Bubenreuther Hochwasserweg

On July 21, 2007, an unprecedented flood hit the municipality of Bubenreuth: an evening thunderstorm caused such a torrent of rain that the otherwise barely perceptible rivulets running through the Rathsberg forest turned into raging rivers, causing catastrophic devastation, especially in the northern part of the municipality. In the years that followed, the municipality implemented ambitious plans to prevent another flood disaster. The flood trail commemorates the events of that time at various points and points to the prudent measures taken by the municipality.

We start at Bubenreuth station, easily accessible by S1 from the entire Nuremberg conurbation. Signpost 5360 in the station underpass points us towards Dormitz, and shortly afterwards we reach a crossing with traffic lights at signpost 5361 on the very scenic flood path, which will be our companion from here on.

At the crossroads at signpost 5361, we also come across the marked horseradish trail, a circular trail around 17 km long, which connects the Baiersdorf and Bubenreuth S-Bahn stations and provides an authentic insight into horseradish cultivation in "Krenland".

We initially follow our markings along the main road, which winds through the center of the village in several bends and then leaves the houses of Bubenreuth on a slight incline in the direction of Bräuningshof. At the end of the village, we briefly switch to the cycle path running alongside the road and soon reach a meadow path branching off to the right.

Our markings point us in a hairpin bend to the newly built retention dam, which will avert similar disasters in the future. At the eastern end of the dam, we hike uphill on a path, keeping to the right, and shortly afterwards turn sharp left onto a descending small forest path that takes us out of the mixed forest at a chain of ponds. We cross the chain of ponds and turn right along the meadow path towards the corner of the forest. A magnificent oak and pine forest, interspersed with beech and spruce trees, now accompanies us for quite a while, initially slightly ascending, later becoming steeper and steeper, up the slopes of the Atzelsberger Höhe. Finally, a path takes us to the shoulder of the slope, where the Grünpunkt destination trail joins us again.

Note: The Zielweg, which turns off to the right from our path in the center of Bubenreuth at signpost 3862 at the Josefskirche church, is a variant of about the same length and very worthwhile because it crosses the strictly protected nature reserve of the Rathsberg Wilderness in places.

We turn left and shortly afterwards reach the little road that runs from Bräuningshof up to Atzelsberg. Always following our markings, we reach the access road to Atzelsberg with its well-established restaurants; if you wish, you can stop here for refreshments.

At signpost 5349, we come across a wealth of marked hiking trails; the new mountain and valley trail , which was set up by the municipalities of Marloffstein, Uttenreuth, Spardorf and Buckenhof in collaboration with the Franconian Alb Association, is particularly recommended. It is characterized by a multitude of wonderful views and many other natural attractions! But the Markgrafenweg and the Kultur-Erlebnisweg, which is part of an entire network, also offer good, but sometimes quite long tours.

At the aforementioned signpost, we turn right and climb up to the ridge of the Atzelsberger Höhe with its sweeping views of Upper Franconia and far beyond the city of Erlangen. Meadows and fields accompany us with a slight incline on an asphalted land consolidation path.

Shortly before the forest, at signpost 5369, there is another option, which is particularly recommended in icy or wet conditions: you can walk down the Markgrafenweg to the Am Meilwald bus terminus and from there (signpost 5368) take the migration history trail, which leads back to the Hochwasserweg; this option is 900 m longer than the original route and omits the extremely attractive shortcut to the duel memorial stone, but is much more comfortable.

At signpost 5369, we choose the meadow path that turns off to the right and later winds romantically along the edge of the forest. To the west of the hiking parking lot, our path follows winding paths into a tangle of sandstone formations, beautifully covered with beech and oak trees. Dropping down a little, we cross the municipal road to Rathsberg shortly afterwards and hike along a forest path diagonally to the slope, later descending more steeply to signpost 5371, where the branch-off path to the Duell memorial stone branches off.

The ascent to the Duell memorial stone, which is only 400 m long, should not be missed! The trail initially leads along a forest path parallel to the slope past a water reservoir. Later, a small winding path branches off to the right somewhat unexpectedly and climbs up the slope to one of the former sites of the corps and student fraternity duels. The well-preserved memorial stone bears witness to the fact that the duels could also have a fatal ending.

Back from the memorial stone, it is not too far to our starting point. We follow a forest road in an almost southerly direction; a little later, our marker points us to the right with the migration history circular trail. The latter is a reminder of the numerous waves of immigration, especially that of violin makers from the Sudetenland after the end of the Third Reich, which later led to the prosperity of the municipality of Bubenreuth. We follow a wonderfully natural forest path with several ups and downs, which finally leads us onto Birkenallee about 100 m south of the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. On Binsenstraße and Hans-Paulus-Straße, we return to the crossroads in the center of the village. Now it's time for a hearty refreshment stop! Recommended options include Gasthof Zur Post or Landgasthof Mörsbergei, both in the main street.

Sights along the route: Bubenreuth Violin Making Museum

Restaurants along the route: Landgasthof Mörsbergei, Gasthaus zur Post-Royal King, Freihardts Atzelsberger Biergarten u. Wirtshaus