FrankenwaldSteigla Der Kirchgänger

Understand the forest - aisles on forest slopes, fords through rivers: Hike through the cultural landscape in the Franconian Forest Nature Park and read the traces of its history! How did people live from and with the forest? Understanding grows step by step: People change their environment and the environment changes people.

The saying goes that faith moves mountains. But praying didn't help the churchgoers here in the region, the mountains remained in place and with them the rifts between the denominations!

Week after week, every Sunday, the faithful set off: Catholics from the surrounding villages climbed the Nordhalbener Kirchsteig and gathered in the church, which has been around since the 15th century. The Protestants made the exact opposite and much more arduous pilgrimage: it was a 1.5-hour walk for the people of Heinersberg, who had been "carted" to the Lutheran church service in distant Geroldsgrün! It wasn't until 1925 that things became much more convenient: the neo-baroque Jubilate Church was built in the village. Naturally, it is located east of the Rodach, which already bordered Bamberg territory in the 14th century and still essentially separates Catholics from Protestants today.

Our "The Churchgoer" hike takes you along the old paths! These are often natural paths, once through spruce forest, then through beech forest - Sunday after Sunday, well-trodden church paths: Some worshippers went in the Bamberg direction, others in the Margravial direction - the paths were the same and united the churchgoers in their piety.

How to get there

The starting point is "Dreschhallenplatz" (where a threshing hall stood until the 1970s), near the 1906/07 lace-making school building, now: DAS Klöppelmuseum Nordhalben, which houses the international lace collection and the historical local museum with border documentation. The Kapellenweg leads to the oldest church building in Nordhalben, the "Mariä Heimsuchung" chapel, popularly known as the Marienkapelle. In the past, it was probably the castle chapel of Nordhalben Castle and the entrance building to the castle district. The chapel is open during the day, and an information board below briefly describes its history and special features. The trail then continues to the Schlossberg, where Nordhalben Castle stood from 1154 to 1525. From there, you have a wonderful view of the Rodach Valley as far as the state border at the Dreiherrenstein and the district of Grund with the beautiful Jubilate Church.

The path now continues along the "Bahnsteig", the church path for the Protestant Christians of Nordhalben on the way to the Jubilate Church. At the foot of the Schlossberg is the Holy Trinity Chapel, which was rebuilt in 2004 and also has an information board explaining its history. The Rodach forms the border between the Nordhalben district of Thomasmühle and the former Heinersberg district of Grund. Even today, it still essentially represents the religious boundary between Catholics and Protestants. In earlier times, this was the border between the Bamberg diocese and the Margraviate of Bayreuth. The next stop is the Protestant Jubilate Church, which is also open during the day. Behind the church, the path leads steeply uphill towards Heinersberg on the (new) Heinersberger Kirchsteig. Heinersberg is initially bypassed on a forest path to the north. At a point from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of Titschendorf in Thuringia, there is a bench with an information board on the history of this village. Heinersberg is reached on the eastern edge of the village; after a short stretch of road, the path leads to the Heinersberg water reservoir with a beautiful panoramic view of the Franconian Forest. Behind it, the trail continues through the forest on the (old) Heinersberg Kirchsteig and over the Rothmaiseltal valley (shelter with seating) until shortly before the "Pfarrschneidmühle" hiking parking lot with seating area and information boards. Here the trail initially branches off to the right onto a forest path, but leaves this after just 100 meters to the left onto an old hunter's trail. This historic "one-man trail" (it is only wide enough for one person) has been cleared especially for "churchgoers".

It leads through a wonderful old mixed forest directly above the road and offers unique views of the Ölsnitz valley. A real gem in the Franconian Forest! Good footwear is required here, as the path also crosses several smaller watercourses, which carry more or less water depending on the weather. At the Stoffelsmühle mill, the state road is crossed and shortly afterwards the Ölsnitz is crossed on a footbridge over the "Mengerswehr" weir. After a short, steep ascent, the trail runs along the Rodach above the Stoffelsmühle and Neumühle, with the former Dürrenwaid station, now the mainline station of the "Rodachtalbahn" museum railroad (rest bench with information element at the side of the trail). The trail then descends into the Rodachtal valley. After crossing the state road, the path leads along the "Dorfbach" stream to the Regberg. Here you will find a seating area with a beautiful panoramic view of the Franconian Forest and neighboring Thuringia. After a short stretch of dirt road, you reach the old Nordhalbener Kirchsteig, which the farmers from the farms to the south used to go to church. This path winds its way through the "Siedlung Süd", then leads downhill through a small stand of trees, past the fish ponds and finally uphill again on the Emlichsweg and the "Schulsteigla" to the main road (Kronacher Straße, later Lobensteiner Straße).

Here again, there are several sights in close proximity: The Catholic parish church of St. Bartholomew (open during the day), the churchyard with the church fountain (Moses in front of the burning bush), opposite the imposing war memorial (1925), the former fortress, the old bailiffs' office, the "Bübla-Brunna" (stone figure with slate tablet and stylus), the former market square along the road with the forester's lodge and town hall. The trail then leads past refreshment stops along Lobensteiner Strasse and Amlichstrasse back to the starting point.