Räuber-Heigl-Wanderweg

We start our hike at the fire station and head west along the footpath next to the road, past the school and down into the valley. After 400 m, we cross the traffic lights and head straight on towards the farm on the right. Passing the farm, we head towards the nearby village of Gotzendorf. After the long left-hand bend, we turn right into the village and after 100 m come across the Räuber-Heigl lime tree. The lime tree was probably planted during the Thirty Years' War and, according to legend, served as a hiding place for the robber Heigl. Passing the lime tree on the left, our path leads uphill to the main road. We cross the road and now the Ho6 trail marker points us across the meadow to the nearby forest. We immerse ourselves in the aromatic forest air and hike steadily up the slope following the Ho6 markings. After almost 3 km, we come to our first rest stop, the former Reitenberg mountain farm. Now we leave the Ho6 and follow the green triangle markings on a white background (long-distance hiking trail). We walk uphill for about 45 minutes until the markings point left to the Räuber-Heigl cave. After a few meters, we stand in front of a rocky outcrop under which the cave is hidden. It is said that the cave once extended far below the Kreuzfelsen. Heigl is said to have lived here with his lover, the "Red Res". After visiting the robber's lair, we return to the hiking trail and begin the ascent to the Kreuzfelsen (999m), which can be reached via a detour to the left. Once we reach the summit cross, we are rewarded for our ascent with a magnificent view down into the valley to the Whitsun town of Bad Kötzting and far beyond into the so-called foothills of the forest. We turn east and continue walking just below the ridge on the south side of the Kaitersberg until we reach the Mittagstein (1034 m) with the Mittagstein monument after 2 km. The monument, which had fallen into disrepair due to the weather, was rebuilt in 1956 to commemorate the victims of the two world wars. Less than 100 m further on, the Kötztinger Hütte awaits us for a tasty and inexpensive lunch. The hut was built after the Second World War by the grandfather of the current landlord. It is one of the few mountain huts in the Bavarian Forest that is privately owned. Freshly fortified, we continue our hike in the footsteps of the robber Heigl in the direction of Steinbühler Gesenke. We walk about 1 km until we see the Ar6 trail marker. Here we leave the hiking trail heading north downhill and continue on the Ar6 through the forest. After a good 3 km, we see a pretty building in a large clearing, the Simmereinöd, once called Unterfreudeneck. On a Sunday, June 3, in the days of the robber Heigl, Katharina Dachs, sister of the then farmer Josef Dachs, was robbed here. However, Michl Heigl could not be proven guilty of the crime and its violent nature did not suit him. We now tackle the last stage of our day's hike and walk along the path marked Ho5 past the parking lots and information boards along the forest road. After approx. 500 m, we turn left again into the forest, always following the Ho5 trail. After one and a half kilometers, the forest opens up and we cross a meadow with a farm on the left (please cross in single file if there are several of you). After a small section of forest, we come to a forest road again, where we turn right. Once we reach the tarred road, we turn left towards Simpering, cross the village and soon after a few hundred meters we come to the road "Am Sportplatz" on the edge of Hohenwarth. We follow this road for a few minutes until the Johannes Baptist parish church with its 36-metre-high tower appears in front of us. Downhill past the castle, we reach the Hohenwarth fire station again. In addition to the local hiking trail markings mentioned above, the Räuber-Heigl hiking trail is marked throughout with the RH marking (black lettering on a red background).