Franconian Switzerland active – A week with lots of fresh air & good beer (1)
Actually 3 weeks vacation in Japan were on our vacation plan in autumn. Mr. Wallygusto has already been to the Land of the Rising Sun a few times on business, and after each visit he raved to me about how great it is there. Not only Mr. Wallygusto can’t stop raving about Japan: The travel reports of Feines Gemuse have also made me totally curious about Japan. Unfortunately, nothing came of it: We ended up in the Franconian Switzerland.
“Guilt” for it were my new job and the associated uncertainty. I’m not only talking about the trial period, it was also not foreseeable how my new projects would develop. But I don’t want to complain: My new job is very varied and I still enjoy it very much. In addition, Franconian Switzerland is a 1a destination for autumn: Nothing is more fun than hiking through the colorful autumn forests there. There are also countless country breweries whose beer is to be tasted.
Disclaimer: This post contains unpaid and uncommissioned advertising in the form of links and/or place names. If something was consumed, this was self-financed.
Hikes
Dolomite rocks, romantic valleys and colorful autumnal forests invite you to be active in the fresh air. So it’s no wonder that we spend the whole week hiking, hiking and more hiking. Also very nice: walking or. there are a lot of funny mushrooms in our way. So it could be that you have to look at one or the other relevant photo in the context of this contribution.
Maximilians- and Vogelherdgrotte
After we had been guests at a wet and merry wedding the day before, we decide for our first day in the Franconian Switzerland for the comfortable karst hiking trail. The marked and with informative way boards equipped round way starts in Neustadt an der Pegnitz and is full of surprises.
The way is exciting, because we discover the various karst phenomena of this landscape – springs, caves, fissures and sinkholes. The trail passes no less than four caves, with Maximiliansgrotte being one of the most interesting stalactite caves in Germany.
We also pass through the Vogelherdsgrotte, a 20 meter long, very impressive passage cave.
Big round around Gobweinstein
From Gobweinstein we take different paths to Tuchersfeld. With forest, meadow and pilgrims’ paths, gravel that is easy to walk and stony steps, there is really something for every taste. From Tuchersfeld we go along the Puttlach to the Behringersmuhle. From there it is only a stone’s throw to the actual destination of our hike, the brewery inn of Held Brau.
In the cozy restaurant we enjoy cheese bread (unfortunately) without a view, but with a fried egg and smoked, pepper-marinated Limburger with music The latter is the culinary discovery of the year up to this point: The stinky cheese harmonizes perfectly with the slightly spicy aromas of the black pepper. In addition we let us taste the phenomenally good dark beer.
Extremely full of food and a bit tipsy, we return to Behringersmuhle via Schweigelberg mountain. There the most strenuous part of the hike awaits us with the rather steep ascent to Gobweinstein. And so, at the end of the rather leisurely day of hiking, a good deal of sweat is still flowing. Fortunately, the warm shower is already waiting for us at the top.
Pretty big round about the Hohenmirsberger plate to Pottenstein
Hard to believe, but in the sleepy nest Puttlach it is difficult to find a parking lot. We park our car in a meadow at the side of the road and hope that it will still be there when we return. For this the hike itself becomes all the more comfortable, because our way leads in moderate gradient on the flat roof of Franconian Switzerland, the Hohenmirsberger plateau. As the days before, we are also here mostly alone through forest and meadow on the way.
In Pottenstein we come across the town cafe Wunderlich, which reminds us of an ice cream parlor from the 80s. But we are used to this by now, because in Franconian Switzerland time seems to have stopped in general. At least as far as the furnishings of the cafes and inns are concerned. So we do not let ourselves be deterred here either and
enjoy the speciality of the house: shoe soles with cherries and a lot of whipped cream. The pastry made of puff pastry creates the right basis for the last stage of our hike.
From Pottenstein we walk through a beautiful river valley back to Puttlach.
You always have to think of Hansel and Gretel while hiking? If not, you should really take the narrow path through the Puttlach valley: Leaves, moss and trees, sun and shade, birds, insects, the impressive rock formations and the peaceful babbling brook are wildly romantic.
Lower Aufsebtal
Hardly any other valley realizes the romantic idea of “a cool bottom” like the Lower Aufseb Valley from Doos to Wustenstein: the light, quiet meadow valley, framed by autumnal woods, with the small river rippling merrily along with reeds and small weirs, the former mill, whose mill wheel is even rattling again.
This accommodates in the meantime also a good middle-class inn, the cake mill, which waits unfortunately only on weekend in the afternoon with bread time for hungry wanderers. The small cake selection does not smile at me unfortunately at all, the pumpkin soup is unfortunately out – with which the vegetarian offer is already exhausted. If you like to eat fish, you will certainly get your money’s worth here: the chef himself brings it freshly caught from a basin behind the house.
We are lucky and meet only a few other hikers on our way through the Untere Aufsebtal, which reinforces the remote and idyllic impression of this place.
Rosenmuller Cave and Schwingbogen
The Rosenmuller Cave is one of the oldest tourist destinations in Franconian Switzerland. It is located in the reef dolomite and was originally decorated with various sinter forms such as wall, floor, ceiling sinter, sinter basins, dripstones and water level marks.
Since the former show cave is open to the public, all sinter decoration in the tangible area has unfortunately been stolen, so that the former beauty of the cave can only be guessed at. Although we have our headlamps in our luggage, we refrain from exploring the still mysterious mountain interior: Bats are already hibernating in the cave and we don’t want to disturb them in any case. The insectivores have built up a thick layer of fat in late summer and autumn, which they use to feed during the cold season. If bats are roused from hibernation, this can mean the death of the small protected mammals!
But we don’t want to miss the small detour up to the “Schwingbogen. The rock gate has been hosting three athletic climbs through the archway for some time now. The swinging arch belongs to the former cave system of the Schonstein Cave. The Schonsteinhohe forms together with the Brunnsteinhole a ca. 600 meter long cave system with many passages, fissures and up to 20 meter deep shafts forms. In contrast to the Rosenmuller Cave, it is not advisable to visit the cave on your own.
Balthasar Neumann circular hiking trail
Since the first hike on our last day in Franconian Switzerland turned out to be shorter than planned, we add a tiny tour to it. A brochure, which is on display in our vacation apartment, leads us to the Balthasar Neumann circular hiking trail. Hike to five vantage points around Gobweinstein.
The undemanding path runs along roads and paths in and around Gobweinstein. It leads to the pilgrimage site Kreuzberg, to the Gernerfels, to the castle Gobweinstein, to the Wagnershohe and to the Fischersruh. Unfortunately we have bad luck with the weather, because dense fog is our constant companion. So there are no scenic and spectacular views of Gobweinstein and its idyllic surroundings to think about.
We enjoy our little hike anyway and reward ourselves with a big piece of cake for the missed views. Wallygustos don’t let a bit of fog spoil their good vacation mood – and above all their appetite!
Worth seeing
Lots of exercise in the fresh air is good for you and healthy! Nevertheless, it may be in between with pleasure a little culture and Bavarian history. And so we gladly set off in the direction of Bayreuth!
Fantaisie Castle
The first historical sight is located five kilometers west of Bayreuth. The Fantaisie Castle (not a spelling mistake, that’s really what it means)!) was built as a summer residence for the margrave couple Friedrich and Wilhelmine von Brandenburg-Bayreuth. The castle has a charming park, which invites you to take a leisurely stroll. The facility is not Downton Abbey, but still very chic and impressive.
Trip to Bayreuth
Just 40 minutes by car from Gobweinstein is Bayreuth, where small cafes and a number of sights attract visitors. Bayreuth is world-famous for its Richard Wagner Festival, which attracts not only opera-loving celebrities every year.
Of course, Mr. Wallygusto and I pay a visit to the world-famous opera house – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. The Margravial Opera House is the best preserved example of a free-standing Baroque court theater. During the guided tour we learn that the driving force behind this exceptional project was the music and theater enthusiast Margravine Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. The occasion for the construction was the wedding of her only daughter in 1748, which was celebrated with great expense. The leading theater architect of the time, the Italian Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, who had previously worked for the Viennese imperial court, was engaged as the architect of the new opera house. Even though the opera house is much smaller than we imagined, it is a truly impressive building!
The already mentioned Richard Wagner Festival does not take place in the opera house, but in the Festspielhaus on the northern outskirts of Bayreuth. The Bayreuth Festival Hall, in addition to its unique architecture, also has incomparable and world-renowned acoustics. It is based mainly on the interior, which is entirely covered with wood, and on the fact that there are no boxes on the sides of the auditorium. In addition, the seats of the audience rows are not padded, so that little sound is absorbed and the sound can spread throughout the room. It’s hard to imagine how much the audience’s buttocks hurt during an opera that lasts several hours! But maybe you will bring your own seat cushion – who knows??
On our way to the New Palace and the Court Garden we pass Haus Wahnfried, Richard Wagner’s former home from 1874 to 1883. The extremely representative villa was a gift of King Ludwig II. from Bavaria to the famous composer.