Marktrodach combines a history of rafting with a range of hiking and outdoor activities. Since 1981, the Unterrodach Rafting Museum has been housed in a former raftmaster’s house and has served as the museum of the Marktrodach market municipality.
Rafting history in Unterrodach
An anchor and a raft model in St. Michael’s Church in Unterrodach commemorate rafting on the Rodach, which shaped the town. Marktrodach is also home to numerous magnificent raftmasters’ houses. The museum’s former raftmaster’s house and the memorials in the church reflect different aspects of the town’s rafting heritage.
You can visit the Rafting Museum outside its regular opening hours by registering in advance with the Marktrodach municipal administration. Register a few days before your planned visit. Allow for this lead time if the museum is to be a fixed part of your stay.
Hiking and finding your way around
The Rodachtal Trail KC 11 is an easy, 13.1-kilometre hiking route with 112 metres of elevation gain. In Unterrodach, it passes, among other places, the church, town hall and Rafting Museum. Another hiking trail also crosses Unterrodach: the Frankenweg runs through here on its route from Marktrodach-Zeyern to Weismain.
The Radspitze Tower is open to the public; it may be closed during the winter months due to weather conditions. Bear this seasonal restriction in mind when planning your visit, and check conditions beforehand.
More activities in Marktrodach
Marktrodach is in Frankenwald Nature Park and offers good conditions for mountain bikers, as well as for people who are new to mountain biking. For active visitors, paragliding and hang-gliding from the 678-metre-high Radspitze are options. Kreuzberg airfield offers another flying opportunity, with motorised aircraft or gliders.
Regional context: the wider destination of Kronach
The district’s varied landscapes shape the wider destination of Kronach. The larger northeastern part lies in the Frankenwald, a low, rounded, densely forested upland with many valleys at elevations of around 500 to just over 700 metres. The rest of the district lies in the northern part of the Obermain hill country. It descends southwestward to around 300 to 500 metres and has a varied relief, with escarpments and terraces. Most of Kronach district lies in the Rodach catchment area and that of its tributaries, which flow southwest toward the Upper Main.
The hiking trails also offer a useful comparison. The FrankenwaldSteigla “Entlang der Marter” is a 14.7-kilometre, moderately difficult hiking trail in Kronach; the “Ködeltour” in Steinwiesen is 17.1 kilometres long and very difficult. Both routes are therefore longer and rated as more difficult than the easy Rodachtal Trail KC 11 in Marktrodach. Check the latest route details and conditions before setting out on these trails.
The wider destination of Kronach also has its own attractions for culture enthusiasts: Rosenberg Fortress combines medieval, Renaissance and Baroque military architecture. The oldest surviving document mentioning the name Rosenberg dates from 1249. The Franconian Gallery displays 220 outstanding masterpieces of painting and sculpture from the Late Gothic and Renaissance periods in Franconia, across 1,000 square metres of exhibition space.
Discover more destinations: Unterrodach, Stockheim in Upper Franconia, Pressig, Kronach, KĂĽps, Steinwiesen, Tettau, Tschirn
Back to the wider travel guide: Kronach.
