Discover Kirchenthumbach: Church Art and Calvary Hill

Kirchenthumbach combines striking church art with scenic landscapes and a variety of cycling routes. The parish church of the Assumption of Mary, Calvary Hill with its observation tower, and the described circular routes offer specific points of interest for a stay combining culture and nature.

Church Art with Striking Details

Bishop Dr. Rudolf Graber consecrated the parish church of the Assumption of Mary on May 26, 1974. A notable work in the church is the Stations of the Cross by Egino Günter Weinert, added in 1977. Its 15 stations depict colorful scenes fired in enamel and surrounded by bronze frames. The 15th station depicts the Resurrection. Both the sequence of images and their materials shape the character of the Stations of the Cross.

On the church square by the parish church’s west façade stands a Baroque statue of the Virgin Mary dating from 1719, also known as the “Frauenbild.” It was renovated in 1984. Another point of church history is in Thurndorf: the Theophilus Bell hangs in the tower of St. James’s Church and is one of the oldest church bells in Bavaria.

Calvary Hill and Expansive Views

The NEW-26 circular route climbs steeply to 642-meter-high Calvary Hill, the highest point of the Kütschenrain. From there, the view extends south and west over Thurndorf. Near Calvary Hill stands a 25-meter-high observation tower, built in 2014/15. It offers panoramic views reaching the peaks of the Upper Palatinate Jura, the Franconian Switzerland, the Fichtel Mountains and the Upper Palatinate Forest. Views from Calvary Hill are framed by specific directions, while the tower opens up a more far-reaching panorama.

Cycling Tours with Varied Route Scenery

The NEW-26 cycling loop starts in Kirchenthumbach and passes through Burggrub, Wölkersdorf, Thurndorf, Neuzirkendorf, Höflas and Görglas before returning. The route is mostly on paved roads, including several kilometers on state roads, as well as quiet side roads, a section of forest track and a short bike path alongside a road. When planning a tour, you can take this mix of surfaces and road sections into account when choosing your route.

Another cycling route with its own theme is the GEO cycle route “Path of Life.” It passes the Heberbräu brewery in Kirchenthumbach, a point of interest along the route. This gives you a choice of a loop passing through several named villages or a route with a cultural point of interest along the way.

Within the Wider Destination of Neustadt An Der Waldnaab

The district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab is in the Upper Palatinate Forest destination. Activities offered there include hiking, cycling, museum visits and swimming in numerous bathing waters. One clearly defined regional cycling option is the Bockl: this 52-kilometer route follows a historic railway line from Neustadt an der Waldnaab to Eslarn and can be used on foot, by bike or on inline skates. It is mostly paved and traffic-free, with gradients of more than three percent occurring only rarely.

The Bockl’s starting point in Neustadt an der Waldnaab is directly accessible by train. Trains run every hour to the terminus of the Nuremberg–Neustadt an der Waldnaab line, where you can transfer directly to your bike. Check the timetable before traveling. For a different cultural highlight, the wider destination is also home to Speinshart Monastery Church: it is one of the most significant Baroque buildings in southern Germany and is distinguished by its Italian High Baroque interior. Together, the monastery and the preserved historic monastery village of Speinshart are considered cultural heritage of European significance. A public guided tour of the monastery church takes place on Sundays and public holidays at 3 p.m.; check the date before your trip, as tour times may change.

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Back to the wider travel overview: Neustadt An Der Waldnaab.