Aufseß: Between the Brewery Hiking Trail and Castle History

When exploring Aufseß, you can focus on an active circular trail or on castles and culture. The brewery hiking trail offers a clearly defined hiking option; Oberaufseß and Unteraufseß are each grouped around their castles. So trip planning begins with a specific question: Should the day’s hike take center stage, or would you rather focus on the history and cultural experiences available at the castles?

The Brewery Hiking Trail: Four Places, One Circular Route

The Aufseß Brewery Hiking Trail is a 14 km circular route with a stated walking time of about four hours. Its suggested stages link Aufseß, Sachsendorf, Hochstahl and Heckenhof before the route returns to Aufseß. The distance and approximate walking time give you a timeframe for planning your day; check current trail conditions locally.

The route includes four brewery inns. You can get a stamp in a brewery hiking passport at each stop; anyone who visits all four receives a certificate. If the passport or particular stops along the way are important to your plans, check before you travel which businesses are participating and whether the passport is available.

When looking for accommodation in Aufseß, you can weigh these two travel profiles against each other: a hike with a stated walking time of about four hours, or a stay focused on castle history and cultural visits. For the latter, check visitor arrangements and performance dates in advance.

Castles and Culture in Aufseß

Oberaufseß and Unteraufseß are grouped around their castles, which are associated with the historic von Aufseß noble family. The cultural experiences available offer different highlights: Unteraufseß Castle is associated with guided tours, while Oberaufseß Castle is associated with theatre visits. Check access arrangements before visiting and performance dates if you plan to attend the theatre.

Aufseß therefore brings together two different themes: the suggested stages of the brewery hiking trail and the castle connections of the two districts. If you like to plan your day around a clearly stated timeframe, you can use the approximate walking time as a guide. If culture is more your focus, you can make visits to the castles the centerpiece of your trip and check dates in advance.

Hollfeld: Town History, Gardens and Trails

In Hollfeld, the upper town, with Marienplatz, still preserves the early medieval character of a burgher and hill town, as well as the layout of a spur settlement. The late medieval fortified tower of St. Gangolf is attached to the former church, which is now used as a cultural center. The tower contains an old tower keeper’s apartment and a viewing point.

Pilgrimages to the Church of the Savior in Hollfeld take place in May and June; they are the only pilgrimages to the Savior in the Archdiocese of Bamberg. Another way to learn about the town’s history is to take one of the expert-led individual town tours offered year-round by experienced guides. The free leaflet “A Walk Through Hollfeld’s Historic Old Town” contains information and pictures of the buildings and is available from the tourist information office.

The terraced gardens also give Hollfeld a distinctive seasonal theme. They lie on the steep southern slope below the town wall, where plants adapted to a hot, dry climate grow. Roses and their companion plants are in full bloom in June and July. Winter-hardy figs and cacti, native orchids and the rare rock alyssum also grow there. Which plants you can see varies depending on the season and maintenance.

A botanist leads a tour through a garden in Hollfeld and explains its plant life. The tour lasts about 45 minutes and is often combined with a town tour. For a shorter nature-themed activity, this approximate duration can be easily compared with the brewery hiking trail’s walking time of about four hours.

The children’s adventure trail in the Kainach Valley features information boards about flora and fauna, as well as activity stations: a barefoot path, musical logs and tree trunks to climb. An animal enclosure with goats lies beside the path on the return leg of the circular route. These are specific ideas for planning your own visit to Hollfeld, from nature watching to the adventure trail’s activity stations.

Discover more destinations: Plankenfels.

Return to the main travel overview: Hollfeld.