Discover Ihrlerstein: sandstone, history and trails

Green sandstone and historic townscapes

St. James’ Church in Ihrlerstein was built from green sandstone. Another stone feature is the Brünnerl: its stone surround belongs to the original spring dating from 1634. Both places draw attention to the different ways stone has shaped local history—as a building material and as a surround for a spring.

The small and large Kuhtränke also tell a story of how the landscape was used. The names do not refer to natural ponds here; these are clay pits dating from the 18th century. Another glimpse into history takes us to Neukelheim, now a district of Ihrlerstein: in the 19th century, up to 17 green sandstone and limestone quarries were in operation there at the same time. St. James’ Church and the quarries thus represent two different contexts in which green sandstone features in local history.

Trails with different landmarks

Nordic walking Route 1 starts at the sports ground and follows the Roten Buckel-Weg to the Schopper-Marterl. The return route follows the Kreuzfichtenweg and the road along the edge of the forest back to the sports ground. Route 2 has a different starting point: it begins on Palmbergstraße by the Möller chemical plant, follows the forest track to the junction with the route into the Zieglertal, then returns along Zieglertalstraße to the starting point on Palmbergstraße. The named waypoints make the two route descriptions easy to distinguish and give you concrete reference points for planning your day.

Nature and human adaptation are at the heart of the Jura Landscape Adventure Trail. In Ihrlerstein, the trail has 13 stops with information in pictures and text. It leads to typical karst features of the area and explains how nature and people have adapted to the water-poor but stone-rich uplands. The trail thus connects landscape features with their significance for life on the upland plateau.

Activities and climbing elements

The Kelheim high ropes course, located in Ihrlerstein, has high and low elements. The high elements include, among others, a climbing tower, Flying Fox, Partner Crossing, Burma Steps, Cable Walk, Jacob’s Ladder and Cat Walk; the low elements include the Mohawk Walk and others.

The route descriptions, the stops on the adventure trail and the climbing elements each have a different focus: finding your way along named routes, learning about karst and human adaptation, or tackling climbing elements at different heights. Deciding which of these themes you want to focus on can help you plan your days and find suitable accommodation in Ihrlerstein.

Kelheim in its regional context

Kelheim is part of a distinct regional context. The northern part of Kelheim district, including Kelheim, Essing and Riedenburg, lies within the Altmühltal Nature Park. The Weltenburger Enge, Hirschberg and Altmühlleiten nature reserve, located in Kelheim, includes the Danube Gorge; there are eleven hiking trails in the nature reserve. A 13-kilometre hike leads from Essing via the Tatzlwurm, past the Klausenhöhlen caves and along the Celtic Wall to the Danube Gorge.

Kelheim’s cultural history also has its own highlights: King Ludwig I commissioned the Befreiungshalle. It is a memorial to the victorious battles against Napoleon in the Wars of Liberation from 1813 to 1815. These places and trails belong to Kelheim’s regional context; they should not be confused with the local stops and routes in Ihrlerstein.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Essing, Altessing, Langquaid, Bad Abbach, Elsendorf, Riedenburg, Saal An Der Donau, Volkenschwand.

Back to the main travel overview: Kelheim.