Lichtenfels: Basketry Tradition, Old Town and Nature

Lichtenfels combines an old town shaped by Franconian culture with the history of basket making and nature experiences along the Main. This makes the region appealing to families who want to include culture and landscapes in their holiday. Depending on whether you are interested in historic townscapes, a themed trail, distinctive natural formations or thermal brine, there are various destinations to choose from for your trip.

Old Town and Basketry Tradition

The Bamberg Gate and Kronach Gate have been preserved in Lichtenfels’s old town, and parts of the old town wall are still visible. The basket trade is also part of the town’s history: the Lichtenfels City Palace houses municipal collections on beer and brewing history, the railway and the basket trade. These topics offer insights into different chapters of the town’s history, while the basket market brings a lively tradition into the annual calendar. It takes place every year on the third weekend in September.

The Basketry Culture Trail

The 14-kilometre Basketry Culture Trail is an easy-going circular route that connects Lichtenfels and Michelau along nature-rich paths through the Main River meadows. Its 23 information boards explore the history and tradition of basket making, the basket industry and the basket trade along the Upper Main. This is a way to combine the landscape with a specific cultural theme. The stated length of the circular trail is a useful guide when planning your day; on its own, it does not indicate how long the walk will take.

The trail also features woven-art installations. Near Oberwallenstadt, there is a willow maze for children, a willow shell at the river swimming area and a woven tipi at Lake Oberwallenstadt. Other woven-art installations add to these stops. For families in particular, this makes basketry tangible not only through its history, but also through its forms and designs.

More destinations between nature and culture

The MainRadweg long-distance cycle route runs right through Lichtenfels’s old town. If you combine a visit to the town with a cycling trip, you can experience it as part of this long-distance route. Other destinations offer something different: the Obermain Therme in Bad Staffelstein has Bavaria’s warmest and strongest thermal brine. Public guided tours take place several times a week at Banz Abbey. You can shape your trip around your interests, choosing between local history, a guided tour and a visit to the thermal baths.

Near Bad Staffelstein, Staffelberg rises to 539 metres, 290 metres above the Main Valley. Its summit is in a nature reserve and is off-limits to cars and bicycles. The Kleinziegenfelder Valley offers a different kind of landscape: it is about 12 kilometres long and is mostly protected. Striking rock formations, clear streams, mills and half-timbered villages characterise the valley, as do juniper heaths with dry and semi-dry grassland slopes.

A special activity for exploring together is the small fossil-digging site at the “Waldfrieden” hiking car park, where you can search for fossils and split them open. Hammers and safety goggles can be borrowed from the Weismain environmental education centre.

Discover places in the region

Other places within the region include Bad Staffelstein, Lichtenfels, Ebensfeld, Burgkunstadt, Michelau in Upper Franconia, Altenkunstadt, Marktgraitz, Marktzeuln, Weismain, Hochstadt am Main, Redwitz an der Rodach and Hochstadt-Marktzeuln.

For the broader travel overview: Bavaria.