FrankenwaldSteigla Entlang der Marter

Listen to silence - Where does the gentle buzzing of the forest bees come from? Where is the deer that made the branch crack softly? Listen to the sound of silence, enjoy the peace and quiet! Hiking in the Franconian Forest is a contrast to the sensory overload. New worlds of sound open up to the ear - and natural silence drowns out everyday life!

Step by step, evenly at your own rhythm - for almost 15 kilometers, the circular trail "Along the Marter" lets us feel the meditative benefits of hiking. These are old and well-trodden paths! The Franziskanerweg in the Haßlachtal valley: it used to be swampy here on the supply route between the monastery in Kronach and the pilgrimage church in Glosberg. Many a man lost his life on unsafe ground. The belief that the soul of someone who died in an unnatural way could only find rest in a stone dates back to pagan times. And so the Martern, these typical Franconian wayside shrines, are both a reminder to pay attention to the path and a request to pray for the souls of the deceased. Between the pilgrimage site of Glosberg and Rauscherberg, we follow the chapel path, which is adorned with images of the seven sorrows of Mary: The statue of the Virgin Mary in Glosberg is said to have wept bloody tears three times in 1727. The mighty and venerable Crana stands before us! On the ridge, we enjoy the fantastic view and the silence, which bring us "to our senses": we can see far into the Hasslach valley on one side and the Kronach valley on the other. Up here, only a few trees oppose the wind: Almost unhindered, it blows our everyday worries out of our heads.

Way description

Our starting point is at the proud Rosenberg fortress, which towers over the 1000-year-old town of Kronach. Below the prison, a footpath leads us downhill through the Wolfsschlucht gorge to Schwedenstraße. Parallel to the Haßlach, we walk out of town through Haßlachgasse and meet the old Franciscan path, which accompanies us towards the pilgrimage site of Glosberg. In the second quarter of the 18th century, the Franciscan monks had to walk this path, which we walk today for our edification, in all weathers in order to hold the many services at the well-frequented Glosberg pilgrimage site. Along the Haßlach, we pass the stepped former sandstone quarries and come across the Holy Ponds on the edge of the Haßlach valley. The Stations of the Cross and wayside shrines, restored on the initiative of Roland Graf, accompany us on our way to Glosberg.

After a section of forest, we reach the state road, which we cross and walk a good 100 meters to the left. On the tree-lined field path, we turn right onto the road leading to Glosberg. For the last stretch to Glosberg, we follow the Burgenweg trail to the right through the fields.

After visiting the pilgrimage church, the Burgenweg trail accompanies us to the upper end of the village. We follow the Way of the Cross straight ahead steeply uphill and pass the grave of an unknown soldier. On this path, we pass the forest chapel, which invites us to linger and take a quiet break.

We then continue along the forest path uphill through a forest mostly covered in spruce trees. After leaving the forest, a bench invites you to enjoy the impressive view. At the next crossroads, keep right and follow the road briefly until you turn right again onto a forest path. Crossing the next forest path on the half-left, we head downhill through varied mixed forests until we finally reach the edge of the forest above Letzenberg ("Urlaub auf dem Bauernhof").

Staying on the little-used road and following the Glosberger Weg (KC 14), this leads past beautiful views from the Franconian Line to Coburg and rejoins our hiking trail at the Kammberg 

We walk along the road to the right and turn sharp left after around 600 m. We soon leave the forest and reach Letzenhof, where we follow the road to the right. Walking straight ahead, we reach the district road. We cross this road and enter the forest again, climbing a long and fairly steep slope up the Kammberg (468 m). Then we walk back downhill on a pleasant path in the forest into the open.

We cross a road straight ahead and walk with a beautiful view over the open meadow to the forest. When we emerge from the forest at a small dip, there is another beautiful view. After a gentle ascent through the forest, we meet the Frankenweg shortly before its end. At the edge of the forest, we enjoy the view of Seelach and Gehülz and the surrounding area of Kronach. Shortly before the end of our hike, we once again enjoy the view of the Haßlach valley and can observe the course of our hiking trail once more. We return to our starting point at the Rosenberg fortress on the Frankenweg. This has secured access to the three Franconian Forest valleys since 1249 and symbolized the power of the Bamberg bishops. From 1656 to 1733, it was expanded into a fortress that was never conquered.</p