Discover Bergen: Jura Plateau, Paths and History

Bergen combines its setting in a hollow on the Jura Plateau with a long history as a village. Located in the Altmühl Valley Nature Park, the village offers a range of attractions, from marked hiking trails to historic landmarks. This gives you different discoveries to consider when planning your trip: archaeological traces, buildings from different periods, and a named point on the Franconian Way.

Landscape and trails around Bergen

The hollow on the Jura Plateau and its location in the Altmühl Valley Nature Park shape Bergen’s geographical setting. The village has marked hiking trails. Nearby, northeast of Bergen, the Strudbrunnen lies directly on the Franconian Way. This offers two distinct starting points for hiking enthusiasts: trails in Bergen and a named place along the route. If you enjoy spending time outdoors, you can include these details in your day’s plans without treating the landscape and the village’s history as separate subjects.

From early traces to local history

A Celtic rectangular enclosure on Heuweg was built around 500 BC and bears witness to early settlement. Bergen itself was first mentioned in a document in 1067. These two dates refer to different historical points of reference: the archaeological site and the first documented mention of the village. Together, they provide a broad timeframe for exploring Bergen’s past.

The Evangelical Lutheran parish church of St. George is located in Bergen. As of May 1, 2026, the Bavarian list of listed monuments records it as a listed choir-tower church. The lower section of its tower is medieval, while the nave dates from 1773. This identifies different construction periods in a single building, which can be distinguished when looking at its history.

Bergen’s listed heritage also includes a historic water tunnel and rock cellars. The tunnel runs beneath the village as a curved passage carved out of the rock; it probably dates from the 18th or 19th century. Rock cellars dating from the 18th or 19th century are located on Bergstraße by the new cemetery and on the road to Wengen. Former ore mining is also part of the village’s history: ore was mined in Bergen in open pits between 1693 and 1864. These examples offer different perspectives on Bergen’s past, from historic buildings to the extraction of mineral resources.

More to discover in the wider destination of Nennslingen

The wider destination of Nennslingen has its own architectural and local history. The Jura farmhouse on the northern edge of Nennslingen’s market square is a farmhouse with living quarters and a stable. Its core dates from the 16th century, and timber joints in the roof structure from that period have been preserved. On the south side of the Evangelical Lutheran parish church of Beatae Mariae Virginis in Nennslingen is a burial chapel belonging to the Schenks of Geyern, with numerous epitaphs of this lower-ranking nobility. The older half of the semi-detached house with a smithy at Kellergasse 1 is another historic point of reference: it probably dates from shortly before 1540.

Nennslingen’s leisure facilities include the playground on Ringstraße, with a climbing frame, seesaw, swing, spring rider and carousel; its facilities may change. The Tourist Information Office at Schmiedgasse 1 has maps of hiking and cycling routes in the surrounding area, as well as flyers and posters about current events and further information. For trips in the wider area, the scenic Anlautertal valley and the Jura Plateau near Nennslingen offer an extensive network of cycling and hiking trails. These local details and amenities belong to Nennslingen and complement Bergen’s own points of interest with a broader destination context.

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