Discover Gerolzhofen: Gothic art, old town and trails

Gothic art, a medieval town hall and a double ring of town walls shape Gerolzhofen’s historic townscape. The town also has museums with a range of focuses, a publicly accessible herb garden and hiking trails of various lengths. This lets you give culture and outdoor activities different weights when planning your trip.

Gothic art and traces of history

The Johanniskapelle Museum, “Art and the Spirit of the Gothic,” is housed in the Johanniskapelle, built in 1497, and the adjacent sexton’s house; it opened in October 2006. The collection includes sculptures and reliefs by artists such as Tilman Riemenschneider and Hans Schäufelin. Wooden panel paintings, bells, a Gothic Bible and liturgical vessels complement the Gothic artworks.

History and architecture are also part of the townscape beyond the museum: the Steigerwald Cathedral, the medieval town hall and the double ring of town walls. Those interested in different periods and themes can take in these historic landmarks alongside the museums’ collections.

The small, privately run Gerolzhofen Beer Mug and Brewery Memorabilia Museum has a different focus. It houses around 3,000 clay beer mugs spanning more than 100 years of Franconian and Bavarian brewing culture. The Gothic works, by contrast, belong to the collection of the Johanniskapelle Museum, “Art and the Spirit of the Gothic.”

Compare hiking trails by length and route

Gerolzhofen’s circular trails offer a useful comparison of distances when choosing a hike. At 4.8 kilometres, circular trail G4 is the shortest of the trails listed here; it runs from the tennis club via Seeweg, Allesgarten, the vineyards, the monument, Weidach and Nützelbachsee, then back to the tennis club. G5 is 6.2 kilometres long and runs from the Berliner Straße car park via the go-kart track, Lindlachshof, the Dingolshausen sports ground, Volkach and Neuer See, then back to the starting point.

Circular trail G3 is 7.8 kilometres long. From Nördliche Allee, it runs via the Protestant church, Weiße Marter, Hörnauer See, Hörnauer Wald and the Volkach weir, then back to Nördliche Allee. G2 is 8.5 kilometres long and circles Gerolzhofen. At 9.5 kilometres, G1 is the longest of these five Gerolzhofen circular trails: it runs from the Berliner Straße car park via Neuer See, the fitness trail, Waldesruh, Alterberg, the forest kindergarten, Wiebelsberger Straße, the model aircraft field, Gertraudiskapelle and the Jewish cemetery, then back to the starting point. When choosing between the circular trails, you can weigh up the stated distance and each route side by side.

Other hiking trails add to the choice. The Blue Spoon hiking trail has a 6.3-kilometre section in Gerolzhofen. The Weinsteiger runs through Donnersdorf, Gerolzhofen and Oberschwarzach and is 7.3 kilometres long. The Main hiking trail, which is 45 kilometres long in total, also passes through Gerolzhofen. These distances therefore refer to different trails and sections; for the Main hiking trail in particular, note that the figure refers to the route’s total length.

The 2Franken cycling route runs through Gerolzhofen and connects Lower and Upper Franconia. Another way to explore the old town is the Wald.Poebel.Tour, a GPS treasure hunt through Gerolzhofen’s old town, following in the footsteps of the Gerolzhofen forest poebels.

Herb garden and local information

On the southern edge of town lies the Nützelbachaue medicinal herb garden, in the nearby Nützelbachaue recreation area. The publicly accessible, barrier-free garden covers around 160 square metres. Native, medicinal and protected plants are arranged in twelve themed areas, including culinary herbs, aromatic and poisonous plants, and plants used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This gives the garden a botanical focus alongside the town’s historic and cultural themes.

The Gerolzhofen Tourist Information Office provides detailed maps for hikers and cyclists and helps visitors choose individual routes. It also arranges guided tours of Gerolzhofen’s old town and medicinal herb garden, as well as museums in the region. Wine tastings and vineyard tours in the Steigerwald Wine Panorama are also among the activities it can arrange.

Discover more destinations: Sulzheim, Hundelshausen, Sulzheim, Dingolshausen, Oberschwarzach, Geldersheim, Michelau im Steigerwald and Grettstadt.

For the broader travel overview: Schweinfurt.