Mainwanderweg

Mainwanderweg

After visiting the monastery church in Himmelkron with its time-honored cloister and the museum with its unique painted stone slabs (municipality: 09227/9310), we walk past the Main bridge to the Baille-Maille linden avenue planted in three rows. It was replanted in 1992 following the example of the avenue planted in 1662/63 and cut down in 1792. We leave the avenue via the historic Main bridge of the same name from the 17th century.

The hiking trail leads along a meadow path along the railroad line to Schlömen. From the center of the village, we hike uphill to the left with wide views of Trebgast and the charming surrounding countryside over the Eichberg to Feuln and on to Waizendorf on the local road. From the center of the village, we turn left along a hollow path through the forest to the heights and enjoy the wide view as far as the Ochsenkopf and Schneeberg in the Fichtelgebirge.

We hike along beautiful forest paths and trails through a spruce forest interspersed with beech and other deciduous trees to the heights and then continue on easy paths in the forest to the animal shelter.

From there, we continue past the estate on a natural field path through the open fields to the hamlet of Meierhof. In the forest, we walk along a hillside path through beautiful beech forests, past the Sommerrangenhütte (rest area), to the Plassenburg in Kulmbach, the secret capital of beer. Here you should enjoy the wonderful view from the traffic circle and be sure to get to know the Plassenburg with its exhibitions.

We pass the Red Tower and the Langheimer Amtshof and reach the old town. The town is also worth a visit. We read about the town hall in the leaflet Town Halls (from Oberfranken Offensiv): Where a town hall had already stood in the early 16th century, the existing building with its magnificent façade facing the market square was erected in 1752. The master builder Johann Georg Hofmann ... and the master stonemason Johann Matthäus Graf designed and executed the building. The plans for the façade were provided by the Bayreuth court architect Joseph Saint-Pierre.

After the castle gate, we walk down the Festungsberg, zigzag across Obere Buchgasse and reach Röthleinsberg Street, which we follow briefly before turning right behind the Langheimer Amtshof. Via Rentamtsgässchen we reach Fischergasse, where we have to be careful not to miss the turn-off to the left between the houses.

We cross the Mühlbach stream and reach the Mainpark, which we cross. At Pörbitscher Weg, we turn left. After 200 meters, past the Mainpark retirement home, we cross the road at Schwedensteg and immediately turn right into a railroad underpass. Under the chestnut trees of the Pörbitscher Weg, we meet the White Main again after 200 meters in the form of the Flutmulde. After crossing the bridge, we turn left. After approx. 1.2 km, we reach the Priemershofer Brücke bridge on the flood embankment.

From there, we follow the Frankenweg trail markings as far as Gundersreuth. From the bridge, the White Main becomes our constant companion for long stretches of the trail. Right at the start, we walk along its banks on the footpath and cycle path to the Zehn Eichen allotment site. There we turn right onto a road and follow it to the left to the Burghaiger Main bridge. A detour of around 100 m to the historic Zum Schwarzen Adler inn in Burghaig is worthwhile.

In the 15th century, the inn was already a gift from the Lords of Waldenfels, whose castle was demolished in 1812. The building dates back to the 18th/19th century, the basement is much older.

We cross the Main and soon cross the road to the right onto a footpath, which soon leads us between the railroad and the B 289 to the right to a level crossing. We walk left along the field path through harmoniously landscaped meadows with beautiful, changing views and only turn right on the second path to the Mainaue at the gates of Mainleus. This is the local recreation area of Kulmbach.

We walk along the road to the left and turn right before the next bridge over the Main. Melkendorf lies ahead of us. The village was probably founded around the year 1000 and was the first Carolingian court town (probably from maleiche = court tree) in this area and an original parish with 13 daughter parishes. Just before Melkendorf, we turn right onto a beautiful meadow path towards Oberauhof and follow the course of the White Main to the confluence of the Red and White Main.

(Alternatively, we could also follow the Frankenweg from here to the top of a steep slope covered with mixed forest and see the White Main again, deep down at the foot of the mountain, on a pleasant path to Steinenhausen Castle. It is home to the Northern Bavaria branch of the Bayer. State Office for Environmental Protection. First mentioned in 1316, the only stone building at the time (name!) was virtually unaffected by the war. The nearby mill burnt down in 1962 after 646 years. We cross the Red Main and follow its course along the bank to the right until we reach the point where the two source rivers join to form the 524 km long Main (around 400 km are navigable), the river of the Franks)

From its sources at the Ochsenkopf (White Main) and in Lindenhardt Forest (Red Main) to its mouth near Mainz, hiking trails accompany its course.

If we follow the Main hiking trail, we can cross the newly built bridge directly at the confluence and a rest area with information boards invites us to linger.

We cross the road and the village of Frankenberg and walk through a hollow path on a farm track into the open countryside. The discovery of a stone axe from the Neolithic period (5500 - 3200 BC) proves that people must have lived in Frankenberg far earlier than the first documentary mention (1361). Together with other towns, Frankenberg was responsible for protecting the Main river crossings. Wonderful panoramic views and far-reaching vistas are now our constant companions in the sparsely wooded Main valley. After Frankenberg, there is an impressive panoramic view, with a particularly beautiful view of Wernstein Castle and Veitlahm with the Patersberg and the surrounding countryside.

On natural paths through harmoniously structured meadows, we reach the pretty village of Gundersreuth, first mentioned in a document in 1398, whose affiliation between the margravial Kulmbach and the episcopal Weismain was disputed around 1500. Here the Frankenweg leaves us to the left in the direction of Peesten. The Mainwanderweg leads us past the inn and meets the district road after about 800 meters. We cross it, walk uphill to the heights (view!) and follow a narrow road downhill past Bechtelsreuth to Wüstenbuchau.

After the village, we cross the district road and walk straight ahead up the field and forest path to a view at the cross stone nest on the heights. There are four historic stone slabs with the date 1655, where five craftsmen are said to have died. From now on, we follow forest paths and tracks through a sea of woods with frequent short and moderate ups and downs.

First we walk for a long time in the direction of Witzmannsberg, later continuing straight ahead in the forest until we reach a large cross. At the point where there is a beautiful view of Burgkunstadt, we continue straight ahead in the forest until we reach the road shortly before Baiersdorf.

We walk through the village, past the restaurant, then on the cycle and footpath towards Altenkunstadt.

After approx. 700 m, we turn left onto a field path, enjoy the views of Plassenburg Castle and the Fichtelgebirge mountains, and after another kilometer, finally in a hollow path, we reach Woffendorf. From there, the route continues directly to and through Altenkunstadt without interruption.

From the junction with the state road 2181 Burgkunstadt - Weismain, the Rennsteig-Verein e.V. takes over the maintenance of the Mainwanderweg trail towards Külmitzberg and Kordigast.

It's not far to the train station in Burgkunstadt. Among other sights, the town hall is well worth a visit. We read (Town halls of Upper Franconia offensive): While the two lower floors of the town hall probably date back to the late Middle Ages, the burghers built the timber-framed upper floor in 1689/90. A trademark of the master carpenter are the wooden panels decorated with carved relief masks with which he clad the compartments. A mighty castle complex stood in the town, located around 320 m above sea level on the B 289 and the Bamberg-Hof railroad line in the Main Valley, as early as 830 AD.