Lichtenau: Hiking Trails, Cycling Route and Culture

Hiking: a short loop or a longer tour

The very easy “Historischer Weg Lichtenau” circular trail is 1.1 km long and takes about 30 minutes. It starts at the festival grounds and goes around the castle. The stated distance, difficulty and approximate time give you a concrete guide for planning your day. If you are considering a short loop, you can compare this trail with the longer Ahornweg—without combining the two tours into a single route.

The moderately difficult “Ahornweg” circular hiking trail is 14.8 km long and takes about four hours. It also starts at the Lichtenau festival grounds, passes through Herpersdorf, Büschelbach, Schlauersbach and Waltendorf, and returns to the festival grounds. Its distance and stated duration differ considerably from those of the Historischer Weg; its difficulty level is also different. You can therefore choose between the very easy, short loop around the castle and a longer, moderately difficult tour through the places mentioned. If you are travelling with several generations, it is worth taking these differences into account when planning your day together.

Cycling and the Lichtenauer Weg

Lichtenau lies on the ErlebnisRadweg Hohenzollern, which runs between Nuremberg and Ansbach. The route passes through the historic Hohenzollern towns of Fürth, Langenzenn, Cadolzburg, Roßtal, Heilsbronn, Neuendettelsau, Windsbach and Lichtenau. Lichtenau is therefore part of a route that connects several towns. If you enjoy combining cycling with local history on a trip, you can make this long-distance cycling route a focus of your visit; no distance or travel time is specified.

Another route description follows the course of the Fränkische Rezat River from the “Ziegelhütte” car park, passing through Steinbach and heading towards Rutzendorf before the “Lichtenauer Weg” leads into Lichtenau. This route offers a different guide from the two circular trails starting at the festival grounds: the starting point at the car park, the river and the places named are its main waypoints. No circular route or specific walking time is given for this trail.

Museum and historic monument

Since 2009, the Lichtenau Museum has been located in the Upper Gatehouse on the market square. Since then, it has been continuously expanded to include additional subject areas. For travellers interested in culture, the museum itself and its location in the gatehouse on the market square both provide a concrete starting point for exploring Lichtenau beyond its trails. The ongoing addition of subject areas describes how the museum’s offering has developed without anticipating any specific exhibition topics.

The ensemble of the fortress and old market of Lichtenau is recorded as a historic monument. Its boundaries include the fortress complex and the market, which developed along its southern and western sides. The protected area therefore extends beyond the fortress and includes the market in its spatial relationship to the complex. If you are interested in historic architectural ensembles, this is another reason to explore Lichtenau, alongside its hiking and cycling routes.

Choosing Lichtenau as a travel destination

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Lichtenau, the experiences described here offer different points of interest: hiking trails with clearly stated distances and times, the long-distance ErlebnisRadweg, and the museum and historic monument. The choice depends on which of these interests you want to shape your trip; this says nothing about the features of individual accommodations. If hiking is your main interest, you can choose between the two circular trails starting at the festival grounds, which differ considerably in length and difficulty. For a trip focused on culture, the museum and the ensemble of the fortress and old market add to the picture of the town.

More local pages: Petersaurach, Sachsen Bei Ansbach, Insingen, Herrieden, Burk, Wettringen, Ansbach, Buch Am Wald.

Back to the main travel overview: Ansbach.