Like many gravel pits in the Main Valley, the South Sea in Baunach was created by gravel extraction and is fed by groundwater. A circular trail around the lake explores the natural and cultural landscape, while an audio guide and historical exhibits in the former town hall highlight the city’s history. In Baunach, therefore, landscape and history come together.
Circular trail around the South Sea
The nature trail follows a circular route along the lake. Its 14 stations present features of the natural and cultural landscape as well as distinctive aspects of the Main Valley. The route is around 2 km long; families should allow just over an hour. The trail is impassable during high water. Bear this restriction in mind when planning your visit.
From the jetty, the Baunach weir is on the left; behind it is the SchrepfersmĂĽhle, also known as the TremelsmĂĽhle.
City history explored in different ways
For adults and history enthusiasts, the audio guide tour through Baunach’s town center provides around an hour of spoken information at 13 stops. Its duration is easy to compare with the family walk around the South Sea: both activities take about an hour, but focus on different subjects and places. One is a nature trail around 2 km long; the other is an audio guide tour about the city’s history, with stops in the town center.
The former town hall was built in 1744 and designed by J. H. Dientzenhofer. Exhibits in the former town hall included records of the city’s history spanning more than 1,000 years, as well as tools from various trades and agriculture. Other topics included rural life, traditional crafts, the Christmas tradition of the “Möppala,” and works by artists from Baunach.
Guided tours of Baunach’s historic old town can be arranged with the “Baunach night watchman,” alias Reinhold Schweda. Check current availability in advance. Alongside the audio guide stops, pre-arranged tours offer another way to explore the history of the old town.
Christmas market in Baunach
Baunach’s Christmas market features regional bratwurst and regional mulled wine from a winery in Lower Franconia. Individual stalls and products may vary. The market adds a seasonal reason to plan a trip alongside the area’s historical and landscape attractions.
In the wider Bamberg destination
Elsewhere in the wider Bamberg destination, distinct places offer further cultural and natural highlights. Schloss Weissenstein near Pommersfelden is one of Germany’s major Baroque complexes and houses an extensive gallery of art-historically significant works by French, Italian, German, and Dutch painters. In the 18th century, the Ebrach Abbey complex was extensively transformed by Leonhard Dientzenhofer into a palace-like Baroque complex; its Gothic church and rose window were preserved. The Ebrach History Museum has been housed in the former Cistercian monastery since 2004 and explores the history of the market town and the monastery. Nature enthusiasts can follow the Methusalem Tour around Ebrach through the Spitzenberg Nature Reserve, where they will find trees up to 250 years old or older and up to 144 centimeters thick.
Discover more destinations: Reckendorf, Burgwindheim, Oberhaid, Altendorf, Litzendorf, Bamberg, Kemmern, Buttenheim
Back to the main travel overview: Bamberg.
