Buch am Wald: Border History and Church Architecture

Buch am Wald brings together church history and traces of old borders with hiking and nature in the Frankenhöhe Nature Park. Notable features include a church with a medieval past, preserved sections of a churchyard fortification, and boundary stones that have stood in the landscape for more than 200 years. There are also trails for a range of outdoor interests.

Churches and Architectural History

The present-day form of the Evangelical Lutheran parish church of St. Wendel was completed in 1744/45. Ansbach court architect Johann David Steingruber designed the extension to the existing medieval church. Sections of the high-medieval churchyard fortification have also been preserved at St. Wendel: the lower part of a round masonry tower and a tall round-arched gate dating from 1661. This brings together building phases from different centuries in one place.

A church in Hagenau, a district of the municipality, also tells a story of several building periods. The Church of Our Lady was built around 1315 and extended toward the end of the 15th century. Surviving details include a baptismal font dating from 1752 and pew ends in the late Gothic style. Friedrich von Hessing was born in Schönbronn, and his birthplace still stands today. These places add further local traces to the architectural history of St. Wendel.

Border Traces and Landscape

The municipality of Buch am Wald lies in the Frankenhöhe Nature Park. The 17-hectare Kühberg nature reserve is located between Schönbronn and Gastenfelden. A historic boundary line also runs through the municipal area and is considered probably unique in Europe. Most of its boundary stones are well preserved and more than 200 years old—a remarkable point of reference if you are interested in the area’s historic landscape features.

A hiking route follows the historic 1804 boundary between the former principalities of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. It is 26 kilometres long, is not signposted, and runs mostly away from public paths through fields and woodland. Bear these features in mind when planning your route. Another hiking option near Buch am Wald is the European Watershed Trail: on one side, water flows toward the North Sea; on the other, it flows via tributaries into the Danube and onward to the Black Sea.

Across the wider Ansbach travel area, the European Watershed Trail is 97 kilometres long. It runs from Ansbach to Schnelldorf over the heights of the Frankenhöhe Nature Park and through the Romantic Franconia holiday region; the route is divided into five daily stages. In Buch am Wald, there is also a nature trail in Bucher Wald and an extensive network of hiking, cycling and riding trails, offering options for short excursions and day trips.

Activities and Finding Accommodation

The Bucher Bogner offer another way to explore a local tradition. They are a section of the 1965 Buch am Wald Shooting Club and practise traditional archery as an outdoor sport, using a wide range of bows and shooting techniques. The Bucher Bogner invite visitors to try their course. Check the participation requirements before travelling.

When looking for a holiday apartment in Buch am Wald, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on during your trip: churches, fortification remains and the history of Hessing offer cultural and historical interest, while hiking trails, nature and archery appeal to other interests. Choose your accommodation according to which of these experiences you would like to include in your holiday.

Discover more destinations: Petersaurach, Weihenzell, Dinkelsbühl, Herrieden, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Insingen, Lichtenau, Colmberg

Go to the main travel overview: Ansbach.