Birkenfeld: Cider Pressing History and Kesselberg

Discover Birkenfeld through three specific features: a 16th-century cider press building, the cider press market in Gräfenhausen and the landscape around Kesselberg. Together, they bring cultural history, regional food and trails through an area shaped by orchards into focus. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing these local points of interest from the other destinations in the wider Enzkreis travel region.

Cider-pressing history and market in Gräfenhausen

The cider press building in Birkenfeld’s Gräfenhausen district dates back to the 16th century. The cider press market is held in the same building and offers regional and seasonal food. In 2026, the market is scheduled to take place regularly on the last Friday of each month from April to November. If you would like to plan your stay around a visit to the market, check the date for your travel day. This helps distinguish the event, which takes place on specific dates, from the trails and landscape around Kesselberg, which are described separately.

Orchards and wetlands on Kesselberg

Kesselberg lies between Gräfenhausen and Keltern. From there, you can enjoy views over orchards; winding hiking and walking trails lead through the nature park, which is home to numerous small wetlands. This is a different scene from the historic cider press: here, the description focuses on views, trails and small habitats. If you enjoy spending time outdoors, this offers a specific connection to the landscape to consider when planning your trip.

Birkenfeld in the wider landscape of the Enzkreis

The Enzkreis is in the Northern Black Forest region, in the heart of Baden-Württemberg between the metropolitan areas of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe; it surrounds the independent city of Pforzheim. Its landscape is varied: the northwest belongs to the Kraichgau, where fields, meadows and vineyards define the scenery. In the Stromberg, wooded heights meet gentle valleys and sunny vineyards. In the Heckengäu, juniper heaths, blackthorn and hedgerows of hawthorn shape the rugged landscape. To the southwest, the Northern Black Forest opens up, with dense fir forests, forest meadows, broad plateaus and narrow valleys. These landscapes describe the Enzkreis as a whole; they should not be confused with the local scenery around Kesselberg.

The Black Forest Central/North and Stromberg-Heuchelberg nature parks are also located in the Enzkreis. Both aim to reconcile recreational interests with the protection of nature and the landscape. If you plan to explore beyond Birkenfeld, you can therefore consider regional nature and cultural experiences alongside the specific trail on Kesselberg, without treating them as a single excursion area.

Culture and activities in the Enzkreis

Neuenbürg Castle houses a branch museum of the Baden State Museum. The tour begins in the north wing with an immersive theatrical interpretation of Wilhelm Hauff’s fairy tale “The Cold Heart.” It combines a museum visit with a distinctive form of storytelling. The “Frischglück” mine, one of the Northern Black Forest’s old iron ore mines, is also in Neuenbürg.

The Enzkreis offers a set of six hiking routes with varying levels of difficulty and distances of between 10 and 22 kilometres. The routes run around Knittlingen, Sternenfels, Maulbronn, Ölbronn-Dürrn, Ötisheim, Mühlacker, Kieselbronn, Niefern, Neulingen, Königsbach-Stein and Eisingen; check the route information for updates before choosing. A specific contrast is the signposted panoramic circular hiking trail in Freudenstein-Hohenklingen, which runs over the heights and through vineyards and forests around the village. The Eppinger-Linien-Weg offers a different focus as an art-and-history trail with installations between Eppingen and Mühlacker.

Water-based activities and cycling routes also add to the options in the Enzkreis. At the Tiefer See natural swimming lake in Maulbronn, pedal boats and rowing boats are available seasonally for trips on the lake; changing rooms, showers and toilets are provided. You can go canoeing on the Enz; check local rules when planning. For longer cycling trips, the 160-kilometre Stromberg-Murr Valley Cycle Route passes through Maulbronn, and the 105-kilometre Enz Valley Cycle Route passes through Mühlacker. Their different overall lengths provide a guide for route planning, but do not indicate the distances of individual stages.

Choose accommodation to suit your travel plans

When looking for accommodation, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on: will your trip mainly include the cider press and Kesselberg in Birkenfeld, or would you like to visit several destinations in the Enzkreis? For regional hiking and cycling tours, it is worth checking the relevant starting points and route sections against your travel plans. This way, you can choose where to stay based on the experiences that matter most to you.

Discover more destinations: Straubenhardt, Wurmberg, Engelsbrand, Ötisheim, Tiefenbronn, Kämpfelbach, Friolzheim, Pforzheim.

Back to the main travel overview: Enzkreis.