Elmstein is part of the German-French Palatinate Forest/Northern Vosges Biosphere Reserve. Elmstein has protected natural forest zones; the town is described as having a forest coverage of around 95 percent. Elmstein’s forest offers extensive opportunities for hiking and forest bathing.
Culture
The Alte Samenklenge in Elmstein is a museum of forest and forestry history. It presents the harvesting of tree seeds using original machinery, as well as topics relating to life and work in the forest.
The historic Elmstein coat-of-arms forge was equipped with a hammer powered by a water wheel. The underlying technical principle is described as being around 1,000 years old; blacksmithing demonstrations are held there regularly, during which visitors can make nails.
The ruins of Elmstein Castle are privately owned and not freely accessible. A pledge of parts of the ruins of Elmstein Castle and the associated forests to the Counts of Zweibrücken has been documented from around the middle of the 13th century.
Trails
The Elmstein Zipline Park comprises 18 zip lines and three jumps from heights of up to 20 metres.
Circular Hiking Trail 15 connects Kuckucksbahnhof directly with the Mordkammerloch Trail. This trail shows traces of historic hillside farming, including sandstone-paved paths and dry-stone wall terraces.
There are three hiking routes in the area around the Trifterlebnispfad, measuring approximately 2, 8.5 and 11.5 kilometres.
Orientation
The Walter-Bernius Anlage offers step-free access to Pit-Pat, a Kneipp pool and a wheelchair-accessible circular trail. The circular trail has five information boards about historical forest use. A platform at the site offers views of the Speyerbach, on which timber was formerly rafted towards the Rhine.
The Kuckucksbähnel reaches Elmstein from Neustadt via Lambrecht.
Other places in this selection: Iggelbach, Frankeneck. Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Elmstein can then continue their accommodation search.
