Frankenwaldhochstraße

We start in the Lucas Cranach town of Kronach at the Rosenberg Fortress with the Franconian Gallery, ride across the historic upper town, then through the Bamberg Gate. After crossing the Nordbrücke bridge, the route leads onto the B 85 towards Lichtenfels. At the traffic circle at the southern end of Kronach, we follow the signpost to Hof and then turn left following the signpost to Tschirn. After passing Dörfles, we soon reach Friesen. Opportunity to visit the village church with its late medieval frescoes.

Continue on to Steinberg. Shortly after, turn off to Gifting and up the steep hill to Posseck. In the center of the village, take a sharp right onto the road to Marienroth. A few kilometers later, turn left to Förtschendorf. Here you follow the B 85 to Steinbach a. Wald. The village lies on the legendary Rennsteig high-altitude hiking trail. Visit the new leisure center with the Frankenwald exhibition on the upper floor and the adjacent KunstPark am Rennsteig.

Then continue past the glass obelisk at the traffic circle along the Rennsteig to Kleintettau. Two highlights await you and are definitely worth a visit. The Klein Eden tropical house with tropical plants and a reptile exhibition and the European Flakonglasmseum with glass café and farm store. You may also come across the shaggy highland cattle that graze in the former German-German border area.

After this, we return to the route, which leads via Ebersdorf to Ludwigstadt. Turn left there to reach Lauenstein and ride up the steep hill past the Confiserie Bauer (chocolate factory / factory outlet) to Lauenstein Castle. The parking lot is just below the castle.

After the castle tour, head back to the entrance to Lauenstein, where it is worth taking a short detour to the left to the Fischbachsmühle (praline factory / factory outlet) with the longest praline counter in Upper Franconia.

Then back to Ludwigsstadt. Visit the German Slate Museum and the tourist information center for the Rennsteig region in the Franconian Forest, which is located in the same building.

The route then continues through the town. Shortly after the end of the town, turn left towards Lauenhain. You have a great panoramic view from the striking wind turbine. The route then continues via Reichenbach to Teuschnitz. We recommend a visit to the Arnika Academy with its GRÜNerLeben nature manufactory.

The route now leads via Tschirn to Nordhalben. In the center of the village is the Lace Museum with its international lace collection and the historic local museum. If you have time, it is also worth visiting the Ködel dam - Bavaria's largest drinking water reservoir. Take the same route back to the main route.

Past the Nordhalben natural swimming pool, you reach Thomasmühle, a district of Nordhalben, where the Rodachtalbahn railroad station is located. Then turn left and via Heinersberg and Langenbach, past Carlsgrün with the oldest inn in the Franconian Forest, to the highest Bavarian state spa Bad Steben. Enjoy the tranquillity of the well-kept spa gardens and relax in the new thermal baths with adjoining sauna area. At the other end of the town, the Bad Steben casino awaits your visit. Try your luck at blackjack, roulette or the "one-armed bandits".

The journey continues to the small town of Lichtenberg and up through the old town to the ruins of Lichtenberg Castle with its beautiful views. A visit to the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Stollen visitor mine, which is a little off the route, is also recommended.

The next destination on the route is Hell. Sorry, not hell, just hell - this is a small village at the entrance to the wild and romantic Höllental valley, which is particularly inviting for hiking.

Then head via Marxgrün to Naila and there, shortly after entering the town, turn left to the train station, to the tourist center of the Selbitztal-Döbraberg vacation region. Find out about the sightseeing opportunities and leisure activities on offer in the town and the region. A visit to the Naila Museum in the Schusterhof is also worthwhile.

The journey continues via Selbitz (Lokland Selbitz) and Weidesgrün to Schauenstein with its historic castle and the Upper Franconian Fire Brigade Museum.

Turn left in the village to reach Neudorf with its historic weaver's house.

The route then takes you to Helmbrechts. In the Upper Franconian textile museum there, you can help weave the longest hand-woven scarf, which has an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

The route then leads through Helmbrechts town center to Oberweißenbach and via Ort, Ochsenbrunn / Bärenbrunn, Gösmes, then turn left to Grafengehaig and on to Marktleugast. There, follow the signposts to Marienweiher, where a visit to the papal pilgrimage basilica is a must.

The route then leads to the small mining town of Kupferberg. Turn left in the town to reach the visitor mine and mining museum, which provides vivid information about the history of mining.

Continue in the direction of Untersteinach and from there take the new bypass towards the beer town of Kulmbach. At the first exit just before Kulmbach, you reach Hofer Straße, which takes you directly to Kulmbacher Mönchshof. Three important museums await your visit: the Bavarian Brewery Museum, the Bavarian Bakery Museum and the German Spice Museum. Afterwards, we recommend a visit to the town center and the Plassenburg Castle, which towers above the town. First, take the road into town to the large parking lot Schwedensteg. From there it is only a short walk to the city center with the town hall and the tourist information office in Buchbindergasse. In summer, a bus shuttle (line 5) runs every half hour from the Klosterstraße stop to the Hohenzollern residence Plassenburg, which towers high above the town. In winter, the Plassenburg can also be reached by car. A visit to the German Tin Figure Museum with the largest collection of tin figures in the world is absolutely worthwhile. The Obermain Landscape Museum, the Hohenzollern Museum in Franconia and the Frederick the Great Army Museum are also well worth a visit. After so much culture, you should definitely plan a visit to the Burgschänke or one of the many other Kulmbach inns, all of which serve good Kulmbach beer and Franconian specialties.

The journey continues back to Untersteinach and then to Stadtsteinach. We recommend taking a detour into the Steinachtal valley and the wild and romantic Steinachlamm (not shown on the route, follow the signs for Steinachtal in the town).

We then reach Marktrodach via Ober- and Unterzaubach, Zettlitz, past Rugendorf, through Seibelsdorf and Großvichtach. Cross the junction there and continue into the district of Unterrodach until you reach the rafting museum. Numerous exhibits show the rafting that used to take place in the Franconian Forest. In the past, the Franconian Forest raftsmen used to transport timber on the rivers all the way to the Netherlands. Today, there are still raft trips on the Wild Rodach in nearby Wallenfels, where holidaymakers and locals can take part in a raft trip every Saturday from May to September. A lively, wet experience for everyone.

After visiting the museum, the tour takes you back to Kronach and through the town center back up to Rosenberg Fortress, where you started your tour.