Discover Lautenbach: Rock Formations, Outdoor Pool and Village History

Lautenbach combines striking rock formations and views of the lower Murg Valley with a rich local history. It also has a small outdoor pool overlooking the Lautenfelsen rock formations.

Hiking to the Lautenfelsen

The ascent to the Lautenfelsen offers open views over Lautenbach and the lower Murg Valley. A circular trail about 3.2 kilometres long leads to the rocks, climbs around 200 metres and offers wide-ranging views of the surrounding area from its destination at 610 m above sea level. This gives you the route length, elevation gain and views as specific points of reference when planning a hike.

The Lautenfelsen are so-called “wool-sack-weathered” granite formations, around 300 million years old. The area around the Lautenfelsen is designated a nature reserve. If you’re comparing hiking routes by length, there is also the Gernsbach–Lautenbach stage, which is about 6.7 kilometres long. This makes it easy to distinguish between a circular hike to the rocks and a longer stage.

Outdoor Pool and Time Outdoors

The small outdoor pool has sunbathing lawns and seating. Children can enjoy a shaded sandpit and play equipment; table tennis, table football and a ball court add to the facilities on site. The pool also has an adjoining kiosk. Views of the Lautenfelsen connect a visit to the pool with a striking feature of the Lautenbach landscape.

A Local Holiday and Village History

Lautenbach observes its own annual holiday on 2 July for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a tradition that dates back to a vow. As part of the celebration, a procession leads from the church through the entire village and up to the Illert Chapel. This tradition gives the date a special local significance.

The old church in the upper village also tells the story of the area. Its predecessor chapel was destroyed in 1815 in a devastating fire that reduced most of the village to rubble and ashes. The present-day old church was consecrated on 14 April 1818. The holiday and the church’s history thus offer two distinct ways to explore Lautenbach’s religious heritage.

More to Discover in the Broader Gernsbach Destination

Historic buildings are a cultural highlight in the broader Gernsbach destination. The Old Town Hall in Gernsbach is one of the most beautiful and art-historically significant residential buildings of its time in southern Germany. Since April 2012, the upper floors of Gernsbach’s Old Town Hall have housed the Harmony Museum, run by the Jan Brauers Foundation. The Stork Tower has been part of Gernsbach’s townscape for more than 500 years; following its renovation, a permanent exhibition was installed there in 2014.

Hiking routes in the broader Gernsbach destination also vary in length and character. The Gernsbacher Runde is 43.8 kilometres long and can be completed in two to three daily stages; some sections have steep climbs. By contrast, the Reichenbach Art Trail is a gently ascending hiking trail, 3.2 kilometres long, from Obertsrot-Hilpertsau, a district of Gernsbach, to Reichental. Works by well-known artists from Baden-Württemberg and abroad line the route. The works are on loan from the artists, so they may remain there for varying lengths of time.

Discover more destinations: Gaggenau, Ötigheim, Loffenau, Ottersweier, Iffezheim, Sinzheim, Gernsbach, Weisenbach.

Back to the broader travel overview: Rastatt.