Explore Ihrlerstein through its traces in stone and clearly described trails: St. James’ Church is built of greensandstone, while the Brünnerl spring and the Kuhtränken show different aspects of the local landscape’s history. There are also two Nordic walking routes, a nature trail about karst features and a high ropes course. This gives you a choice of topics for planning your trip, from historical traces to detailed trail routes.
Stone, spring and historic landscape
St. James’ Church was built of greensandstone. The history of quarrying is also part of the town’s story: in the 19th century, as many as 17 greensandstone and limestone quarries were operating at the same time in Neukelheim alone, now a district of Ihrlerstein. The church and the history of quarrying thus point to different aspects of how local people have worked with the stone.
The Brünnerl is a stone surround built around the original spring in 1634. The small and large Kuhtränken, by contrast, are not natural ponds but clay pits dating from the 18th century. At these three named sites, it is worth noting the differences: the Brünnerl is defined by its spring and stone surround, while the Kuhtränken are distinctive for having originated as clay pits.
Two Nordic walking routes with different itineraries
Nordic walking Route 1 runs from the sports ground along the Roten Buckel-Weg to the Schopper-Marterl wayside shrine. The return route follows the Kreuzfichtenweg and the road along the edge of the forest back to the sports ground. Route 2 starts on Palmbergstraße, by the Möller chemical plant. From there, it follows the forest track to the link with the Zieglertal valley and returns to the starting point on Palmbergstraße via Zieglertalstraße.
The two routes are easy to distinguish by their landmarks: Route 1’s description focuses on the sports ground, the Schopper-Marterl wayside shrine and the Kreuzfichtenweg. Route 2 is defined by Palmbergstraße, the forest track and the Zieglertal valley. If you want to compare the itineraries, you can use the roads and landmarks named for each route, rather than treating them only as routes with a shared designation.
Discover the karst landscape
The Juralandschaft adventure trail in Ihrlerstein has 13 stations with images and text. It leads to typical karst features of the area and explains how nature and people have adapted to the water-poor but stone-rich uplands. It complements the Nordic walking routes, whose itineraries are described in detail, with a thematic perspective: the focus here is not only on the route itself, but also on understanding the landscape and its karst features.
High ropes course: use by arrangement
Another option is the Kelheim High Ropes Course at Sausthal 3 in Ihrlerstein. Use is by arrangement. The high elements include a climbing tower, Flying Fox or zip line, Partner Crossing, Burma Steps, Cable Walk, Pamper Pole or pole, Jacob’s Ladder, Hour Glass, Cat Walk or balance beam, and Snake. The low elements include the Mohawk Walk and other elements. These high and low elements give a concrete impression of the course’s facilities; arranging your visit in advance is part of planning.
Kelheim as the wider travel destination
The northern part of the district, including Kelheim, Essing and Riedenburg, lies within Altmühltal Nature Park and the wider travel destination of Kelheim. The Weltenburger Enge nature reserve has eleven hiking trails. One 13-kilometre hike runs from Essing via the Tatzlwurm, past the Klausenhöhlen caves and along the Celtic Wall to the Danube Gorge.
The Altmühltal Archaeology Park is another regional highlight: it comprises 18 stations between Kelheim, Essing, Riedenburg and Dietfurt, offering insights from the Neanderthals to the Celts. These destinations are part of the wider travel destination of Kelheim and provide an additional regional connection alongside the attractions described in Ihrlerstein.
Discover more destinations: Essing, Altessing, Abensberg, Wildenberg, Painten, Rohr in Niederbayern, Kelheim and Riedenburg.
Back to the main travel overview: Kelheim.
