Kreuzberg-Weg KC 13

The Kreuzbergstraße leads us from the beginning of the Way of the Cross past the 14 Stations of the Cross to the Kreuzberg Chapel and the Kreuzbergklause. According to Otto Knopf, there was probably originally a Celtic settlement on the Kreuzberg, which was later re-established by Slavs as "Kelcz". The settlement was completely destroyed in the Meran succession dispute (1248-58) and was no longer inhabited. The mountain was called Weinberg (vineyard) because of its wine-growing (until the 19th century). When more than 1000 people died of the plague in Kronach in 1634, the inhabitants vowed to build a chapel on the vineyard if the suffering came to an end. When their pleas were answered, an oak cross was erected and the place was named "Zum Heiligen Kreuz" (To the Holy Cross). Gradually, the vineyard became the Kreuzberg.

Our hike begins at the first Way of the Cross station on the north-eastern outskirts of Kronach. Our path soon leads us to the chapel at the edge of the forest, where we can enjoy a beautiful view of the district town. Our hike continues uphill until we reach the access road to the Kreuzberg Chapel.

From the chapel, we walk back to the road with our markings and follow it past the Ottenhof (animal shelter) in a beautifully landscaped landscape characterized by hedges to Unterrodach. Immediately after entering the village, we turn right and walk slightly downhill on a side road and reach the center of Unterrodach with its rafting museum, church and town hall, finally via some stairs.

In this area, we leave the village on the narrow local road quite steeply uphill and continue straight ahead at the pear tree. The path leads through a hedgerow landscape with beautiful views of the entire Kreuzberg area and continues straight ahead to the Rennesberg lime tree. The "new" Rennesberg lime tree now stands next to the stump of the "old" lime tree that was thrown down by "Kyrill" in January 2007.

The Frankenweg continues to accompany us past the water reservoir on a path across two meadows to a field path, which we follow to the right to the forest and then downhill past the lime works to Dörfles.

Before the first houses, we turn left and follow a meadow path down the beautiful, wide valley of the Kronach, which is covered with trees and bushes, until we reach a pond close to the former rafting waters. We now walk along a path along the Kronach, with its paved and alder-lined banks, past a ford and a raft footbridge and the steps in the riverbed that slow down the flow.

On the slope of the Rosenberg, the fortress mountain, we notice the terraced steps that are reminiscent of the quarrying of sandstone. We soon reach the Biegenmühle mill and then walk along the flood embankment to the right past the first houses in the town, over the Kronach bridge and across the road to the northern end of the hospital parking lot.

If we want to reach our starting point at the first Way of the Cross station, we have to follow the main road into town and soon turn left into Kreuzbergstraße. If we follow it, we will soon reach our destination.