Haßberge short trip: Castles, mountains, biking - in the Haßberge: Tour tips for Lower Franconia
Christiane Bertelsmann
· 23.01.2024
"Where do you want to go? By bike to the Hassberge? Where is that?" - The fact that our Berlin friends don't know what and where the Hassberge mountains are - no problem. But even friends from Munich had never heard of the Hassberge.
To clear things up straight away: The Haßberge region is located in Lower Franconia in Bavaria. More precisely, between Schweinfurt and Bamberg, pretty much in the geographical centre of Germany, close to the major traffic flows and about as far away from Munich as from Berlin.
As for the unflattering name: it has nothing to do with hate or ugliness, but where exactly it comes from is a matter of debate among scientists. It is possible that the name was derived from the Germanic tribe of the Chatti, who are said to have settled here.
But the word could also come from hasa the Old High German word hasan which means grey or shiny grey - which in turn indicates a swamp, moor and reed landscape. Whatever the case may be, the Hassberge mountains are still something of an insider tip in terms of tourism. That's our conclusion after two days of exploring the region on our bikes.
To warm up, we take a look at Königsberg. A half-timbered town, so well preserved that you wouldn't be surprised if a carriage with a trumpeting postilion came clattering over the cobblestones. Lattice windows in every house, the houses painted in soft pastel colours, lushly flowering cottage gardens. "We have our former mayor to thank for that," says Walter Schneider, who guides us through the idyllic neighbourhood. Schneider was managing director of the town hall until his retirement and is now a tour guide.
"As early as 1970, the city council issued an ordinance to protect the historic city centre," says Schneider. There were funding opportunities for uncovering half-timbered buildings, many of which were covered in thick layers of paint, and shop windows that would alter the façade were prohibited, as were neon signs.
This has done the town good. Its houses, which are now of course listed, look as if they have been cast from a single mould - and that is due to the war: the town was almost completely burnt down during the Thirty Years' War and was only rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries - almost exactly as it can still be seen today. Famous people lived here, Schneider tells us, first and foremost the astronomer and mathematician Regiomontanus, whose beautiful house can still be visited today.
Cycling tours in the Hassberge mountains - the possibilities are almost endless
You could spend hours walking through the alleyways with Schneider and listening to his stories. But at some point, it's time to get on the bike and see more. Our first tour gives us a great insight into the small-scale and idyllic world of the Hassberge, we pass castles and fortresses, sometimes even castle ruins.
It's wonderful to cycle through the beech forests in such solitude, on fine gravel - and almost always alone. The conditions for cycling tours here are excellent. Varied, not too demanding, the tour options are almost endless. For part of our tour, we follow the River Main on the Main cycle path, which is no longer quite so lonely, and compete with the boats and barges.
The tourism experts have done a great job in the region. You can download an explorer app on your mobile phone and find out what it used to look like at every castle, palace and almost every village. You can even view 3D animations of the castles, as well as contemporary documents - it's almost like having a small mobile museum in your bike bag.
But we prefer to let the fresh Haßberge air waft around our noses rather than stick it in our mobile phones and pedal leisurely along forest paths and across fields.
On the second tour - which took us up and down through beech forests and from castle ruin to castle ruin - my princess genes awoke when we stopped at Eyrichshof Castle just before Ebern. The courtyard of the moated castle is already being prepared for the next wedding, with white-covered bar tables and lavish floral decorations. It must be wonderful, the bride in a floor-length dress in front of the castle backdrop, then the ball outside at night, oh!
In the evening, however, I'm still sitting happily in the beer garden in Ebern, having swapped my cycling jersey for a normal T-short rather than a frilly dress and happy that I can cycle as a modern princess. At least in the Haßberge.
MYBIKE-Tours Haßberge: Info & Download GPX data
Tour 1: Through half-timbered towns and river valleys
- 44 km, easy tour
- 430 metres in altitude, max. gradient 10 percent
- Asphalt and gravel road surface
Starting from the market square in Haßfurt, the tour first follows the valley of the Nassach river to Unterhohenried. Then continue along the old railway line of the "Hofheimerle" via the half-timbered idyll of Königsberg i. Bayern through the Haßberggau region to Hofheim i. UFr. After a short visit to the historic market square of the small town, the route continues through the gently rolling countryside and shady forests to Sailershausen, situated in the middle of a clearing island. A short but steep descent (watch out for gravel!) leads down into the Wässernachtal valley. Then follow the river down to Wülflingen and into the Main valley. Cycle comfortably along the Main to Haßfurt.
The GPX track for tour 1 in the Haßberge you will receive here as a free download or in the MYBIKE-Collection on komoot
Tour 2: Into the heart of the Hassberge
- 44.7 km, sporty tour
- 680 hm, max. gradient 14 per cent,
- Road surface: asphalt, gravel, forest paths
The second tour is definitely more challenging. We start in the pretty half-timbered town of Ebern and warm up through Heubach and Eichelberg until the first climb. This takes us up the 457 metre high Tonberg and to Kirchlauter. On the way, it's worth stopping at Guttenberg's moated castle before heading up the Rennweg, the historic ridgeway of the Haßberge. The route leads over well-maintained gravel to the "Am Dornbusch" crossroads.
This is the apex of our route, theoretically we are now heading back. Before that, it's another brisk climb up to the ruins of Bramberg Castle. At the top, we are rewarded with an all-round panoramic view over the Hassberge mountains. Continue through the forest past the next ruined castle (Raueneck) and over the Hauberg to Eyrichshof - here, Eyrichshof Castle in Ebern is a particularly well-preserved former aristocratic residence. From here, it's a relaxed cycle out to the market square in Ebern.
The GPX track for tour 2 in the Haßberge you will receive here as a free download or in the MYBIKE-Collection on komoot
General information about the cycle tours in the Hassberge mountains
Arrival
Car: Via the Main motorway A70 to the south and the adjacent motorways A71 (Bad Neustadt a.d. Saale) and A73 (Breitengüßbach) to the west and east.
Railway: From the ICE railway stations Bamberg, Schweinfurt and Coburg, the following places can be reached by train: Haßfurt, Ebern, Zeil am Main, Ebelsbach, Baunach, Hallstadt, Oberhaid, Rentweinsdorf (Treinfeld), Bad Neustadt, Ebern
Best time to travel
April to the beginning of October
Accommodation
Surrounded by greenery Country Hotel Rügheima newly built, larger country hotel with a beautiful garden and restaurant. Double room from 111 euros with breakfast. www.landhotel-ruegheim.de
Typically Franconian: Gasthof Frankenstube in Ebern with restaurant. Easy to reach by train. Double room from 85 euros with breakfast. www.gasthof-frankenstuben.de
Food
A brewery pub that could hardly be more rustic: the Göller brewery "Zur Alten Freyung" - with a correspondingly large selection of beers and traditional Franconian dishes in the shady beer garden. The name is reminiscent of the medieval function of a Freyung, a freehold in which no secular judge was allowed to hold office. Göller" brewery pub Zur Alten Freyung Speiersgasse 21 97475 Zeil a. Main, www.zur-alten-freyung.de
Bicycle service
z. e.g. Haßfurt: www.bike-emotions.de
Map
Haßberge Nature Park 1 : 50 000, Map of the surrounding area, Topographical Map of Bavaria, Volume 2(UK 50-2). 8,70 €
Tip: Free (e)-bike tour map with 23 cycle tours from the Hassberge to the Steigerwald, can be ordered here: https://shop.hassberge-tourismus.de/E-Radtouren-von-den-Hassbergen-bis-in-den-Steigerwald/H0010
Information (general)
www.hassberge-tourismus.de
