Stuttgart, Germany

Monte Scherbelino

This natural hill rose another 130 feet from the debris and rubble added after World War II.

Monte Scherbelino (literally translating to “shard mountain”) is the colloquial name for the debris hill in Stuttgart, Germany, formed from piled-up rubble after the Allied air raids of World War II.

Roughly 10 years after the bombings, some 53 million cubic feet of rubble was moved to the hill, which originally stood about 980 feet above the city below. When the rubble was piled on, it added around 130 feet of height to the hill. Such artificial mountains formed from the destruction of the war can be found in nearly every major German city.

Among the huge pieces of debris, you can still easily identify building facades, window sills, pilaster, lintels, and reliefs made of limestone and marble. The largest part of the mound is overgrown today and serves as a habitat to animals like lizards. A plaque at the site reads (translated from German): “This mountain, piled up from the ruins of the city after the Second World War, stands as a memorial to the victims and a warning to the living.”

This somber place also offers a great view, overlooking the city in the Neckar valley below. In the summer it is also used for open-air church services under a huge metal cross.

Know Before You Go

As the highest point in the city, the hill can be seen from all around Stuttgart and is free to visit. Church services are held every Sunday in summer at 8 a.m.