Hohenburg brings together church architecture, hiking scenery and a special insight into the life of the greater horseshoe bat. St. James Parish Church, the Juniper Hiking Trail and the Bat House each offer something different, so you can get to know the town according to your interests.
Church, Scenery and Bat Watching
St. James Parish Church in Hohenburg combines Romanesque, Late Gothic and Baroque elements. The different architectural styles give the church a richly layered appearance. The church is worth a visit for those interested in the Lauterach Valley Cycle Route.
At the Hohenburg Bat House, you can watch greater horseshoe bats live using infrared cameras. The building is also home to a maternity roost of this bat species. A maternity roost is a summer roost where the animals give birth to and raise their young. This combines the opportunity to observe the bats with a direct insight into the species’ life cycle.
Hiking Around Hohenburg
After about 11 km from the starting point in Schmidmühlen, the Juniper Hiking Trail reaches the municipality of Hohenburg. It runs along the slopes of the Lauterach Valley, also known as the “Tuscany of the Upper Palatinate.” Within the wider Amberg-Sulzbach destination, the Juniper Hiking Trail is one of the most beautiful hiking trails.
For planning purposes, the distance provides a general guide to the route: after about 11 km from Schmidmühlen, the trail reaches the municipality of Hohenburg. This is a different kind of route information from that for the Felsenweg (Rock Trail) in the wider Amberg-Sulzbach destination. The Felsenweg is a 2.7-kilometre hike from Sackdilling through the rock labyrinth to the Bauernlöcher caves; the walking time is about 45 minutes. The two route descriptions highlight different aspects: the Juniper Hiking Trail focuses on its route along the valley slopes, while the Felsenweg emphasizes its short walking time and rocky landscape.
The Wider Amberg-Sulzbach Destination
In the wider Amberg-Sulzbach destination, the landscape ranges from imposing limestone cliffs and gentle Jura hills to extensive forests and river valleys. The Theuern observation platform offers another perspective on nature. It was built at the edge of the polishing ponds at the Theuern wastewater treatment plant. The adjoining wetland, with the Vils River, oxbow lakes and ponds, is a year-round resting and breeding ground for local birds as well as birds migrating from the north.
For a different activity, the Bow-Vision 3D Course at Wolfertsfeld in the wider Amberg-Sulzbach destination offers the chance to try traditional archery on a circular route of about 3 kilometres through a typical Upper Palatinate Jura farm forest. This is quite different from a hike and adds an active woodland pursuit to the options.
Culture and Regional Cuisine
The wider Amberg-Sulzbach destination also offers a range of topics for those interested in cultural history. The East Bavarian Mining and Industry Museum at Kultur-Schloss Theuern researches and documents mining and industry in eastern Bavaria, keeping their history alive. The Erzweg (Ore Trail) links sites with a mining tradition spanning more than 1,000 years and passes through cultural and natural landscapes.
Kirwan festivals are also an important part of the Amberg-Sulzbach region: since 2023, they have been listed as intangible cultural heritage in Bavaria. They are celebrated every year in their respective towns and are open to visitors and local residents. Check the dates for each town in advance. Many inns in the Amberg-Sulzbach region regularly serve the traditional Schlachtschüssel. This includes Wurschtsuppn, Kesselfleisch, as well as blood sausages, liver sausages and bratwurst made using the inn’s own recipes. As dates vary from one inn to another, it is worth checking in advance.
Discover more destinations: Etzelwang, Schnaittenbach, Ammerthal, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Birgland, Vilseck, Rieden, SchmidmĂĽhlen.
View the wider travel overview: Amberg-Sulzbach.
