Environment

The landscape around Villingen-Schwenningen is characterized by three different natural areas. The Baar, which is assigned to the large landscape "Neckar- und Tauber-Gäuplatten", the Middle Black Forest, in which the northwestern tip of Villingen is located and the southeastern Black Forest. These valuable natural areas and the protected areas within them form the backbone of the large-scale nature conservation project "Baar".

The natural areas described above are based on a pronounced geological diversity in the Villingen-Schwenningen landscape, from the Upper Buntsandstein in the Black Forest to the Muschelkalk-Gäu in the central area, Gipskeuper and Lower Jurassic on the extreme western edge via Schwenningen to Weigheim. This diversity results in the formation of different soil types: pelosols south of Schwenningen and north of Villingen, rendzines in the central area, brown earths in the west of Villingen in the Black Forest.

In order to sustainably continue the urban development strategy of inner before outer development, the city of Villingen-Schwenningen is committed to the preservation of existing open spaces and focuses on the inner development of existing settlement areas. Natural topographical barriers as well as the edges of the protected areas form factual boundaries of settlement. The green and natural spaces outside the settlement areas in Villingen-Schwenningen meet a variety of requirements:

•     They are identity-forming features, are important for the quality of life in the city and also fulfill recreational and leisure functions.
•     They are compensation areas of the city to compensate for structural interventions in the natural space.
•     They are used for agriculture and forestry.
•     They are habitats for animals and plants.
•     The green and natural spaces themselves also have a value.

The open spaces in and around Villingen-Schwenningen are a unique selling point for the city and increasingly a scarce resource. In addition, the loss of biodiversity is also an explosive issue here. The city of Villingen-Schwenningen is committed to these problems and sees itself as responsible for developing and implementing solutions for the future.

Advice and information for citizens

Citizens can turn to the specialized offices of the city administration in all questions of environmental protection. In addition to personal consultations, they also provide further information and useful addresses.