Hikes in Marktleugast

HEARING SILENCE - Once more than 10 mills clattered along the small and large Rehbach, today you only hear the rushing of the water and the soothing calm of the picturesque valley.

One of the most beautiful circular hikes in the Franconian Forest with 11 mills and a hammer mill from Buckenreuth via Seifertsreuth back to Buckenreuth.

A beautiful circular route through idyllic villages and the romantic Koser Valley. Along the route, you repeatedly encounter beautiful panoramic views.

HEARING SILENCE - Here you encounter many signs of centuries-old piety: mighty sandstone shrines, tall wooden crosses, even an entire Stations of the Cross and, as the highlight, the basilica.

The hike largely follows the Steinachtal route of the Frankenwaldverein but is shortened to mostly avoid the two larger places, Stadtsteinach and Helmbrechts.

The tenth stage of the FrankenwaldSteig leads from Hermes via Marienweiher (pilgrimage basilica), Marktleugast, Neuensorg, through the Steinachklamm to Presseck and is 25 km long.

The ninth stage of the FrankenwaldSteig leads from Wirsberg via Neufang and Kupferberg to Hermes and is 11 km long.

​ ▶ From the parking lot in front of the Marienweiher Basilica 01, we cross the street and walk to the right, past the church and the cemetery, along a small paved road toward the sports field. Walking slightly downhill, we reach the turnoff to the left toward Zechteich 02. We walk along the right bank, past information signs, to a fork where the Achatzmühlenweg is signposted to the right. We cross a footbridge, climb slightly, and follow a wide forest path to the right—enjoying scenic views—to a road and the Steinbach Pony Farm 03. We follow the Achatzmühlenweg along the paved village road through Steinbach, turn right, leave the road, and cross a meadow to return to the village road.At the town sign, we leave the paved road to the right and hike along a wide farm road through open, scenic farmland to the edge of the forest, where we come to the Kemnather Kreuz 04.Straight ahead into the forest, slightly downhill, we turn left onto a narrow path before reaching a stream. The footpath along the stream widens into a forest trail; information signs tell us about the valley of the Großer Koserbach, an old mining area with a medieval ore smelter. We pass a pond on the right; the trail climbs slightly and leads through tall-trunked forest. Shortly after the left turn toward a Buddhist monastery, we turn right, leave the wide path, and follow the blue trail markers (Achatzmühlenweg) slightly downhill. We leave the forest and hike across meadows to an intersection at the Einöde 05 marker. Until 2015, a 35-meter-tall oak tree stood here; its successor is still quite modest in size. We keep to the right, pass the house, cross a small stream, and come to the houses of Schmölz, where we take a sharp right turn. At the turn, a sign informs us about a historic iron ore trail and copper mining.After passing the houses, the path leads up through meadows to the left toward the forest and then along the forest edge, turning right onto a forest road that crosses the path. According to the markings, we are now on the pilgrimage trail to Marienweiher. The path enters the forest and runs slightly downhill over a hilltop, we come to a crossing road and, a few meters further on at the edge of the forest, find ourselves in front of the small Achatzmühlen Chapel 06. We turn left behind the chapel into the forest and then walk across open meadowland to a small paved road that leads us to the right toward Hermes 07. Passing a restaurant, we leave the village on the paved road, but shortly after the village ends, we turn right onto Achatzmühlenweg, a dirt road that leads to the edge of the forest and further into the woods. We follow the marked pilgrimage trail, pass the Schwedenkreuz 08 again in open terrain, and soon reach the first houses of Marienweiher. In a wide right-hand curve, the trail descends toward the visible basilica 01 and back to the parking lot.

​ ▶ We park at the sports field in Neuensorg 01, walk a few meters down the paved road to the left, and then turn right onto a slightly uphill farm road. We come to a small paved road, which we follow to the right toward the St2158. A few meters further on, we cross the road to the left and follow a dirt path to the right that takes us across open country to the forest. We keep to the right along the edge of the forest and, at a trail junction near the edge of the woods, turn sharply left into the forest (marked “Durchs Rehbachtal”). A beautiful forest path, strewn with pine needles and partly grassy, leads us through tall trees to an asphalt road, which we leave again after a few meters to the right and turn onto a forest path that leads slightly downhill. At a fork in the trail, keep left; a small stream appears on the right, which we then cross via a wooden footbridge as the forest thins out. The grassy path runs past ponds; the first houses appear up ahead on the left, and we pass the FWV Neuensorg hut with its quirky furnishings.Shortly after the hut, we leave the wide path, walk down a narrow meadow trail to the stream, follow it to the right along the partly overgrown riverside path, and head toward a road intersection. We cross the road and the stream, pass the ruins of the inn at the former Großrehmühle 02 on the left, and hike into the forest.At an information sign about the Großer Rehbach, the Hinterrehberg Chapel is marked; the wide forest trail ascends, and we reach a fork at the edge of the forest. We take the left path, which climbs gently along the edge of the forest and across meadows up to the opposite edge of the forest. At the edge of the forest, we see the small chapel 03 standing in an open field. At the chapel, we head straight ahead back down toward the edge of the forest, keep to the left, and before the path climbs again, we turn right into the forest. Walking slightly downhill and keeping to the left, we pass a large meadow on our right; then, on a much steeper descent, we reach a paved road and some houses (Kleinrehmühle). We pass the hiking hut 04 and head uphill to the left until the terrain flattens out and the trail makes a slight left turn. Here we turn right, cross a bridge, and follow the partly root-covered path, which is well-marked and winds through the tall-trunked forest. At the edge of the forest, we pass a wrought-iron cross, and at the Waldeck we have a view of the houses in Neuensorg. First along a meadow path, then on a gravel road, we come to the road and Herrenweiher 05, located on the other side of the road. We hike back to the parking lot in Neuensorg 01 near the sports field on a footpath alongside the road.

​Stage 1: From Waldstein to Weißenstein, 24.2 kmStage 2: From Weißenstein to Marienweiher, 12 kmStage 3: From Marienweiher to Steinachtal, 22 km Stage 4: From Steinachtal to the Wilde Rodach, 18.1 kmBavaria's "Rocky Corner" is rightfully what the Franconian Forest and Fichtel Mountains are called, as hardly anywhere else in Europe are there more numerous and diverse rock formations in such a small area. The geological substrate causes landscape diversity, and the landscape in turn shapes the character of people and culture. The quality trail "Fränkisches Steinreich" – designed as a roughly 75-kilometer long multi-stage trail – pays tribute to this unique mixture. On the "Rocky Realm" many things come together – not only granite with limestone and schist, but also "Upper Land" with "Lower Land", Buddhism with Marian devotion, and "devoutly Catholic Bamberg" meets "militant Protestant Margravial." Four daily stages ranging from 13 to 24 km in length connect more than 40 selected points of interest with earth and cultural history background, of which 22 are equipped with explanatory display panels.Stage 1: From Waldstein to Weißenstein 24.2 km At the highest point of the Schieferland Geopark, the impressive granite massif of the Großer Waldstein (871m), begins the first and longest "Steinreich" stage of 24.7 km. Already halfway to the picturesque market town of Zell, the Fichtel Mountains end at the Saale source in geological and landscape terms. With gently rolling hills and few distinct valleys, the Münchberg Hills now spread out to the northwest, known to geologists as the "Münchberger Gneis Mass." The landscape's introduction is the idyllic Haidberg, also called the "Magnet Mountain," because the iron minerals in the shimmering green serpentinite rock render any compass useless. Halfway, the impressive Mordkreuz near Mödlenreuth tells of a gruesome act of violence, and before the climb to the stage destination at Weißenstein, the market town of Stammbach invites you for a final rest. Stage 2: From Weißenstein to Marienweiher 12 kmHead and eyes are more in demand on this just under 13 km long stage than the walking legs, because there is much to see and linger over. For example, the observation tower at Weißenstein offers a magnificent panoramic view over the Fichtel Mountains, Franconian Forest, and the Upper Main Valley. The massive tower consists, like the entire mountain, of the rare and hard eclogite, which was formed at a depth of 60 km and brought to the surface by the tremendous forces of mountain formation. Passing by Singerweiher, where former Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt once fished, it goes on to Herrnschrot, where unexpectedly the altar hill with a life-size Buddha statue appears at the Muttodaya Forest Monastery. Here, just a few kilometers from the stronghold of Marian pilgrimage in Northeast Bavaria, Buddhist monks live a very different spiritual approach. Across the valley of the Große Koserbach – once a center of late medieval mining – the ancient pilgrim paths lead to the stage destination Marienweiher. The impressive late Baroque pilgrimage church may call itself a "basilica minor" according to papal decree, a distinction shared by only three other outstanding churches in Upper Franconia.Stage 3: From Marienweiher to Steinachtal 22 km Passing the Sweden Cross, an atonement cross from the 16th century, the about 22 km long third stage first leads to the Peterlesstein. Pearls for rosaries – called "Patterla" in the dialect – were made long ago from the serpentinite found there. At the Galgenberg near Kupferberg, the Münchberger Gneis Mass ends. The impressive view over the Franconian Line into the "Lower Land" stretches to Plassenburg near Kulmbach and into Franconian Switzerland. The enormously diverse and partly more than 500 million years old layers of the West Franconian Forest shape the further course of the trail. Just behind the ancient mining town of Kupferberg (mining museum), enormous quarries open where diabase, a rock very similar to basalt, is mined. On a diabase rock stands Guttenberg Castle, the ancestral seat of the old noble family. Besides secretaries of state and ministers, it has produced with the current family head Enoch zu Guttenberg a widely recognized conductor and environmentalist. The stage destination, the managed Neumühle in the Steinachtal, is picturesquely embedded in one of the most beautiful meadow valleys of the Franconian Forest.Stage 4: From Steinachtal to the Wilde Rodach 18.1 km At the beginning of the last roughly 18 km long "Steinreich" stage stands the short themed path "1000 Steps of Earth History," which makes the origin story of the Earth and the Franconian Forest tangibly understandable to scale. An outstanding landmark here is the more than 60 m deep Steinach Gorge, an impressive rock ridge made of quartz keratophyre, an extremely rare volcanic rock of the Paleozoic era. Equally rare and more than 500 million years old are trilobites and other fossils found at the Galgenberg near Schlopp. From there, it continues through the deeply incised Lautengrund to the Pressecker Knock with its wooden observation tower. A true jewel is the fortified church in nearby Presseck, where paintings from the 16th century are preserved in the late Gothic choir vault. Shortly before the "Steinreich" ends at the Gasthof Fels on the Wilde Rodach, the venerable marble quarry at Köstenhof provides a final historical and scenic highlight.