its name from the poplar tree, which is called ‘Belle’ in the local dialect – a tree that still characterises the atmosphere of the place today with its shimmering foliage and soft rustling in the wind. Thus, natural history is linked with the present, making Belle a charming, almost poetic destination for an outing.
