A 3.1 km circular walk leads from Bischofsmais via the Schochert Chapel and Ginselsried and back. Another route leads from Bischofsmais via Ginselsried and several other places to Weißenstein and is 7.6 km long. The routes therefore differ not only in length, but also in their layout and destination. A listed residential and barn house and the village’s history offer a second perspective on Ginselsried.
Historic Residential and Barn House and Village History
At Ginselsried 43 stands a listed historic residential and barn house belonging to a four-sided farmstead. The two-storey building is constructed using block construction and has a half-hipped roof; two sides are clad with shingles. It is believed to date from the first third of the 19th century. Its construction, roof design and shingle cladding give the building several distinct features to look out for when exploring local architectural history.
The settlement history also places Ginselsried in a wider context: the village is one of the nearby settlements ending in -ried and -mais, which were founded at around the same time. This dating is deliberately approximate; it is not an exact founding year for Ginselsried. The residential and barn house and the village’s history complement each other as different topics: one points to a specific historic building, while the other concerns the shared development of several villages.
The village today also has a playground and a local business run by Barbara Hintermair at Ginselsried 7, offering elderberry products and turned wood items. If you are looking for these products locally, check before your visit whether they are currently available. This keeps your plans tied to what is actually available without assuming particular opening hours, tours or other offerings.
Compare Routes via Ginselsried
The 2025 Rusel hiking map lists a 3.1 km circular walk from Bischofsmais via the Schochert Chapel and Ginselsried, returning to Bischofsmais. The 7.6 km route leads from Bischofsmais via Ginselsried, Hochdorf, the Langbruck Mill and Großseiboldsried to Weißenstein. The shorter route is described as a circular walk; the longer one has Weißenstein as its destination. When comparing the two, both the different distances and the routes themselves are therefore important.
Another route, designated Tour No. 3, leads from Hochdorf via Ginselsried and then partly along roads back to the starting point at Bischofsmais town hall. Its route includes forest roads through shady woods; it also passes the Todtenau raised bog and the Kaesermühle mill. These details give the route a different character from the circular walk via the Schochert Chapel: several named landscape and trail points are part of its description.
For Tour No. 4, “Bischofsmais–Weißenstein Loop,†a section from Hochdorf is described: the path climbs for a while along a field track in the direction of Ginselsried and Bischofsmais. This is a different orientation from Tour No. 3, which is explicitly described as passing through Ginselsried. When planning, you can therefore refer to the specific details: for Tour No. 3, its route via Ginselsried and the named trail points; for Tour No. 4, the uphill field track in the direction of the two villages.
Bischofsmais as Additional Regional Context
The broader destination of Bischofsmais adds its own topics, located in Bischofsmais, to the picture of Ginselsried. The village offers numerous hikes through the natural surroundings of the Bavarian Forest Nature Park. The Teufelstisch can be reached via hiking trail No. 3; from the rock formation, there are views of Weißenstein Castle Ruins and the district town of Regen. The Oberbreitenau plateau on the Geißkopf is also home to the ruins of an abandoned village and a raised bog. These landscape and hiking destinations are distinct points of interest in the context of Bischofsmais.
The Baderhaus in Bischofsmais also brings together several cultural themes. Two rooms are dedicated to Max Peinkofer, a local writer from Bischofsmais, and his brother-in-law, the Bishop of Augsburg, Dr. Joseph Freundorfer. The ground floor houses a permanent nativity scene exhibition. The Baderhaus also hosts events featuring music, readings, and art and photography exhibitions. Check the current flyer for specific dates; the types of events listed do not indicate individual event dates.
In Bischofsmais Kurpark, the lookout and toboggan hill has a 35-ton rocking stone at its summit. In winter, nine downhill runs at the 1,097-metre-high Geißkopf and the neighbouring 1,121-metre-high Einödriegel are open for skiing and snowboarding. Before planning a winter visit, check the ski operator’s current seasonal operating information.
Discover more destinations: Habischried
To the broader travel overview: Bischofsmais.
