Ebrach combines its monastery, founded in 1127, with forest-related attractions, hiking trails and the AcquaSana natural swimming pool. Culture, nature and a swim offer different ways to shape your stay. For planning, the main things to consider are the monastery’s seasonal opening hours, group sizes for guided tours and the latest travel information.
Monastery Complex and History
Ebrach Monastery was founded in 1127 in the Middle Ebrach Valley. The former monastery complex includes the abbey church, the Imperial Hall, an elaborately Baroque staircase and well-maintained gardens. The wider travel destination of Bamberg also reveals the complex’s architectural history: in the 18th century, Leonhard Dientzenhofer extensively transformed it into a palace-like Baroque complex; the Gothic church, with its rose window, was preserved. The Baroque character and surviving Gothic feature therefore represent different phases of construction.
The Museum of Ebrach History has been housed in the former Cistercian monastery since 2004 and focuses on the history of the market town and the monastery. The Ebrach administrative community offers guided museum tours for groups of ten or more. Another guided tour, offered as a “complete package,” takes groups of the same minimum size through the monastery church, the Imperial Hall and the staircase. Groups can therefore choose between two different focuses: the history of Ebrach and the monastery in the museum, or the specified rooms in the complex.
The current opening hours for Ebrach Monastery are Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., April through October. Check the latest visitor information before your visit so you can factor the seasonal hours into your plans.
Forest Theme and Trails
The permanent exhibition “Wild Beech Forests” is located at Marktplatz 5 in Ebrach. Its features include a forest diorama, amphibian models, a forest-floor tunnel for children and a digital information table. The exhibition thus combines models, a tunnel and digital information about the forest. As a permanent exhibition, it adds a distinct perspective on the forest to the attractions in town. Check the latest visitor information before travelling.
There are also different types of hiking routes: long-distance trails pass through Ebrach. Well-signposted circular trails around the town offer opportunities for hiking and cycling, with views of Ebrach and the valleys of the Steigerwald. The circular trails bring together several ways to enjoy an outing, while the long-distance trails offer a different kind of route. In the wider travel destination of Bamberg, the Methusalem Tour also circles Ebrach through the Spitzenberg nature reserve, passing trees that are up to 250 years old or older and have diameters of up to 144 centimetres. Check the details of your chosen route before setting out, as specific conditions may vary.
AcquaSana Natural Swimming Pool
The AcquaSana natural swimming pool in Ebrach was built in 1933 as a conventional outdoor pool and has been a natural swimming pool since 2005, with no chemicals used. The pool has a 33 × 18-metre swimming pool with seven lanes and a 27 × 18-metre non-swimmer pool. Both pools are 18 metres wide; the swimming pool is six metres longer. There is also a stream for small children and an original water slide. Check the pool’s current operating status before visiting.
Getting There and Finding Accommodation
Bus routes 990 and 991 run from Bamberg railway station to Ebrach. Route 990, the Steigerwald Express, operates from 1 May to 1 November. Check the transport operator’s latest information for your trip, especially if you want to coordinate your journey with the monastery’s seasonal opening hours.
When looking for accommodation for a stay in Ebrach, it is worth comparing your travel dates with the monastery’s opening hours, the operating season for route 990 and the natural swimming pool’s current operating status.
Discover more destinations: GroĂźgressingen, Lisberg, ScheĂźlitz, Bischberg, Strullendorf, Heiligenstadt In Oberfranken, Pommersfelden, Litzendorf
View the wider travel guide: Bamberg.
