An Olympic champion from Blaubeuren

The Swabian Jura and the Blautal are the home of Dieter Baumann, one of the most successful long-distance runners in German sports history. He was born in the neighboring town of Blaustein in 1965 and grew up in Blaubeuren. It is here that he spent al lot of time playing on the sports field, and here he discovered his passion for athletics. In 1988, the 21-year-old won a silver medal in the 5,000-meter race at the Olympic Games in Seoul, and four years later he won gold in this discipline in Barcelona. In 1988, Dieter Baumann was voted athlete of the year and sportsman of the year. In his further career he became European champion over 5000 metres in Helsinki in 1994, won the World Cup over 3000 metres in Cape Town in 1998 and took second place at the European Championships in Budapest.
In 1999, Baumann involuntarily found himself in the headlines with the so-called toothpaste affair: Baumann was tested positive for nandrolone. A week later, the raw material norandrostenedione was found in a manipulated toothpaste tube. Countless trials followed with a national acquittal, but an international ban during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. In 2002 he was allowed to take part in competitions again and at the European Championships in Munich he won silver again, this time in the 10,000 metres race. 

Dieter Baumann sports hall

In August 1992, the town of Blaubeuren named the sports hall, which was built in 1984, after the likeable athlete who is still strongly associated with Blaubeuren. He motivates local pupils to take part in the Dieter Baumann Race, and he is a chairman of the Pro URMU support group for the Museum of Prehistory. And what is more, Dieter Baumann has filled his fans with enthusiasm for  several years as a cabaret artist and blogger.
The Dieter Baumann hall offers space for school and club sports and is also suitable for tournaments with an extendable grandstand. The indoor swimming pool next door was built in 1977 and completely renovated in 2015. The five-lane swimming pool is 25 metres long.  
The outdoor pool beyond the Blau is one of the most beautiful pools in the Alb-Donau district with numerous attractions. Built in 1935 and modernized in recent years, it is located in one of the sunniest places in our town.

The UNESCO Global Geopark Swabian Jura

The Ach and Blau meander in the valley of the ancient Danube. With its karst springs, caves, rocks, quarries, dry valleys and other geological features, the region is a highlight of the UNESCO Geopark which has been distinguised as UNESCO Global Geopark because of its outstanding geological, archaeological and ecological heritage and cultural history.

The scenery around Blaubeuren

With its varied landscape, the Swabian Alb is a first-class hiking paradise. Anyone who hikes on the well-signposted “Ice Age trails” in the Alb-Donau district will wander through river valleys, beech forests, look down into the valley from scenic rocks and castles and discover turquoise springs and important Ice Age caves. The circular trails are ideal for day and half-day walks.

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