Emsing: Fortified Church, Jura House and Trails

Emsing brings together a former fortified church, a listed Jura House and trails through woodland and juniper heath, as well as along the Anlauter and Morsbach rivers. If you would like to include culture and outdoor activities in your travel plans, you’ll find plenty of options here: architectural and local history, as well as circular trails and cycling.

Church and Jura House: History in Buildings

St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Emsing was once a fortified church. Surviving traces of this role include keyhole embrasures in the tower, an underground escape passage and the remains of the high cemetery wall. The high altar dates from the early 18th century. The altarpiece is dated 1764 and signed by Anton Köll, a painter from Kipfenberg. The former fortified church’s architectural features thus sit alongside a specific, datable example of religious art.

The Jura House in Emsing, formerly the schoolhouse, stands directly above the church. It was built in 1871 together with a small barn, and extended with an addition in 1900. The listed building has rubble-stone masonry, a very well-preserved roof structure and a renewed limestone-slate roof. Its former use as a school, its two construction phases and its distinctive architectural features offer several ways to explore the history of the house.

A judgment by the village court in Emsing is also documented for 1306. This historical reference to the law adds another perspective on the town’s history alongside its architectural and artistic heritage.

Circular Trails and Cycling

The 4 km circular hiking trail around Emsing starts at St. Martin’s Church. It leads through woodland and juniper heath, as well as along the Anlauter and Morsbach rivers; most of the route is away from motorized traffic. At 7 km, the Morsbachtalweg Trail No. 10 is three kilometers longer than the Emsing circular trail; it takes about two hours to walk. You can compare the two routes by their stated lengths, with an approximate time given for the longer trail.

For cyclists, the section of the Anlautertal Cycle Path from Titting to Kinding passes through Emsing; from there, the route continues along the forest to Altdorf. Conditions on the Morsbachtalweg and its waymarking may change; the surface and route conditions on the Anlautertal Cycle Path may also change. Check the latest information before setting out.

Another place of interest is the deer enclosure at the Dirsch Hotel in Emsing, where guests and visitors can observe the animals and learn more about them.

A Closer Look at Titting

In Titting, the former moated castle is in the upper part of the town at the foot of Kreuzberg. Its two-storey wings, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, enclose the courtyard of the irregularly octagonal castle. In 1707, the Prince-Bishop of Eichstätt had a brewery established there; beer has been brewed at the moated castle ever since.

The Titting fossil collecting site offers a different nature-themed activity: with a little luck and patience, visitors can find fossilized plants, crinoids and, occasionally, ammonites. Smaller finds may be taken home as prehistoric souvenirs.

For the broader travel overview: Titting.