Between Two Rivers

ensemble: forester's house with lime tree, a pilgrimage church from the 17th century, fish ponds behind it, all originally laid out by the monks of the Cistercian monastery Schöntal. Here lingering, resting, and reflecting are a must, everyday life becomes a distant memory! The water, which springs from the source house behind the chapel, is said to have healing effects, especially for eye ailments.

Down through the deeply incised Honigklinge into the Jagst valley to the Schöntal monastery. Schöntal – Beautiful Valley – Schöntal, the Cistercians knew about the quality of the area. The Jagst (hunter!) with clear water, natural fish richness, then as now, magnificent beech forests with dozens of lakes for fish farming, and last but not least, the sage-oat meadows on the south-facing slopes, left nothing to be desired!

Nothing remains of the vineyards that once dominated the sunny slopes until the end of the 19th century. The phylloxera destroyed all stocks, whose grapes used to be pressed into wine in Niedernhall in a huge press built by Abbot Knittel.

The winemaking has been revived in Bieringen, above the monastery. Actually, it takes a whole day, at least, to visit the monastery! The monastery church with the tomb of Götz von Berlichingen, the baroque staircase in the archive building, and a tour of the outer grounds require time, as well as coffee or a glass of wine in the monastery café or the “Post.”
The educational center in the monastery (with overnight accommodation), the forest school, the cloister, the Kreuzberg with its chapel and the stork tower, and much more... for all this, one must return again to the Hohenlohe region. Down the Jagst valley to Jagsthausen, we leave a huge quarry on the left; it is in operation and dangerous, therefore: "No Entry!" Not for some endangered species that have already found a new home in the damp ground or on the exposed steep walls.
The Götzenburg in Jagsthausen, the ancestral seat of the knight with the iron fist, greets from the other side of the Jagst; a detour is necessary, or better yet, the next castle festivals, held every summer, naturally including the "Götz" and a children's play, are quickly booked!
We say goodbye to the Jagst, which rises near Ellwangen in the foreland of the Alb and flows almost parallel to the Kocher through the Hohenlohe region, and climb up to Stolzenhof, through fields and meadows back across the plain to the Kocher valley. In Sindringen, a view from the Kocher bridge downstream into the Kocher reveals huge gravel banks and upstream to the weir.
In the summer months, after 4 hours of hiking, nothing speaks against a swim; in the weir's reservoir one can swim a good kilometer. Wild ducks, geese, and the occasional swan stay in the deep water, while rare species like the kingfisher, dipper, and goosander prefer the fast-flowing and little frequented parts of the Kocher. Cormorants, which have settled in the nearby nature reserve near Ohrnberg, fly in flocks high above the valley towards Ernsbach.
In general, numerous wildlife observations can be made in rural Hohenlohe: deer, hares, and with luck, wild boars.