Bike route to the Pfinz spring small loop

Start in Grünwettersbach at the shops near the Grünwettersbach-Mitte bus stop. Take Heidenheimer Straße under the motorway to the edge of Hohenwettersbach into Lindenstraße and then turn sharp right into Batzenhofweg until near Batzenhof, there turn left into Ochsenstraße and continue along Pappelallee past the golf course to "Thomashof" and "Forsthaus".

View of the Black Forest and Turmberg with Rhine plain and Palatinate Forest. At the signpost "Judenweg" follow the direction to "Turmberg", passing the Rittnerthof (riding stable). The view into the Pfinztal with Hopfenberg near Berghausen in the background is beautiful. Continue past the excursion restaurant Schützenhaus, the forest climbing park, and sports school Schöneck to Turmberg. Here you can take a break and enjoy the view over Durlach, Karlsruhe, Rhine plain, and Palatinate Forest.

Then continue over Jean-Ritzert-Straße with 2 hairpin bends down to Durlach. To reach the Roman villa rustica, cross the street at the traffic lights and go right until shortly before the vocational school, then turn left to villa rustica. It was discovered in 1991 during construction work for the vocational school. Unfortunately, part of the find was destroyed due to lack of knowledge by excavator work. What can be seen are the foundations and the cellar. Information boards with explanations are located on the site.

If you want to skip the visit, stay on the right side of the street towards the "Badisches Malerdorf" Grötzingen, a district of Karlsruhe, and cross the bridge over B10 and the railway line to Stuttgart into Eisenbahnstraße and turn left into Büchelbergstraße to the town hall square. The Grötzingen half-timbered town hall is worth seeing.

From here, continue the ride on the bike path towards Pforzheim along the Pfinz until crossing the Pfinz in Berghausen, then continue along the river to Söllingen. At the edge of the town, leave the Pfinz and the bike path goes under the railway at Kapellenstraße and later turns to the forest edge. The next town is Kleinsteinbach. There you can visit the ruins of a tower castle from the 12th century (information board on the way to the ruin). To visit the sculpture trail, follow the signpost "Kleinsteinbach Festplatz" with the direction "Skulpturenweg", which begins about 1 km away.

After the visit, return the same way to the signpost "Kleinsteinbach Festplatz" and follow the direction to "Remchingen-Singen" or bike path to Pforzheim. In Pfinzstraße turn onto Marktstraße, then go through the underpass of the railway and B10 towards the swimming pool. Here again along the Pfinz. Next, reach Wiesenstraße, follow it to Nöttinger Straße, turn right and continue into Jahnstraße to its end. The path winds through meadows in several curves to the forest edge and along it to the entrance of Nöttingen. Leave the district of Nöttingen on the right and continue to the Dietenhäuser Mill.

The road then leads directly to Keltern into the district of Ellmendingen. There you can visit an old wine press from the 16th century. To do this, follow the signpost "Ellmendingen/Arnbach" with the direction "Local History Museum".

The Ellmendingen wine press, a "Torkel" built in the 16th century, is now a rare attraction. The last pressing took place in 1937. A new building took over its tasks in 1939. The local history museum set up in the old wine press parlor shows an apartment from around 1900 and presents the working world of old crafts. Historical testimonies are shown in changing exhibitions. Old wine presses can also be found in Dietlingen (1752), Niebelsbach, and Dietenhausen. The wine press in Dietlingen from 1752 is also a listed monument.

Johannes Kepler, the world-famous astronomer and mathematician, lived from 1579 to 1584 with his parents in Ellmendingen, where his father had leased the inn "Sonne." A commemorative plaque remembers this.

Then back again and continue the ride on Keplerstraße towards Weiler. First along the edge of the town into Hauptstraße, Quellenstraße, settlement into Neumüllerweg to the signpost "Weiler/Im Laile".

Continue to Hochmühle in the Pfinz valley and further to Ittersbach. In Ittersbach at the signpost "Pfinztalstraße" continue towards "Pfinzhof". The path leads past the church and cemetery down to a small bridge in the source area of the Pfinz. The source is about 200 m further west.

After the visit, return for a well-deserved meal. The Gasthaus Rössle in Ittersbach is recommended.

There is now the option to end the ride to the Pfinz spring via the small loop from Ittersbach through Karlsbad and Waldbronn to Grünwettersbach or to finish the tour via the large loop through the Alb valley.

The start after the meal at Gasthaus Rössle begins with the climb via Großmüllergasse past the riding facility Ittersbacher Hof to the signpost "Tornadostein" (a monument commemorating the devastating tornado from July 10, 1968). Its path reached from Ittersbach to Pforzheim. Passing the beekeepers' clubhouse you cross L622. Shortly after, you reach the edge of the Bocksbach source area. On the right is a small pond called "Hermannsee," inviting a short break. The path then follows the Bocksbach valley to the entrance of Langensteinbach. To reach St. Barbara Chapel, cross the street here and continue on Kurfürstenbadstraße until you turn left into Römerstraße. Shortly after, footpaths lead to St. Barbara Chapel (picture). Continuing first along the forest edge, then into the forest until meeting Merkurstraße from Waldbronn-Reichenbach. Follow this to the junction with Pforzheimer Str., turn left into it, after the railway bridge veer slightly right to Kronenstraße. This then leads into Stuttgarter Straße. Continue to the right – to finish the route – to the next dining option at Gasthaus Lindenbräu.

Now it is not far to the starting point of the route. Follow Stuttgarter Straße and from the traffic lights take the bike path past the outdoor pool up to the information pavilion, cross the street to the "water tank", follow the direction "Am Zehntpfad", continue on Busenbacher Weg towards Grünwettersbach until reaching the town entrance. Continue straight ahead, then turn right down to the former school to the starting point at Grünwettersbach-Mitte. The route is completed and hopefully everything went well with many impressions to take home.