Schwarzwald-Nordrandweg 1: from Mühlacker to Pforzheim

From Mühlacker railroad station (239 m), we walk slightly downhill through Bahnhofstraße and the pedestrian zone to Kelterplatz (225 m), the actual starting point of the Black Forest North Rim Trail and the Gäurand Trail . Here you will find an overview board for the first stage of the two long-distance hiking trails.

Following the signposts of the white diamond with a stylized "N" on a yellow background, we cross the B10 (traffic lights). After a short climb with wonderful views, we reach the ruins of Löffelstelz Castle (280 m).

After the descent via serpentines, we reach the first houses of Dürrmenz and cross the Enz (220 m) on a bridge. The Henri Arnaud fountain is located directly on the bank, with a view of the ruins of Löffelstelz Castle. It commemorates the pastor and Waldensian leader who led around 1700 fellow believers to Dürrmenz in 1699. At this point, they took the oath of homage to Duke Eberhard Ludwig, who accepted them into the Duchy of Württemberg.

The hiking trail then leads along the Herrenwaag and follows the banks of the Enz for 300 meters. Straight ahead we come to the Wullesee (237 m), a former ice pond. There is a memorial stone here for the - unsuccessful - coal drilling 1854-1859 by King Wilhelm.

On the ascent, we come to a rest area at the edge of the forest near the Plattenwaldhütte (282 m) with a beautiful view. The three masts of the Mühlacker transmitter dominate the view back to Dürrmenz. We continue uphill through the forest along the "Landgraben" to the signpost of the same name at the edge of the forest (356 m). Here, we have reached the Eppinger Linien ski jumps and turn right. Over a distance of 3.5 km, we follow the Eppinger-Linien ditch along the edge of the forest and again through the forest.

We climb up to 400 m to the Rotenberg and then to the Tannenberg. Shortly afterwards, we leave the forest again and enjoy the beautiful view to the west from the Gaisberg (382 m). The path curves to the left around the mountain and then descends to the center of Öschelbronn (312 m). Numerous fountains adorn the Kirnbach community.

We continue along the Hartheimer Weg in the direction of Kirnbachtal, again through the forest and follow it northwards after the bridge over the Kirnbach. Out of the forest, we turn left past the "Waldschanze" restaurant to the Chartaque, a reconstructed watchtower measuring 6 × 6 meters. We enjoy the view from the platform of the 12 m high log cabin.

We then cross the A8 highway, climb through the forest on the northern slope of the Fürstkopf up to 368 m above sea level. NN. and finally back down into the Enz valley towards Eutingen. We pass the Eutinger Sträßle to the signpost "Mäurachklinge", where we turn right to the "Kuhställe". After 50 meters along the B 10, we cross under it through a pedestrian tunnel and pass the bridge over the Enz (239 m) with a view towards the garden city of Eutingen. We pass theEnz river power station and reachEutingen railroad station. There are bus and train connections here for the return journey.

The Nordrandweg continues to climb to the west, bypassing the town of Pforzheim to the north. The Wartturm tower on the Wartberg (373 m) is already visible from afar. After 400 m, we come to the water tower on the right and the Wartberg outdoor pool. It also serves as a transmitter mast.

We can interrupt the first stage of the Schwarzwald-Nordrandweg trail at the "Wartberg" bus stop and take the city bus from here to the main railway station.

Alternatively, we can continue straight ahead, past the St. Trudpert hospital to Pforzheim's main cemetery. It is considered one of the most beautiful and best-preserved Art Nouveau cemeteries in Germany.

Here the Nordrandweg bends southwards to the "Friedhof Ost" signpost, where we leave the long-distance hiking trail to reach Pforzheim's main railway station past "Am Felsenkeller".

(Tour of the German Hiking Day 2010, Eutingen branch of the Black Forest Association)