Nordhalbener Kapellen-Achter

The Nordhalben Chapel Eight is a 6.2 km long themed trail that takes you to the ecclesiastical buildings and numerous witnesses to Christian folk beliefs in the Nordhalben area.

At the start of the Chapel Eight is the Catholic parish church of St. Bartholomew. The oldest documentary mention of Nordhalben as a castle, which was built in the northern forest (Franconian Forest) at the behest of the Bishop of Bamberg, dates back to 1154. The building of the castle and the founding of the village were certainly under Christian auspices. In the oldest archdeaconry register from 1421, a parish priest is confirmed in Nordhalben for the first time. During and as a result of the Thirty Years' War, the parish church fell into noticeable disrepair and is described as "dilapidated" in an official description from 1690. Between 1707 and 1715, the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style on its current site. In the "Great Fire" of 1856, the church was also destroyed in the flames, apart from the choir vault and the foundations of the tower. Reconstruction began in 1858. With the addition of the side aisle and the extension of the sacristy in 1928, the church took on its present form. Further information can be found in a leaflet available in the church. During the day, the parish church is open daily and invites you to linger, look around and pray. In the churchyard there is a memorial plaque for Pastor Johann Stadter and the priest's grave of Pastor Johann Gumbrecht. The stone sculpture "Moses before the burning bush" by the little church well is by the Kronach sculptor Heinrich Schreiber (1999).

After leaving the churchyard, the path first leads uphill and then to the left into Neue Gasse, where a memorial stone at number 40 (above the rectory) commemorates the Great Fire of 1856. Via Fichteraweg, Lorenz-Stumpf-Straße and Birkenweg, you come to the Mother of God Chapel on Karolinenhöhe, which was built in 1921 with donations from John Haderlein, who was born in Nordhalben in 1867 and emigrated to Chicago in 1888 (made an honorary citizen of Nordhalben in 1921).

The wooden sculpture of the Pieta dates back to the 18th century. Every year on the evening of the Friday before the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (August 15), the "Siedlerkerwa" devotion takes place at this chapel.

After a short walk, you will reach the wayside chapel at the Alte Marter with a crucifix from the second half of the 18th century.

To the right of the main road to Kronach, under an old lime tree, stands the Alte Marter, a sandstone column from the 17th/18th century. The relief depiction of St. Catherine on the front was added during a more recent renovation. On the left-hand side of the main road to Kronach, the path leads to the Five Wounds Cross, which is already mentioned in an old Franconian Forest legend: A farmer from a neighboring village had a blind daughter. He vowed to make a pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary in Nordhalben and to donate his best ox to the church in Nordhalben if his daughter could see. Praying, they made their way to Nordhalben. During the pilgrimage, the girl's eyes brightened; when she arrived at the Five Wounds Cross, she declared with joy that she could see the parish church, the village and the Marian chapel clearly in front of her. The farmer considered the purpose of the pilgrimage fulfilled and, without completing his vow, set off home with his child and oxen. On the way back, however, the girl's eyes faded visibly; when she arrived home, she was once again completely blind. From then on, no sacrifices or prayers could bring about an improvement. The origins of the Five Wounds Cross are unknown; the corpus, which was renewed in 1996, is a baroque carving.

The path now leads downhill, first past the Nordwaldhalle, via Nikolaus-Feulner-Straße, Heinrichsröthlein and Bahnhofstraße to the "Emlichsweg" on the Nordhalbener Sommerleite (southern slope). The crossing point for the Kapellen-Achter is below the Marienkapelle chapel. It initially leads to the right and follows the FrankenwaldSteigla "Der Kirchgänger" downhill to the district of Grund. If your fitness and the weather permit, you should definitely not miss out on this idyllic loop in Grund. After the descent on the "Kapellen-" or "Vogelsteig" trail, it is worth taking a short detour to the right on the main road to the geotope on the Schlossberg (50 m).

The Evangelical Jubilate Church was built in 1925 - 1926 by the Protestant Christians from Heinersberg, Grund and Nordhalben. They previously had to make a pilgrimage to Geroldsgrün for church services (see also hiking trail RT 35 "Kirchsteig"); at times, services were held in the dining hall of the Menger company (Stoffelsmühle). The picturesque church, renovated in 1997, is open during the day and invites you to linger. The Rodach crosses the former border between the Margraviate of Bayreuth and the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, which was also the Protestant-Catholic religious border. The Holy Trinity Chapel is first documented in 1856; the first church service after the "Great Fire" took place there. In 1945, the historic chapel was destroyed in an accident; the current chapel was built on the occasion of Nordhalben's 850th anniversary in 2004. An information board at the chapel explains the history, the reconstruction and the interior of the Holy Trinity Chapel. On the ascent to Nordhalben on the "platform", you pass the peace cross on the Schlossberg, erected in 1967 as a noctilucent memorial to the former GDR. It was renovated in 2009 by the "Harmonie" society on a voluntary basis and fitted with new, contemporary lighting. At this point, you should take a short detour to the summit of the Schlossberg with its striking toadstool. You will be rewarded with a magnificent view of the valleys of the Rodach, the Ziegengrundbächlein stream, the district of Grund, Nordhalben railroad station, the Dreiherrenstein and Thuringia. The arduous ascent from Grund is now completed with a rest and a visit to the Chapel of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary (popularly known as the "Marienkapelle"). The Marienkapelle is probably the oldest building in Nordhalben. Presumably of medieval origin, it was first mentioned in the register of places of worship of the Bamberg High Abbey from the second half of the 16th century. The patron saint's day "Visitation of the Virgin Mary" (July 2) was confirmed by a letter of indulgence in 1668. Even today, the "Kapell-Kerwa" is celebrated on the Sunday after (or on) July 2 with a church service at the Marienkapelle. It is also worth noting that the chapel was demonstrably equipped with an organ as early as 1690. The oldest construction drawings from 1792 have been preserved. The Marienkapelle has been the destination of pilgrimages from the surrounding area since the 18th century at the latest, but these were banned after the Bavarian occupation in 1803. For more than 150 years, the Marienkapelle has been the starting point of the Nordhalben foot pilgrimage to Marienweiher (approx. 40 km one way), which sets off from here at 2 a.m. on Whit Sunday and is received again at around 8 a.m. on Whit Monday. (Note: "Guest pilgrims" of any Christian denomination are very welcome). The "Great Fire" of 1856 also affected St. Mary's Chapel, which was then refurbished with neo-Gothic furnishings. Between 2004 and 2006, the chapel underwent a thorough interior and exterior renovation. It is open daily during the day and invites visitors to linger, contemplate and pray.

The path now continues along Kapellenweg, Amlichstraße and Ziegengrundweg to Lobensteiner Straße, where you take a short right to the wayside chapel on Lobensteiner Straße, built in 1934 using solid materials from the northern settlement (today: Titschendorfer Straße); the crucifix dates back to the 18th century. Back on Lobensteiner Straße towards the center of the village, you will reach the cemetery on the left-hand side of the road with the cross chapel in the cemetery, built and provided with a wooden cross in the 19th century. On Lobensteiner Straße and Kronacher Straße, you return to the Catholic parish church, in the vicinity of which you can see the fountain on the former market square (popularly known as the "Bübla-Brunna"; a pupil with a slate plaque, which used to be made in Nordhalben by homeworkers; built in 1971), the statue of St. Nepomuk (dated 17th century) and the fountain on the right. Nepomuk (dated 1750 - 1770, restored in 1998) and the Lourdes Grotto (restored in 1999) form the end of the themed trail.

There is further evidence of Christian folk beliefs in the form of images of saints, martyrdoms, wayside crosses and wayside chapels at various houses in the village area as well as in the hamlets and in the meadows. Most of these are marked on the "Oberes Rodachtal" hiking map.