Ehrenkirchen: Vineyards, Trails and History

Ehrenkirchen lies around 13 kilometres south of Freiburg im Breisgau, on the edge of the Markgräflerland and in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district. The wooded natural landscape between the Markgräflerland and Breisgau gives the town a green setting. There are also vineyards, signposted trails and historic sites—different points of interest to weigh up when planning your stay.

Hiking Trails, Cycling Tours and Traces in the Landscape

Ehrenkirchen has ten locally signposted hiking trails. The Bettlerpfad and Markgräfler Wiiwegli, two regional hiking trails, also pass through the town. There are four signposted mountain biking circuits, each starting and ending at the town hall. This makes it easy to choose between a local hiking trail, a regional route and a mountain biking circuit when planning your trip.

The Stone Age Trail leads through the Ölberg Ehrenstetten nature reserve and the Schönberg Natura 2000 site, with its Black Forest slopes. Another historical highlight awaits on the mining trail in the Ehrenstetter Grund: well-preserved remains bear witness to medieval silver mining. These include a large wheel chamber, a dam and three open mine shafts. You can cover the trail on foot or by bike over about 3.2 kilometres to the Ehrenstetter Grund; this is followed by a loop of around two kilometres.

The 6.5-kilometre Archaeology Trail also combines history and exercise, leading from a Celtic hilltop settlement to Alemannic graves. Together with the trails on the Ölberg, it offers a different thematic perspective from the traces of silver mining.

Ölberg, Wine and Nature Conservation

Ehrenstetter Ölberg is one of the few vineyard sites in the Markgräflerland that faces fully south. The wines produced there are considered high quality. The Ölberg is also important as a natural area: it has been designated a nature reserve since 1996 and covers around 24 hectares. If you would like to experience both wine country and nature during your stay, you will find two closely connected themes here, distinct from the historic stops along the trails.

Kirchhofen’s Architectural History and Places in Ehrenstetten

In Kirchhofen, the Baroque pilgrimage church of the Assumption of Mary stands on elevated ground. Its history stretches back 600 years: the present church was built in 1409 as a Gothic stone building and expanded in the Baroque style from 1740 onwards. The former moated castle in Kirchhofen dates back to the 13th century. The church and castle offer two different starting points for exploring the area’s architectural history.

Ehrenstetten is also part of the municipality. The Church of St. George is located there, opposite Wentzingerplatz; Christian Wentzinger was also born in Ehrenstetten. If you are coordinating travel interests within a group, you can consider archaeology, mining history and church architecture as different themes alongside hiking and wine country.

Day Trips and Travel Information

For day trips from Ehrenkirchen, you could include Strasbourg, Colmar and Mulhouse in Alsace, as well as Basel in Switzerland, in your plans.

Many places in the wider Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald destination can be reached by train. The free KONUS guest card gives you free use of local trains and buses throughout the Black Forest.

Discover more destinations: Feldberg, Dittishausen, Heitersheim, Titisee-Neustadt, Ihringen Am Kaiserstuhl, Horben, Wittnau.

Return to the overview of the wider destination: Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.