FrankenwaldSteigla Arnikaweg

Listening to silence - Where does the gentle buzzing of the forest bees come from? Where is the deer standing 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!

The knowledge of the healing power of the bright yellow flowering arnica is ancient. Herbalists used it to treat bruises and injuries of all kinds, scientific medicine temporarily suppressed the natural remedy, but today the medicinal plant of the year 2001 is being recognized again. It has now also been clinically proven that its essential oils have an anti-inflammatory effect, and the arnica flower helps to alleviate rheumatic diseases in particular. In Germany, the rare arnica is on the red list of endangered species, but it blooms around Teuschnitz!

"Arnica town" is what the town proudly calls itself and offers seminars and training courses on this extraordinary plant. Teuschnitz has even erected a monument to arnica: our "Arnica Trail" takes you past it! The flower-shaped stones invite you to lie down on them, close your eyes and listen to the silence of the Teuschnitz floodplain. Even those who prefer a lounger will find what they are looking for on the path, which mostly runs along the edge of the forest. Even if the nearby railroad line or the ringing of the Haßlach pilgrimage church briefly interrupt the tranquillity, the silence is all the stronger afterwards.

Wegbeschreibung

We naturally start our hike at the starting point, the old sports field. This can be reached via district road 8 between Teuschnitz and Reichenbach. The description follows the path in a clockwise direction.

At the starting point, the overview board explains how and why this path was named after the arnica and what relationship this valuable plant has to the town and the landscape. Ready for action, we want to hike and experience the landscape. We circle the sports field and walk a short distance along a field edge to a small spruce forest, which takes us, only briefly, into the dark, threatening silence of a monoculture. We already experience the first contrast. How relieved the hiker is when, after a few meters, the tunnel-shaped view opens up again into a wide meadow landscape. The meadow path, past grasses and herbs, leads us down to the meandering course of the young Teuschnitz stream.

Here we reach a farm track called "Krumme Triebe". Keeping to the right, this path leads us across the open floodplain landscape past extensively used meadows with a variety of rare grasses, flowers and herbs. Lean soils and little fertilization lead to species-rich, colourful meadows. Many plants and animals, some of which are endangered, such as arnica, bear's baneberry, wig fritillary, lady butterfly and chirping grasshopper, find their habitat here. Our path climbs slowly uphill. To the right, we overlook the wide meadow landscape, the headwaters and further course of the Teuschnitz stream. Ponds were created here for fish farming and flax processing. Dragonflies, gray herons and black storks benefit from their food supply. Rare plants such as the feverfew can exist in the area of natural siltation. The Teuschnitz is allowed to find its own meandering path. A wooded ridge begins on the left, the Kohlwald, which shows off the diversity of the forest. At the next fork in the path, we take the left-hand path up to the forest, but without paying any attention to the landscape monument in front of us. In front of us is the "Stone Arnica". Built in 2008 by young people from many European countries. It's worth resting there, letting your eyes and thoughts wander and perhaps looking for the many inscriptions by the builders. We continue uphill until we reach the top. Now we immerse ourselves in the silence of the high forest. We see a typical plenter forest. No clear-cutting, only the wood that can be felled is removed and the forest rejuvenates itself. Immediately after entering the forest, we leave the farm track and take a narrow hiking trail that leads us directly down through the forest until we reach the gravel again. Just a few more meters and we see a meadow with a resting place appear on our left. Time to take a breather and relax, but also to enjoy a wonderful view of the Haßlachtal valley and our stage destination, the Bastelsmühle mill. This is also where the path nestling against the slope leads us. We briefly cross the babbling brook and are already standing in front of the Bastelsmühle. The former grist mill now invites hikers and guests to stop for a break and a snack. Hiking signposts have been installed on the telephone pole opposite for better orientation. We now take the road to Haßlach and turn left after just a few steps, before entering the forest. We now come very close to the railroad line along the edge of the forest. It will accompany us for about one kilometer.

It's worth introducing it: The Franconian Forest Railway with the ramp "Pressig-Rothenkirchen to Steinbach am Wald", and its counterpart, "Probstzella to Steinbach am Wald", with a gradient of 29%, is considered the only double-track mountain railroad in Germany apart from the Black Forest Railway. It was put into operation in 1885.

After the next bend, we reach another point of contrast on the trail. We walk through the middle of a rocky area. This is a graywacke rock, a mixture of fine and pebbly-coarse material. You can clearly see pebble inclusions of different sizes here.

Gradually, we hike some distance from the railroad line and reach a narrow forest path, which we leave after a short distance via a footpath and immediately reach a valley meadow. We walk around it, cross a narrow stream and climb a few meters up a steep slope. We have now reached a path that has recently been pushed aside to serve as a rescue route for the railroad. The path continues comfortably uphill on a slight incline to a railroad underpass. From there, the Seenweg, a long-distance hiking trail, and the Heeresstraßenweg, a regional circular hiking trail, join us and accompany us for part of our route. After about a hundred meters, we say goodbye to the railroad and take a sharp right turn. Our path quickly gains altitude and climbs a flank of the Zillingshügel. Our path is popularly known as the "Queraweg". In earlier times, this was a cattle drive route that avoided populated areas so as not to spread cattle disease. Once we reach the top of the hill, we leave the forest and reach the KC 8 Haßlach/Steinbach district road via the farm track, which we cross straight ahead. We pass a logging site with a striking, free-standing spruce tree and continue through an intensively farmed agricultural area, the "Haßlacher Gartenäcker". About 800 m after the district road, it is worth taking a look to the left, over to Steinbach railroad station and the Wiegand-Glas container glassworks. The size of the used glass depots is remarkable, as this is mainly processed. After a few meters, we reach an important intersection. The Heeresstraßenweg leaves us and the Burgenweg, a long-distance hiking trail from Lauenstein to Kulmbach, joins us. We turn right and walk across open fields down to Haßlach. We turn left at the first crossroads in the village, past the Haßlach fire station. Immediately afterwards, turn right again, past the Catholic pilgrimage church "Mary, Queen of Martyrs and of the Fourteen Holy Helpers", until we reach Steinbacher Straße. This is an important junction for various hiking trails. We continue on Steinbacher Straße in a southerly direction until we reach the road "Am Berg", we also climb a few meters up the hill and then turn right into "Bergbrunn". For the time being, we walk fairly level out of Haßlach until we pass a barn on our right. Now we head uphill again, briefly on a gravel path, then along a grassy path at the edge of the forest and past a striking beech tree. Soon our path turns into the forest, first through a high spruce forest, then a short clear-cut area. Now, just before a young spruce grove, we turn right and walk through a young beech stand. After a few meters, we cross a farm track, which we use for the last few meters up the hill. At the edge of the forest and thus at the top, a meadow landscape spreads out in front of us. We cross this on the meadow path and enter a small wooded area. We quickly leave the gravel road there and take the narrow forest path to the next crossroads. Here, our last companion, the Burgenweg, who also wants to visit the "Steinerne Arnika", leaves us and turns right. If you wish, you can follow it for another 50 m and visit the source of the Teuschnitz. Many small waters collect there and form the Teuschnitz. We now walk straight ahead on the farm track and, after leaving the forest, enjoy the view of the Teuschnitz floodplain, this time from the other side. We also find a lounger at the edge of the forest to relax and let our gaze wander over the floodplain. A beech grove accompanies us a few more meters to the left as we head towards the starting point.</p