Stegaurach: Nature Trails and the Siebenschläfer Chapel

Trails with different focuses

The S1 hiking trail is a 9.3-kilometre, family-friendly circular route. It starts at the Siebenschläfer Chapel, passes through Mühlendorf and Seehöflein, and returns to the starting point. The circular route combines a set distance with a described sequence of places; its family-friendly designation makes it a useful option for families considering this kind of tour.

The Aurach Valley Biodiversity Theme Trail focuses on experiencing nature with all the senses. Its stops explore how to interact with nature, different habitats and species. Each stop includes a practical example and an observation tip. This gives the trail a different emphasis from a tour focused mainly on distance and route: here, the stops centre on individual topics and observations.

The Stegaurach municipal water education trail runs between Höfen and Mühlendorf. It covers ecological, landscape-related and historical aspects of the Aurach Valley. If you are interested in viewing the landscape from several perspectives, you will find not only ecological topics here but also connections to landscape studies and history.

A longer route option is the 20-kilometre 7 Chapels Trail. Marked with a “K,” it passes seven chapels and also starts at the Siebenschläfer Chapel in Stegaurach. Compared with the 9.3-kilometre S1, its stated distance is considerably longer. The two distances help you assess the scale of the routes; check local conditions for the 7 Chapels Trail before setting out.

The Siebenschläfer Chapel and its history

The Siebenschläfer Chapel is not only the starting point for both of the routes described, but also a historic landmark in its own right in Stegaurach. In 1696, it was replaced on the same site by a larger stone building. Inside, an altar relief depicts the seven sleeping holy Seven Sleepers, with God the Father above them, surrounded by clouds and angel heads. The depiction gives the chapel a specific motif that makes the origin of its name easy to understand.

The local tradition also includes a parish pilgrimage to the chapel: it has taken place annually on 27 June since 1860. This means that history and religious customs are also part of the picture, alongside the marked hiking routes. If you like to plan your days around different interests, the trails and the traditional observance can each provide a focus of their own.

More discoveries in the wider Bamberg travel destination

The wider Bamberg travel destination offers more cultural sites and nature-related topics. Weissenstein Palace houses an extensive gallery of art-historically significant works by French, Italian, German and Dutch painters. In the 18th century, the Ebrach Monastery complex was extensively remodelled by Leonhard Dientzenhofer into a palace-like Baroque complex; its Gothic church and rose window were preserved. Since 2004, the former Cistercian monastery has also housed the Museum of the History of Ebrach, which explores the history of the market town and the monastery. These places offer cultural themes of their own within the wider travel destination, alongside Stegaurach’s trails and chapel history.

The interests described here can help guide your choice of holiday apartment: should your stay focus mainly on the trails in the Aurach Valley, or would you also like to include cultural themes in the wider Bamberg travel destination? Stegaurach’s circular route, nature trails and the history of the Siebenschläfer Chapel offer different points of interest, without requiring every holiday to have the same focus.

Discover more destinations: Altendorf, Bischberg, Hirschaid, Viereth-Trunstadt, Lisberg, Frensdorf, Strullendorf, Buttenheim.

View the wider travel overview: Bamberg.