A 10-kilometre circular hiking trail starts and ends in Bernried and follows the Stations of the Cross to the Bruder Klaus Chapel. There is also a church built in 1922/23 and a moderately challenging cycling route through the village. Hiking, sacred history and cycling therefore offer distinct themes to consider when planning your trip.
Church and memorial site
The branch church of St Mary and St Wendelin in Bernried was built in 1922/23. It is dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary; Saint Wendelin is the church’s second patron saint. A different historical aspect is represented by the “Bernried/Rötz – Concentration Camp Cemetery and Memorial Site”: it commemorates 164 victims of National Socialism who were reinterred in Flossenbürg in 1957. The dedication of the church and the commemoration of the victims thus represent two clearly distinct themes. If you would like to include cultural history in your stay, you can visit them as separate stops.
On foot to the Bruder Klaus Chapel
The moderately challenging Rz05, the Chapel Trail, is a 10-kilometre circular hiking trail. It starts and ends in Bernried and follows the Stations of the Cross to the Bruder Klaus Chapel. The Way of the Cross leads from the edge of the village uphill to the chapel, passing 15 granite pillars bearing artistic clay reliefs. Both the actual trail length and the sequence of pillars and named destination shape the character of this hike. The “moderately challenging” rating and the 10-kilometre distance give you two specific details to help assess the trail as you plan.
The Way of the Cross is also linked to a religious tradition: for more than 30 years, the chapel-building association “Friends and Supporters of the Bruder Klaus Chapel of the Cham District KLJB/KLB” has traditionally invited members of local groups and village residents to pray the Way of the Cross to the chapel on Palm Sunday. Alongside the route and its granite pillars, this communal Palm Sunday gathering is also part of Bernried’s local character.
A cycling route as an alternative
The moderately challenging Cycling Tour 11 also passes through Bernried and is 30.4 kilometres long. Compared with the 10-kilometre Rz05, the routes differ in activity, length and format: the Chapel Trail is a circular hiking trail, while the cycling tour is a designated cycle route through the village. Both routes are rated moderately challenging; their distances help you compare their respective lengths.
More to explore in the wider destination of Rötz
In the wider destination of Rötz, the Goldsteig leads across a secured elevated walkway with a viewpoint overlooking the Steinerne Wand rock formation. From Bauhof, you can reach Schwarzenburg on foot via the Bierweg or Schützsteig trails. These are distinct hiking and local attractions in the regional context of Rötz, adding further themes to the specific trails in Bernried.
Culture and technology are also part of this Rötz context. The Märchenzeit (Fairy Tale Time) is performed each year with a different fairy tale; it was first included in the Schwarzwihrberg Association’s programme in 2007. If you are planning a specific visit, check the latest local information. The Upper Palatinate Craft Museum includes a steam-powered sawmill and the water-powered Saxlmühle sawmill. In the open-air grounds, a 1934 Class 64 steam locomotive recalls the former Neunburg vorm Wald–Rötz railway line.
Discover more destinations: Heinrichskirchen.
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