diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index d05849e..c7004ff 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@
 GPX-Änderungen berücksichtigen `GPX-Aufzeichnung.md`: Stationen sind `wpt`,
 Aufzeichnungen sind `trkpt`, der Server normalisiert zu `rtept`. Fehlende
 Koordinaten bleiben gespeichert und bearbeitbar; keine Ersatzkoordinaten erfinden.
+Die GPX-Dateien sind die einzige Quelle der Routenpunkte und berechneten
+Routenwerte. SQLite speichert davon nur Min-/Max-Grenzen für die Näheresuche.
+Schemaänderungen immer auch mit der Startprüfung an einer vorhandenen,
+frisch erzeugten Testdatenbank prüfen.
 
 Diese Vorgabe des Nutzers gilt für alle künftigen Änderungen an der Oberfläche.
 Die App richtet sich an Grundschulkinder und Menschen ohne technische Vorkenntnisse.
diff --git a/GPX-Aufzeichnung.md b/GPX-Aufzeichnung.md
index 0ee9a41..ecee537 100644
--- a/GPX-Aufzeichnung.md
+++ b/GPX-Aufzeichnung.md
@@ -29,11 +29,27 @@ Breiten- und Längengrad müssen gemeinsam angegeben werden oder beide leer blei
 Stationen haben eigene Felder unter „Ort ergänzen“.
 
 Die Serverdatenbank erlaubt `NULL` in `pois.lat` und `pois.lon`.
-`route_points` enthält ausschließlich gültige Koordinaten. Die Änderung ist in
+Die Tabelle `route_points` entfällt. Routenpunkte, Start und Mittelpunkt,
+Weglänge, Höhengewinn und Punktzahl werden aus der gespeicherten GPX-Datei
+gelesen beziehungsweise berechnet. Die Änderung ist in
 `database/schema.sql` enthalten; eine bestehende Datenbank bekommt sie nicht
 allein durch das Kopieren des Codes. Das Projekt verwendet beim Deployment
 die vereinbarte Neuerstellung der Datenbank, keine automatische Migration.
 
+SQLite enthält weiterhin Verwaltungseinträge, Freigaben sowie Stations- und
+Medienangaben. Von den berechneten Routenwerten bleiben dort ausschließlich
+`min_lat`, `min_lon`, `max_lat` und `max_lon` als Suchwerte erhalten. Die
+Näheresuche verwendet diese Grenzen zur Vorauswahl und berechnet anschließend
+den Abstand zum Start aus der GPX-Datei. Anlegen, Ersetzen, Anhängen und Änderungen
+an Stationen aktualisieren die Grenzen. Ohne Koordinaten bleiben alle vier leer.
+
+Die Startprüfung erwartet dasselbe Schema einschließlich der optionalen
+Stationskoordinaten, lehnt die entfernte Tabelle und Routenspalten ab und prüft
+die Suchgrenzen gegen die GPX-Dateien. Ein zusätzlicher Test führt die Prüfung
+in einem getrennten Prozess mit einer echten temporären Datenbank und Dateien
+aus. Damit wird der Fall einer vorhandenen Datenbank auch beim normalen
+Coverage-Lauf geprüft.
+
 ## Normalisierung auf dem Server
 
 Beim Einreichen oder Ersetzen einer GPX-Datei normalisiert der Node-Dienst den
diff --git a/database/schema.sql b/database/schema.sql
index 24b4485..545852a 100644
--- a/database/schema.sql
+++ b/database/schema.sql
@@ -6,17 +6,10 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS routes (
   school_name TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
   status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active' CHECK (status IN ('active', 'deleted')),
   gpx_path TEXT NOT NULL,
-  start_lat REAL,
-  start_lon REAL,
-  center_lat REAL,
-  center_lon REAL,
   min_lat REAL,
   min_lon REAL,
   max_lat REAL,
   max_lon REAL,
-  distance_m REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
-  elevation_gain_m REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
-  point_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
   created_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
   updated_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
   deleted_at TEXT DEFAULT NULL,
@@ -34,17 +27,6 @@ BEGIN
   WHERE id = NEW.id;
 END;
 
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS route_points (
-  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-  route_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES routes(id),
-  sequence INTEGER NOT NULL,
-  lat REAL NOT NULL,
-  lon REAL NOT NULL,
-  elevation REAL,
-  recorded_at TEXT,
-  UNIQUE(route_id, sequence)
-) STRICT;
-
 CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS pois (
   id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
   route_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES routes(id),
@@ -80,6 +62,5 @@ END;
 
 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_routes_status ON routes(status);
 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_routes_activation ON routes(status, activated_at);
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_route_points_route ON route_points(route_id, sequence);
 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_pois_route ON pois(route_id, sequence);
 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_poi_images_poi ON poi_images(poi_id, sequence);
diff --git a/src/services/gpx.js b/src/services/gpx.js
index b23857b..90d5cbf 100644
--- a/src/services/gpx.js
+++ b/src/services/gpx.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export function simplifyTrack(points, radiusM = config.gpxClusterMeters) {
   return result.map((point, sequence) => ({ ...point, sequence }));
 }
 
-export function parseGpx(xml, replacementPoints = null) {
+export function parseGpx(xml, replacementPoints = null, { allowEmpty = false } = {}) {
   const gpx = parseXml(xml)?.gpx;
   if (!gpx) throw new HttpError(400, 'GPX-Wurzelelement fehlt.');
   const tracks = asList(gpx.trk);
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export function parseGpx(xml, replacementPoints = null) {
   const recorded = validPoints(tracks.flatMap(track => asList(track.trkseg)).flatMap(segment => asList(segment.trkpt)));
   const points = replacementPoints ?? (routed.length ? routed : simplifyTrack(recorded));
   const waypoints = validPoints(asList(gpx.wpt));
-  if (!points.length && !waypoints.length && !gpx.extensions?.['wegwichtel:gpsGap'] && !gpx.extensions?.['wegwichtel:pendingWaypoint']) throw new HttpError(400, 'Die GPX-Datei enthält keine verwertbaren Punkte.');
+  if (!allowEmpty && !points.length && !waypoints.length && !gpx.extensions?.['wegwichtel:gpsGap'] && !gpx.extensions?.['wegwichtel:pendingWaypoint']) throw new HttpError(400, 'Die GPX-Datei enthält keine verwertbaren Punkte.');
   const metricPoints = points.length ? points : waypoints;
   const metrics = metricPoints.length ? routeMetrics(metricPoints) : {
     startLat: null, startLon: null, centerLat: null, centerLon: null,
diff --git a/src/services/routes-service.js b/src/services/routes-service.js
index bb69a7a..bd541e2 100644
--- a/src/services/routes-service.js
+++ b/src/services/routes-service.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { transaction } from '../database.js';
 import { config } from '../config.js';
 import { HttpError } from '../middleware/errors.js';
 import { parseGpx, gpxWithWaypoints } from './gpx.js';
-import { distanceMeters, routeMetrics } from './geo.js';
+import { distanceMeters } from './geo.js';
 import {
   ensureRouteDirectories,
   moveUploadedFile,
@@ -16,10 +16,13 @@ import {
   removeStoredFile
 } from './storage.js';
 
-const INSERT_POINT_SQL = 'INSERT INTO route_points (route_id, sequence, lat, lon, elevation, recorded_at) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)';
-const UPDATE_METRICS_SQL = `UPDATE routes SET
-  start_lat=?, start_lon=?, center_lat=?, center_lon=?, min_lat=?, min_lon=?, max_lat=?, max_lon=?,
-  distance_m=?, elevation_gain_m=?, point_count=?, updated_at=CURRENT_TIMESTAMP WHERE id=?`;
+const UPDATE_BOUNDS_SQL = `UPDATE routes SET
+  min_lat=?, min_lon=?, max_lat=?, max_lon=?, updated_at=CURRENT_TIMESTAMP WHERE id=?`;
+
+function readRouteGpx(row) {
+  const filename = resolveStoredFile(row.gpx_path, { allowTrash: row.status === 'deleted' });
+  return parseGpx(fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8'), null, { allowEmpty: true });
+}
 
 function trimEdgeHyphens(value) {
   let start = 0;
@@ -41,8 +44,9 @@ const routeGpxUrl = routeId => `/api/routes/${routeId}/gpx`;
 const pictureUrl = (routeId, poiId, pictureId) => `/api/routes/${routeId}/pois/${poiId}/pictures/${pictureId}`;
 const audioUrl = (routeId, poiId) => `/api/routes/${routeId}/pois/${poiId}/audio`;
 
-function rowToRoute(row, includeDeleted = false) {
+function rowToRoute(row, includeDeleted = false, parsed = null) {
   if (!row || (!includeDeleted && row.status !== 'active')) return null;
+  const { metrics } = parsed ?? readRouteGpx(row);
   return {
     id: row.id,
     slug: row.slug,
@@ -51,14 +55,14 @@ function rowToRoute(row, includeDeleted = false) {
     schoolName: row.school_name,
     status: row.status,
     activatedAt: row.activated_at,
-    start: row.start_lat == null ? null : { lat: row.start_lat, lon: row.start_lon },
-    center: row.center_lat == null ? null : { lat: row.center_lat, lon: row.center_lon },
+    start: metrics.startLat == null ? null : { lat: metrics.startLat, lon: metrics.startLon },
+    center: metrics.centerLat == null ? null : { lat: metrics.centerLat, lon: metrics.centerLon },
     bounds: row.min_lat == null
       ? null
       : { minLat: row.min_lat, minLon: row.min_lon, maxLat: row.max_lat, maxLon: row.max_lon },
-    distanceM: row.distance_m,
-    elevationGainM: row.elevation_gain_m,
-    pointCount: row.point_count,
+    distanceM: metrics.distanceM,
+    elevationGainM: metrics.elevationGainM,
+    pointCount: metrics.pointCount,
     gpxUrl: row.gpx_path && row.status === 'active' ? routeGpxUrl(row.id) : null,
     createdAt: row.created_at,
     updatedAt: row.updated_at,
@@ -71,26 +75,22 @@ function routeComparator(origin) {
   return (left, right) => left.name.localeCompare(right.name, 'de');
 }
 
-function insertRoutePoints(db, routeId, points, offset = 0) {
-  const insert = db.prepare(INSERT_POINT_SQL);
-  points.forEach((point, index) => {
-    insert.run(routeId, offset + index, point.lat, point.lon, point.elevation, point.recordedAt);
-  });
+function withinRouteBounds(row, origin, maximumDistance) {
+  if (!origin) return true;
+  if (row.min_lat == null || row.min_lon == null || row.max_lat == null || row.max_lon == null) return false;
+  const nearest = {
+    lat: Math.max(row.min_lat, Math.min(row.max_lat, origin.lat)),
+    lon: Math.max(row.min_lon, Math.min(row.max_lon, origin.lon))
+  };
+  return distanceMeters(origin, nearest) <= maximumDistance;
 }
 
-function updateMetrics(db, routeId, metrics) {
-  db.prepare(UPDATE_METRICS_SQL).run(
-    metrics.startLat,
-    metrics.startLon,
-    metrics.centerLat,
-    metrics.centerLon,
+function updateBounds(db, routeId, metrics) {
+  db.prepare(UPDATE_BOUNDS_SQL).run(
     metrics.minLat,
     metrics.minLon,
     metrics.maxLat,
     metrics.maxLon,
-    metrics.distanceM,
-    metrics.elevationGainM,
-    metrics.pointCount,
     routeId
   );
 }
@@ -109,7 +109,6 @@ function uniqueSlug(db, source) {
 function cleanupFailedRoute(db, routeId, gpxFile) {
   removeUpload(gpxFile);
   if (!routeId) return;
-  db.prepare('DELETE FROM route_points WHERE route_id = ?').run(routeId);
   db.prepare('DELETE FROM routes WHERE id = ?').run(routeId);
   fs.rmSync(routeDirectory(routeId), { recursive: true, force: true });
 }
@@ -139,22 +138,22 @@ export function listRoutes(db, {
   const origin = Number.isFinite(lat) && Number.isFinite(lon) ? { lat, lon } : null;
   const maximumDistance = radiusKm * 1000;
   return rows
+    .filter(row => withinRouteBounds(row, origin, maximumDistance))
     .map(row => {
       const route = rowToRoute(row, includeDeleted);
       const proximityM = origin && route?.start ? distanceMeters(origin, route.start) : null;
       return { ...route, proximityM };
     })
-    .filter(route => !origin || route.proximityM <= maximumDistance)
+    .filter(route => !origin || (route.proximityM != null && route.proximityM <= maximumDistance))
     .sort(routeComparator(origin));
 }
 
 export function getRoute(db, id, includeDeleted = false) {
   const row = db.prepare('SELECT * FROM routes WHERE id = ?').get(id);
-  const route = rowToRoute(row, includeDeleted);
-  if (!route) throw new HttpError(404, 'Strecke nicht gefunden.');
-
-  const points = db.prepare(`SELECT sequence, lat, lon, elevation, recorded_at AS recordedAt
-    FROM route_points WHERE route_id = ? ORDER BY sequence`).all(id);
+  if (!row || (!includeDeleted && row.status !== 'active')) throw new HttpError(404, 'Strecke nicht gefunden.');
+  const parsed = readRouteGpx(row);
+  const route = rowToRoute(row, includeDeleted, parsed);
+  const { points } = parsed;
   return { ...route, points, pois: listPois(db, id) };
 }
 
@@ -178,28 +177,19 @@ export function createRoute(db, fields, gpxFile) {
       const slug = uniqueSlug(db, fields.slug || name);
       const metrics = parsed.metrics;
       const result = db.prepare(`INSERT INTO routes
-        (slug, name, description, school_name, gpx_path, start_lat, start_lon, center_lat, center_lon,
-         min_lat, min_lon, max_lat, max_lon, distance_m, elevation_gain_m, point_count)
-        VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`).run(
+        (slug, name, description, school_name, gpx_path, min_lat, min_lon, max_lat, max_lon)
+        VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`).run(
         slug,
         name,
         fields.description || '',
         fields.schoolName || '',
         'pending',
-        metrics.startLat,
-        metrics.startLon,
-        metrics.centerLat,
-        metrics.centerLon,
         metrics.minLat,
         metrics.minLon,
         metrics.maxLat,
-        metrics.maxLon,
-        metrics.distanceM,
-        metrics.elevationGainM,
-        metrics.pointCount
+        metrics.maxLon
       );
       const id = Number(result.lastInsertRowid);
-      insertRoutePoints(db, id, parsed.points);
       return id;
     });
     ensureRouteDirectories(routeId);
@@ -226,10 +216,6 @@ export function updateRoute(db, id, fields, gpxFile) {
       fields.schoolName ?? existing.school_name,
       id
     );
-    if (!parsed) return;
-    db.prepare('DELETE FROM route_points WHERE route_id = ?').run(id);
-    insertRoutePoints(db, id, parsed.points);
-    updateMetrics(db, id, parsed.metrics);
   });
 
   if (gpxFile) {
@@ -242,22 +228,18 @@ export function updateRoute(db, id, fields, gpxFile) {
 
 export function appendRoute(db, id, gpxFile) {
   if (!gpxFile) throw new HttpError(400, 'Eine GPX-Datei ist erforderlich.');
-  const existing = db.prepare("SELECT id FROM routes WHERE id = ? AND status = 'active'").get(id);
+  const existing = db.prepare("SELECT * FROM routes WHERE id = ? AND status = 'active'").get(id);
   if (!existing) throw new HttpError(404, 'Strecke nicht gefunden.');
 
   const parsed = parseGpx(fs.readFileSync(gpxFile.path, 'utf8'));
-  const current = db.prepare(`SELECT lat, lon, elevation, recorded_at AS recordedAt
-    FROM route_points WHERE route_id = ? ORDER BY sequence`).all(id);
+  const current = readRouteGpx(existing).points;
   const allPoints = current.concat(parsed.points).map((point, sequence) => ({ ...point, sequence }));
-  transaction(db, () => {
-    insertRoutePoints(db, id, parsed.points, current.length);
-    updateMetrics(db, id, routeMetrics(allPoints));
-  });
-
-  removeUpload(gpxFile);
-  const target = resolveStoredFile(db.prepare('SELECT gpx_path FROM routes WHERE id = ?').get(id).gpx_path);
+  const target = resolveStoredFile(existing.gpx_path);
   const original = fs.readFileSync(target, 'utf8');
-  fs.writeFileSync(target, parseGpx(original, allPoints).normalizedXml);
+  const normalized = parseGpx(original, allPoints);
+  fs.writeFileSync(target, normalized.normalizedXml);
+  updateBounds(db, id, normalized.metrics);
+  removeUpload(gpxFile);
   return getRoute(db, id);
 }
 
@@ -296,6 +278,7 @@ function syncRouteWaypoints(db, routeId) {
   const filename = resolveStoredFile(row.gpx_path);
   const xml = fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8');
   fs.writeFileSync(filename, gpxWithWaypoints(xml, listPois(db, routeId)));
+  updateBounds(db, routeId, parseGpx(fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8'), null, { allowEmpty: true }).metrics);
 }
 
 function poiCoordinates(fields, existing = {}) {
diff --git a/src/services/storage.js b/src/services/storage.js
index a1139c4..44a9e3b 100644
--- a/src/services/storage.js
+++ b/src/services/storage.js
@@ -84,8 +84,9 @@ export function restoreRouteDirectory(id, trashRelativePath) {
   };
 }
 
-export function resolveStoredFile(relativePath) {
-  if (!relativePath?.startsWith('active/')) {
+export function resolveStoredFile(relativePath, { allowTrash = false } = {}) {
+  const inTrash = allowTrash && relativePath?.startsWith('trash/routes/');
+  if (!relativePath?.startsWith('active/') && !inTrash) {
     throw new HttpError(404, 'Aktive Mediendatei nicht gefunden.');
   }
 
diff --git a/test/backend-services.test.js b/test/backend-services.test.js
index e4ce756..d7a30a9 100644
--- a/test/backend-services.test.js
+++ b/test/backend-services.test.js
@@ -95,6 +95,21 @@ test('route, POI, media and storage services cover successful and rejected lifec
     assert.equal(route.name, 'Äußerst schöne Strecke');
     assert.equal(route.pointCount, 2);
     assert.ok(fs.existsSync(routes.getRouteGpxFile(db, route.id).absolutePath));
+    assert.equal(db.prepare("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE name='route_points'").get(), undefined);
+    const routeColumns = db.prepare('PRAGMA table_info(routes)').all().map(column => column.name);
+    for (const name of ['start_lat', 'center_lat', 'distance_m', 'elevation_gain_m', 'point_count']) {
+      assert.equal(routeColumns.includes(name), false);
+    }
+    const gpxFilename = routes.getRouteGpxFile(db, route.id).absolutePath;
+    const originalGpx = fs.readFileSync(gpxFilename, 'utf8');
+    fs.writeFileSync(gpxFilename, GPX_APPEND);
+    const fromFile = routes.getRoute(db, route.id);
+    assert.equal(fromFile.pointCount, 1);
+    assert.equal(fromFile.points[0].lat, 50.002);
+    assert.equal(fromFile.start.lat, 50.002);
+    assert.equal(fromFile.distanceM, 0);
+    assert.equal(routes.listRoutes(db, {})[0].pointCount, 1);
+    fs.writeFileSync(gpxFilename, originalGpx);
 
     const duplicate = routes.createRoute(db, {
       name: 'Zweite Strecke',
@@ -127,6 +142,17 @@ test('route, POI, media and storage services cover successful and rejected lifec
     expectHttpError(() => routes.appendRoute(db, 999999, uploadedFile('missing.gpx', GPX)), 404);
     const appended = routes.appendRoute(db, route.id, uploadedFile('append.gpx', GPX));
     assert.equal(appended.pointCount, 3);
+    assert.equal(db.prepare('SELECT max_lat FROM routes WHERE id=?').get(route.id).max_lat, 50.002);
+
+    const indoor = routes.createRoute(db, { name: 'Drinnen' }, uploadedFile('indoor.gpx',
+      '<gpx xmlns:wegwichtel="urn:wegwichtel:poi"><extensions><wegwichtel:gpsGap time="2026-10-03T10:00:00Z"/></extensions></gpx>'));
+    const indoorStation = routes.createPoi(db, indoor.id, { title: 'Ohne GPS', lat: null, lon: null });
+    assert.equal(routes.getRoute(db, indoor.id).pois[0].lat, null);
+    routes.updatePoi(db, indoor.id, indoorStation.id, { lat: 50, lon: 10 });
+    assert.equal(db.prepare('SELECT min_lat FROM routes WHERE id=?').get(indoor.id).min_lat, 50);
+    routes.deletePoi(db, indoor.id, indoorStation.id);
+    assert.equal(routes.getRoute(db, indoor.id).pointCount, 0);
+    assert.equal(db.prepare('SELECT min_lat FROM routes WHERE id=?').get(indoor.id).min_lat, null);
 
     expectHttpError(() => routes.createPoi(db, 999999, { lat: 1, lon: 2 }), 404);
     expectHttpError(() => routes.createPoi(db, route.id, { lat: 'x', lon: 2 }), 400);
diff --git a/test/runtime-database-integrity.test.js b/test/runtime-database-integrity.test.js
index 60e49a0..834474f 100644
--- a/test/runtime-database-integrity.test.js
+++ b/test/runtime-database-integrity.test.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import test from 'node:test';
 import { DatabaseSync } from 'node:sqlite';
 
 import { config } from '../src/config.js';
+import { parseGpx } from '../src/services/gpx.js';
 
 const databasePath = path.join(config.dataDir, 'wegwichtel.sqlite');
 const activeRoutesDirectory = path.join(config.storageDir, 'active', 'routes');
@@ -17,26 +18,22 @@ const EXPECTED_SCHEMA = Object.freeze({
     name: { type: 'TEXT', notnull: 1 },
     status: { type: 'TEXT', notnull: 1 },
     gpx_path: { type: 'TEXT', notnull: 1 },
-    point_count: { type: 'INTEGER', notnull: 1 },
+    min_lat: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 0 },
+    min_lon: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 0 },
+    max_lat: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 0 },
+    max_lon: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 0 },
     created_at: { type: 'TEXT', notnull: 1 },
     updated_at: { type: 'TEXT', notnull: 1 },
     deleted_at: { type: 'TEXT' },
     activated_at: { type: 'TEXT' },
     trash_path: { type: 'TEXT' }
   },
-  route_points: {
-    id: { type: 'INTEGER', pk: 1 },
-    route_id: { type: 'INTEGER', notnull: 1 },
-    sequence: { type: 'INTEGER', notnull: 1 },
-    lat: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 1 },
-    lon: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 1 }
-  },
   pois: {
     id: { type: 'INTEGER', pk: 1 },
     route_id: { type: 'INTEGER', notnull: 1 },
     title: { type: 'TEXT', notnull: 1 },
-    lat: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 1 },
-    lon: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 1 },
+    lat: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 0 },
+    lon: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 0 },
     trigger_radius_m: { type: 'REAL', notnull: 1 },
     sequence: { type: 'INTEGER', notnull: 1 },
     audio_path: { type: 'TEXT' },
@@ -132,21 +129,23 @@ function assertDatabaseIntegrity(db) {
   );
 }
 
-function assertRoutePointCounts(db) {
-  const rows = db.prepare(`
-    SELECT r.id, r.point_count AS expected_count, COUNT(rp.id) AS actual_count
-    FROM routes r
-    LEFT JOIN route_points rp ON rp.route_id = r.id
-    GROUP BY r.id, r.point_count
-    ORDER BY r.id
-  `).all();
+function assertGpxRouteStorage(db) {
+  const tables = db.prepare('PRAGMA table_list').all();
+  assert.equal(tables.some(table => table.name === 'route_points'), false,
+    'Veraltete Tabelle route_points vorhanden; Datenbank mit dem aktuellen Schema neu erstellen.');
+  const columns = db.prepare('PRAGMA table_info(routes)').all().map(column => column.name);
+  for (const column of ['start_lat', 'start_lon', 'center_lat', 'center_lon', 'distance_m', 'elevation_gain_m', 'point_count']) {
+    assert.equal(columns.includes(column), false, `Veraltete Routenspalte ${column} vorhanden.`);
+  }
+}
 
-  for (const row of rows) {
-    assert.equal(
-      row.actual_count,
-      row.expected_count,
-      `Strecke ${row.id}: point_count=${row.expected_count}, tatsächlich vorhanden=${row.actual_count}.`
-    );
+function assertRouteBounds(db) {
+  for (const route of db.prepare('SELECT id, gpx_path, min_lat, min_lon, max_lat, max_lon FROM routes').all()) {
+    const filename = assertInsideStorage(route.gpx_path, `Strecke ${route.id} GPX`);
+    const { metrics } = parseGpx(fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8'), null, { allowEmpty: true });
+    for (const [column, metric] of [['min_lat', 'minLat'], ['min_lon', 'minLon'], ['max_lat', 'maxLat'], ['max_lon', 'maxLon']]) {
+      assert.equal(route[column], metrics[metric], `Strecke ${route.id}: ${column} stimmt nicht mit der GPX-Datei überein.`);
+    }
   }
 }
 
@@ -265,11 +264,33 @@ test('Laufzeitdatenbank und gespeicherte Streckendaten sind konsistent', () => {
       assertTableSchema(db, tableName, columns);
     }
     assertStrictTables(db);
-    assertRoutePointCounts(db);
+    assertGpxRouteStorage(db);
     assertActiveRoutes(db);
     assertDeletedRoutes(db);
+    assertRouteBounds(db);
     assertMediaPaths(db);
   } finally {
     db.close();
   }
 });
+
+
+test('fresh schema passes the start check and permits stations without coordinates', () => {
+  const db = new DatabaseSync(':memory:', { enableForeignKeyConstraints: true });
+  try {
+    db.exec(fs.readFileSync(path.join(config.projectRoot, 'database/schema.sql'), 'utf8'));
+    for (const [name, columns] of Object.entries(EXPECTED_SCHEMA)) assertTableSchema(db, name, columns);
+    assertStrictTables(db);
+    assertGpxRouteStorage(db);
+    db.prepare("INSERT INTO routes (name, slug, gpx_path) VALUES ('Ohne GPS', 'ohne-gps', 'test.gpx')").run();
+    db.prepare("INSERT INTO pois (route_id, title, lat, lon) VALUES (1, 'Drinnen', NULL, NULL)").run();
+    assertDatabaseIntegrity(db);
+    assert.equal(db.prepare('SELECT lat FROM pois').get().lat, null);
+    db.exec('CREATE TABLE route_points (id INTEGER)');
+    assert.throws(() => assertGpxRouteStorage(db), /Veraltete Tabelle/);
+    db.exec('DROP TABLE route_points; ALTER TABLE routes ADD COLUMN point_count INTEGER');
+    assert.throws(() => assertGpxRouteStorage(db), /Veraltete Routenspalte/);
+  } finally {
+    db.close();
+  }
+});
diff --git a/test/runtime-database-prestart.test.js b/test/runtime-database-prestart.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c6c3c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/runtime-database-prestart.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';
+import { DatabaseSync } from 'node:sqlite';
+import test from 'node:test';
+
+const root = path.resolve(import.meta.dirname, '..');
+
+test('prestart validates a real database, GPX bounds and nullable station coordinates', () => {
+  const temporary = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'wegwichtel-prestart-'));
+  const dataDir = path.join(temporary, 'data');
+  const storageDir = path.join(temporary, 'storage');
+  fs.mkdirSync(dataDir);
+  const routeDir = path.join(storageDir, 'active/routes/1');
+  fs.mkdirSync(routeDir, { recursive: true });
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(routeDir, 'route.gpx'), '<gpx><rte><rtept lat="50" lon="10"/></rte></gpx>');
+  const db = new DatabaseSync(path.join(dataDir, 'wegwichtel.sqlite'));
+  const environment = { ...process.env, DATA_DIR: dataDir, STORAGE_DIR: storageDir };
+  delete environment.NODE_TEST_CONTEXT;
+  const check = () => spawnSync(process.execPath, ['--test', 'test/runtime-database-integrity.test.js'], {
+    cwd: root, encoding: 'utf8', env: environment
+  });
+  try {
+    db.exec(fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'database/schema.sql'), 'utf8'));
+    db.prepare(`INSERT INTO routes (name, slug, gpx_path, min_lat, min_lon, max_lat, max_lon)
+      VALUES ('Test', 'test', 'active/routes/1/route.gpx', 50, 10, 50, 10)`).run();
+    db.prepare("INSERT INTO pois (route_id, title, lat, lon) VALUES (1, 'Ohne GPS', NULL, NULL)").run();
+    let result = check();
+    assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stdout + result.stderr);
+    db.exec('UPDATE routes SET min_lat=49');
+    result = check();
+    assert.notEqual(result.status, 0, result.stdout + result.stderr);
+    assert.match(result.stdout + result.stderr, /min_lat stimmt nicht mit der GPX-Datei/);
+    db.exec('UPDATE routes SET min_lat=50');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(routeDir, 'route.gpx'), '<gpx><rte>');
+    result = check();
+    assert.notEqual(result.status, 0);
+    assert.match(result.stdout + result.stderr, /kein gültiges XML/);
+    db.exec('DROP TABLE pois; CREATE TABLE pois (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, route_id INTEGER NOT NULL, title TEXT NOT NULL, lat REAL NOT NULL, lon REAL NOT NULL) STRICT');
+    result = check();
+    assert.notEqual(result.status, 0);
+    assert.match(result.stdout + result.stderr, /Falsche NOT NULL-Eigenschaft für pois.lat/);
+  } finally {
+    db.close();
+    fs.rmSync(temporary, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});