Beer tradition in Franconian Switzerland

From Bamberg main station, take the VGN leisure line 970 to Tiefenellern and get off at the "Tiefenellern Ort" bus stop.

From the bus stop it is a short distance until you reach the first brewery "Hönig" with its large beer garden. Strengthen yourself here for your hike, or start your tour right away.

An old tradition characterises the Hönig brewery in Tiefenellern. The brewery and the inn "Zur Post" have been family-owned since 1778. The brewing right has existed since 1478 and can be documented. The inn was once an old post office stop. Horses coming from Bamberg were harnessed here - and with fresh power they pulled the stagecoach up the Tiefenellerner Berg towards Hollfeld.

The brewery inn serves Franconian home cooking and has a lovely beer garden with homemade snacks.

Please check the website for current opening times.

Back at the bus stop, continue "An der Ecke" along the 13-Brauereien-Weg in the direction of Lohndorf.

Just before Lohndorf, there is a sculpture by Berlin artist Harald Müller: "Der Sieger". If you want, this would be an ideal selfie spot. Only a few more metres and you will reach Lohndorf.

In the village, follow Ellertalstraße and you will come to the "Reh" brewery (Ellertalstraße 36, 96123 Lohndorf, tel. 09505 210), where you can buy bottles.

The trail then leads past the "Hölzlein" brewery and restaurant (Ellertalstraße 13, 96123 Lohndorf, tel. 09505 357), which has been family-owned and operated since 1781.

Shortly outside the village, follow the markings of the 13 Breweries Trail again until just before Melkendorf.

Here you can see some sculptures of the Art and Reflection Trail, created by local artist Robert Hofmann.

Along the mountainside there is a great view of Franconian Tuscany. Through the forest, you will meet a signpost at the top of the second T-junction. Follow this to the left up to the Sängerehrenmal.

The Singers' Memorial of the Franconian Singers' Association dates back to 1954 and consists of 12 pillars symbolising the singing circles of the Franconian Singers' Association at that time. It was erected in honour of the dead of the Second World War.

Behind the memorial, the trail descends the hill to Melkendorf (Leitersgraben).

In the village, the path leads you to the former Winkler brewery, which is now open as the "Brandholz Brewery" on a few dates a year. (Otterbachstr. 13, 96123 Melkendorf, email: mail@brandholz-brauerei.de) Please check dates in advance, the brewery does not have a telephone.

Following the Otterbachstraße, you will come across the 13-Brauereien-Weg again in the direction of Strullendorf. After about 900 m through the forest, you will come to a fork.

On the left hand side you will already see the sign for the Wendelinus Oak. The Wendelinus oak is said to be over 1000 years old and may have served as a pagan sacrificial site.

In Geisfeld, the "Krug" brewery opens its doors for bottled beer sales a few days a year. Please enquire about dates in advance here too. (Alte Dorfstr. 11, 96129 Strullendorf, OT Geisfeld, Tel. 09505 484)

If you do need a longer break, it is worth making a detour to the "Büttel" country inn a few metres away (Litzendorferstraße 3, 96129 Geisfeld, Tel. 09505-8067-0). Otherwise, continue on to the next brewery.

The Griess brewery offers a beautiful beer garden with shady old deciduous trees and a sunny terrace. It also serves hearty snacks, small hot dishes and, in fine weather, fish from the grill on Fridays.

The brewery has been family-owned since 1872, since the 1950s in the third generation of the Griess family. In 1983, the now deceased senior boss Andreas Griess handed over the reins of the brewery to Peter Griess, who was Germany's youngest brewmaster at the time.

Please check the website for current opening hours.

Continue southwest to Roßdorf am Forst. Before the first houses, turn left behind the barrier into the path to the Roßdorfer Felsenkeller of the Sauer brewery.

Rustic Franconian rock cellar, idyllically situated under trees. The Felsenkeller is run by the Sauer brewery, which can look back on more than 200 years of brewing tradition. Today, the Sauer family offers several varieties of Franconian beer specialities - using high-quality ingredients that come exclusively from regional cultivation.

In bad weather, the Felsenkeller may sometimes be closed. Please check the website for the current opening hours.

If the Felsenkeller is closed, you can also walk to the Sauer brewery inn and stop there. (Sutte 5, 96129 Roßdorf am Forst, Tel. 09543 1578).

Now follow the 13-Brauereien-Weg again before the lane to the left with cycle path signs.

At the next T-junction, go right past the small pond. Then the path leads from Strullendorf to Amlingstadt.

Follow the 13-Brauereien-Weg until you reach the first houses of Amlingstadt. Before that, turn right - past the Grenzmühle - and continue straight ahead into the forest.

You can now hear the nearby motorway, which we also have to cross under after a short while through the Ziegenbach bridge.
After a left-hand bend, then just a short way up next to the crash barriers.

This means that this not so nice part of the tour is quickly done and the first, unmarked branch to the right leads you into the forest along the slope.

At the end of the descent, the "Schwanenkeller" in Strullendorf is already waiting for you. (Kellerberg 9, 96129 Strullendorf, Tel. 09543 41278) If time and thirst permit, you can stop here again. The Schwanenkeller is open from April to mid-September.

It is about 20 minutes from here to the railway station. In the Lindenallee, the path leads to the St. Laurentiuskirche. Follow St. Laurentiuskirche.

According to historical evidence, the first parish church was probably built here in 1444. It was destroyed by angry Swedes fleeing from the imperial troops in 1633 and was not rebuilt until 1651, when it was set on fire again by French troops in 1796. Rebuilding began in 1805 and the church was finally put back into use in 1806. The 550 m long linden avenue leading to it is also a highlight.

It is the most beautiful street in Strullendorf. In memory of the fallen soldiers of the First World War, 67 linden trees have been planted from the 1920s until today. One- and two-storey hipped-roof buildings, mostly agricultural estates from the first half of the 19th century, still bear witness to the planned reconstruction of the village destroyed by fire.

To get to the train station in Strullendorf, turn right into Bamberger Straße and then left again into Bahnhofstraße.