Eichenhain, Protected natural area in Stuttgart, Germany.

Eichenhain is a protected natural area in Stuttgart spanning about 34 hectares between the Sillenbuch district and Mittlere Filderstrasse. The landscape is defined by hundreds of mature oak trees with dense understory vegetation that forms an important habitat for specialized plant and animal species.

The area was used as grazing land for centuries, with oak trees offering shade and acorns as a food source. The designation as a protected zone came in 1958 to secure the natural composition of the landscape and its communities for the future.

For centuries the grove was a pasture for pigs, sheep and foals: the oaks gave shade and their acorns fed the animals. This old land-use form shaped the open meadow landscape, and the name Eichenhain simply records the oaks that dominated it.

The reserve lies between the western edge of Sillenbuch and the Mittlere Filderstraße (L1016) in southern Stuttgart. Tram and bus stops on the Filderquerlinie put the entrances within walking distance. Trampling, picking plants and nutrient input from too many visitors have made care measures necessary, so stay on the paths and do not remove plants or animals.

The oldest oaks have trunks 4 to 6 metres in circumference. The open dry grassland between them shelters the military orchid (Orchis militaris) and the bee orchid (Ophrys apifera), along with the heath grasshopper, so the mowing and grazing regime is what keeps these species present.