Naila – Trails, Water and Culture

Experience Water and Discover Geology

The 5.3-kilometre Wasser Experience Trail is an easy educational circular walk. It starts at the Höllensprudel and Hochfrankenquelle mineral springs. Along the way, you can learn more about the former and present-day use of hydropower. The trail also explains how the Selbitz carved out the Höllental and leads back to the spring hut along the Röhrensteig. This circular route combines a manageable distance with insights into water and the landscape.

The easy, 6.6-kilometre Naila Geotrail offers a different focus. This educational trail explores the geology and the Slate Land Geopark, as well as Naila’s former raw material deposits and their extraction. The trail passes a rest area at the Pikrit rocks. If you would like to extend your excursion, you can plan a detour of about 800 metres to the Kalkofen Flaser limestone quarry; this distance refers to the one-way route.

Circular Routes and Viewpoints

The Garles-Weg OS 43 is an easy, 10.6-kilometre circular hike from Naila to the Garlesfelsen rock and back via Marlesreuth. There is a seating area and a viewpoint at the Garlesfelsen, making it a great place to pause during your hike. Its longer distance clearly sets this circular route apart from the two educational trails.

The FrankenwaldSteigla “Der Wilde Mann” also offers a scenic highlight: near the old Schneckengrün estate, the view stretches across Naila and the former district to the Döbraberg. The trail also passes through Froschgrün, a district of Naila. The viewpoint and the geological stations on the Geotrail appeal to different interests, so you can choose whether to focus more on scenery or the history of the earth during your outing.

Town Church and Museum

Naila’s present-day town church combines architectural history with the art of organ building. It was built in the Neo-Gothic style between 1869 and 1871, following the last major town fire. The organ was made in 1997 by the Berlin organ-building company Karl Schuke and is one of the most outstanding instruments in all of Upper Franconia.

The Naila Museum in the new “Forum Naila” displays exhibits on the cobbler’s trade and a fascinating doll’s house. It also features the famous hot-air balloon associated with the spectacular 1979 balloon escape. The exhibitions offer their own points of interest alongside the hiking trails and the town church.

Discoveries Nearby

The Handwebermuseum (Handweavers’ Museum) in Marlesreuth is located nearby. It offers insights into the lives and work of handweavers and takes visitors back to the bygone era of the “Handweber-Frankenwald” (Handweavers’ Franconian Forest). Marlesreuth village church also features fine craftsmanship, including a carved wooden coffered ceiling, a pulpit altar and a baptismal angel. The Marlesreuth weaver’s house is listed as a tourist attraction in the area around Naila.

There is a balloon landing site at Finkenflug in Dreigrün. Together with the balloon on display in the museum, it provides another connection to ballooning, without implying that a specific on-site activity is offered. The Höllental is known for its wild, romantic scenery and is also a point of reference for the Wasser Experience Trail.

If you would like to discover more places for your trip: Sparneck, Münchberg, Köditz, Lichtenberg, Geroldsgrün, Schwarzenbach Am Wald, Hof and Schauenstein.

Back to the main travel overview: Hof.