Calw Builds XXL Slides for a Fast Ride Into the City Center

Calw is taking the phrase “a quick slide into the city center” literally. The Baden-Württemberg city has built two giant slides through its Stadtgarten, offering a faster route downhill from the park toward the center.

One slide measures 43 meters and the other 17 meters. After numerous test runs, both still need approval from TÜV before residents and visitors can use them. The city says riders could reach speeds of up to 35 kilometers per hour.

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Dry and warm weather, as well as clothing made from synthetic fibers, also provide ideal conditions for sliding.

The route involves a changeover. Users first take the larger slide and then transfer to the smaller one because the structure could not be built differently. The city expects families, park visitors, students and workers to use the slides. Two vocational schools sit above them in the Wimberg district, giving students a quick way downhill toward the center, although the city stresses that riders use the slides at their own risk.

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We hope they simply become part of everyday life.

Dry, warm weather and synthetic-fiber clothing provide the best conditions for the ride, according to a city spokeswoman. The smaller slide takes five to eight seconds, while the larger one takes 10 to 16 seconds. Walking the same route takes just under two minutes. From the bottom, however, visitors still need several minutes on foot to reach the city center.

The idea emerged during the redesign of the seven-hectare park, which a storm badly damaged in 2018. A competition produced the winning slide concept. The redevelopment costs about 1.5 million euros, with approximately 1.35 million euros coming from the federal government. The city hopes the slides become part of everyday life and, simply, that people enjoy them.

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It should simply be fun.