A famous Passion altarpiece in St. Andrew’s Church makes Kalchreuth a special place for art lovers: the winged shrine altar was created by Michael Wolgemut, Dürer’s teacher. Also in Kalchreuth, a three-kilometre circular trail passes through the cherry orchards. Information boards explore cherries, the landscape and the village, while interactive stations focus on nature. The route thus combines regional culture with insights into the surrounding area.
Local History and Cultural Heritage
In Mühlhausen, the built heritage tells the story of the community’s more than 500-year Jewish history. The former synagogue was built in 1756/57 on the southern edge of the village centre. Together with the Jewish cemetery, laid out around fifteen years earlier, it is the only authentically preserved architectural evidence of this past. The cemetery has 373 surviving gravestones. Another important Jewish cemetery is located in Baiersdorf: it was established in the late Middle Ages, possibly after 1388, and, together with the cemetery in Hemhofen, is among the oldest surviving Jewish cemeteries in the region.
The museums also cover a range of subjects. The Spix Museum in Höchstadt is housed in the birthplace of naturalist Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix. Interactive exhibits introduce visitors to his life and the history of the house. A computer- and light-controlled rainforest diorama featuring animal displays and animal sounds is especially recommended for children. The Herzogenaurach City Museum focuses on local history, industry and folk beliefs. It is housed in the former Holy Spirit Hospital, a late-medieval half-timbered building that was extensively restored using traditional techniques.
Music and craftsmanship shaped another part of local history: after the Second World War, more than 2,000 musical instrument makers from the Saxon-Bohemian musical region found a new home in Bubenreuth. The village subsequently developed into a European centre for stringed instrument making. The Bubenreutheum in the town hall features an 80-square-metre permanent exhibition on music and integration. The Weisendorf Local History Museum, by contrast, focuses on the Seebachgrund’s former rural life and work, self-sufficiency, and a hunting exhibition featuring taxidermy specimens of native game species.
In Höchstadt, the castle and town tower tell the story of different periods in the town’s development. The castle incorporates the foundations of a 12-by-12-metre tower dating from the early 13th century, with walls three metres thick; it acquired its present appearance around 1714. The surviving 14th-century town tower was part of the second of three rings of town walls or fortifications and is considered a landmark of the town. In Heroldsberg, the medieval White Castle houses changing and permanent exhibitions of artworks spanning seven centuries, displayed across three floors.
Pond Landscapes and Trails
Water and wetlands define several nature areas. The Mohrhof Pond District Bird Sanctuary is an Important Bird Area and one of the early Natura 2000 Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas. Its habitats include wetlands and orchid-rich wet meadows, home to rare bird species. Near Höchstadt, the Bösenbechhofen Ponds lie north of the village of Bösenbechhofen. This chain of ponds, fed by rainwater, is located in the Gretelmark forest. Together with the surrounding habitats, an area of 23.06 hectares was designated a nature reserve on 15 December 2012.
The three trails near Höchstadt differ in both length and character. The marked Kingfisher Trail is a flat circular route of about 2.6 kilometres through Franconian pond country. The Orchid Trail is about 2.2 kilometres long and is suitable for both vehicles and pedestrians; it passes through a cultivated landscape of reed-fringed ponds, wet meadows, numerous waterbirds and orchids such as the marsh helleborine. The Water Lily Trail is a mostly flat walking route of about 2.4 kilometres through the historic Gretelmark forest. Forest ponds, stands of water lilies and bulrushes, and kingfishers are among the natural features described there. The different distances and trail types can help you choose a nature walk that suits you; check route details before setting out or while you are there.
Cycling Routes, Fishing and Leisure
An extensive network of cycling and hiking trails opens up the landscape from the Aischgrund to the Erlangen uplands. In the district, the Way of St. James cycling pilgrimage route passes through Kalchreuth and Uttenreuth: there it runs through residential areas, while elsewhere it passes through woods and meadows. The 183-kilometre Upper Franconian Way of St. James runs from Hof to Nuremberg and also passes through Kalchreuth. The Aischgrund Carp Cycling Route offers a different way to explore the area: at Adelsdorf, it turns west towards Höchstadt. Check current route conditions before setting out.
The Lower Aischgrund Fishing Museum is housed in a historic fishery building in Adelsdorf-Neuhaus. A two-kilometre educational trail starts there, with information boards about Franconian fish fauna, fishing and pond farming. For leisure activities, the FreizeitAktiv-Paradies in Vestenbergsgreuth offers an alpine coaster and a mini-golf course. At the Höchstadt ice rink, you can go ice skating, speed skating and attend an ice disco; you can also play ice hockey or watch the Höchstadt Alligators. As seasonal schedules may vary, it is worth checking the latest information before your visit. The Atlantis leisure pool in Herzogenaurach offers, among other things, a wave pool, the Rocket and Roter Riese slides, a current channel and a children’s adventure area; facilities may change.
Carp in Season
In Höchstadt a.d.Aisch, Aischgrund mirror carp from the surrounding sky ponds is a regional speciality. Its various culinary preparations are featured on seasonal menus during the months with an “R” in their names, from September to April; the product has protected geographical indication status. The district publishes an updated brochure each year listing restaurants whose operators offer carp and can register to be included. If you are looking for a carp dish in particular, it is worth checking the latest edition.
Discover more destinations: Weisendorf, Heßdorf, Herzogenaurach, Heroldsberg, Erlangen, Wachenroth, Bubenreuth, Gremsdorf, Höchstadt An Der Aisch, Uttenreuth, Eckental, Baiersdorf, Adelsdorf, Hemhofen, Marloffstein, Kalchreuth, Röttenbach.
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