Kulmbach

Plassenburg and the Burgenweg

The former Hohenzollern fortress of Plassenburg houses four museums. Their collections and information cover the history of the castle, the city of Kulmbach and the region. As a landmark, Plassenburg thus connects a specific place with several historical topics. It is also a viewing platform, situated 116 m above the city of Kulmbach. When planning your trip, you can combine a cultural focus with the castle’s position above the city, without equating its height with a particular walking distance or time.

The cultural and historical Burgenweg hiking trail ends at Plassenburg. If you are interested in this trail, you can therefore also make Kulmbach a destination on its established route. The castle and its museums offer a different kind of discovery from hiking alone: here, the focus is on the history of the castle, city and region, while the trail provides the cultural and historical context.

City history and special details

St. Peter’s Church is a late Gothic hall church built in 1439. Its altar depicts the Descent from the Cross. The church tower clock also stands out for an unusual detail: instead of numerals, it displays the words “Wachet-Betet” (“Watch-Pray”). The architecture, altar and clock offer different points of interest if you would like to learn about Kulmbach’s architectural and church history.

The Rehturm on Rehberg was built in 1498 as a watch and signal tower. Today, it forms part of a nature trail. This place brings together two themes: the tower’s former function and its place on an educational trail. For visitors who would like to include historic buildings and nature-related topics in addition to museums, this offers another option for planning the day.

The Mönchshof in Kulmbach is home to three museums: the Bavarian Brewery Museum, the Bavarian Bakery Museum and the German Spice Museum. Their names indicate their different focuses—brewing, baking and spices—and complement Plassenburg’s historical themes with aspects of food and culinary culture. There are 120 car parking spaces on the Mönchshof grounds; this practical detail may be useful if you are arriving by car.

Hiking and choosing a focus

Two long-distance hiking trails cross the Kulmbach city area, but in different directions. The Frankenweg, 520 kilometres in total, runs through the city area from north to south. The Mainwanderweg passes through it from east to west, following the river from its source in the Fichtelgebirge to its mouth in the Rhine near Mainz. The details about length and route help put each trail in its broader regional context. They describe different routes, not one shared trail.

When choosing the focus of your trip and accommodation, you can consider which of Kulmbach’s themes interest you most: the museums at Plassenburg, the exhibitions at the Mönchshof, St. Peter’s Church and the Rehturm, or the long-distance hiking trails. If you plan to visit several of them, you can choose your holiday apartment based on the experiences you want to shape your trip. The places and trails described here offer different starting points for planning, without implying a particular distance or connection between them.

Discover more places

You can also consider nearby places as you plan the rest of your trip: Trebgast, Wonsees, Mainleus, Wirsberg, Untersteinach, Neuenmarkt, Marktleugast and Thurnau.

For the broader travel overview: Kulmbach.