Frankenwald Burgenweg

From one great walk to another

The Burgenweg (Castle Trail), a cultural and historical trail in the Franconian Forest nature park, begins at Lauenstein Castle, at the forest's most northerly edge where Franconia borders on Thuringia, and ends in Kulmbach, the unofficial capital of German beer. On the way it passes through Kronach where Lucas Cranach was born. The trail includes many cultural attractions, making it particularly interesting for walkers who not only want to explore the protected natural scenery of the Franconian Forest but also discover its rich history and traditions.


Deeply carved valleys, densely wooded mountain ridges and gently rolling plateaus are the defining features of the Franconian Forest. It is also where the premium trails Burgenweg, Frankenweg (Franconian Trail) and Fränkischer Gebirgsweg (Franconian Mountains Trail) meet the hugely popular Rennsteig. A sheer paradise for walkers touring the region around the two historical castle towns of Kulmbach and Kronach. Steeped in history and culture, the fascinating Burgenweg trail begins at Lauenstein Castle in the northern tip of the forest, goes on to cross the Thuringian Slate Mountains and the Rennsteig and then divides at Hasslach.


If you are planning to do both parts, this amounts to a very nice circular walk through the heart of the Franconian Forest that will take several days and includes the moated castle of Mitwitz and the ruins of legendary Heunischenburg castle. The two parts of the trail rejoin in Kronach and continue to the end of the route in the brewery town of Kulmbach. From Kronach to Kulmbach the Burgenweg and Frankenweg trails run together. Near Blankenstein an der Saale, where the Rennsteig ends, is the start of the Frankenweg, a 500-kilometre route leading to the Swabian Alb, and also of the new Fränkische Gebirgsweg.