At Hahnenkammsee, along paths to St. Catherine’s Chapel and among historic buildings, Hechlingen am See offers different ways to spend your stay. Options range from boating and sunbathing lawns to a 10-kilometre panoramic circular trail. For planning, you can first decide what to focus on: time by the lake, a hike or a cultural visit?
Time on the water at Hahnenkammsee
Hiking and cycling trails, as well as boating, are available at Hahnenkammsee. For a break outdoors, there are family-friendly sunbathing lawns and a shady barbecue area with seating. There is also a playground. Changing rooms, toilets and showers with warm water complete the facilities. A visit to the lake therefore offers both activity and opportunities for a longer break. The different options give you the flexibility to shape the day around your interests without committing to just one activity.
Choose your route by length
The Hechlinger Hohlweg is a 1.2-kilometre educational trail leading to the ruins of St. Catherine’s Chapel. The chapel ruins can be reached from Hechlingen by taking an unpaved sunken lane eastward. For a longer hike, the Hahnenkamm 20 circular trail is a 10-kilometre panoramic loop around Hechlingen and Hahnenkammsee; the stated duration is three hours. Comparing the route lengths can help you choose between the educational trail to the chapel and the longer circular route. As trail conditions may change, it is advisable to check them before setting out.
Cycling trails are also available by the lake.
Church, ruins and festival
In the town centre stands the Protestant Church of St. Lucia and St. Ottilia, with a church tower dating from 1491. The ruins of Stahelsberg Castle lie south of Hechlingen; the castle was first mentioned in 1197. This year refers to the first mention, not a documented construction date. The ruins of St. Catherine’s Chapel date from the first half of the 15th century. Together, these three dates show different aspects of local history: a tower, a recorded mention and the dating of chapel ruins.
The annual Chapel Festival takes place in early August and is organised by the Hechlingen Horticultural and Tourism Association. If you would like to plan your stay around the festival, check the specific dates before travelling.
Nature and off-road training
Kapellbuck has the dry grassland vegetation typical of the Southern Franconian Jura. Characteristic plants include pasqueflower, spring gentian and silver thistle. Keeping sheep helps protect rare plants and preserve the distinctive character of the short-grass slopes. This landscape offers another focus alongside water, trails and buildings.
A very different activity is individual off-road training at the BMW Motorrad Enduro Park Hechlingen. It is aimed at beginners and advanced riders and takes place on a 30-hectare riding area. The circuit includes steep slopes, muddy single tracks, forest trails with exposed roots, narrow footpaths, ruts, and smaller ascents and descents. Participation requires a booking. This makes it easy to distinguish the activity from the more generally available options of hiking, cycling and cultural visits.
A cultural perspective on the wider destination of Heidenheim
The wider destination of Heidenheim adds its own cultural focus to the local attractions of Hechlingen. Despite further alterations made by the Margraves of Ansbach after the Reformation, Heidenheim Monastery is one of the few surviving Benedictine reform monasteries in Central Europe. The Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela passes through Heidenheim. Heidenheim Minster hosts numerous concerts every year, and the local history and pottery museum is housed in a medieval tithe barn.
For the wider travel overview: Heidenheim.
