On the trail of the Hohenzollerns through the Rangau

You leave the Roßtal-Wegbrücke railway station heading north, pass the local bakery and butcher and after a short walk you arrive almost directly at the foot of the first historical highlight: the church of St Laurentius. The first AR marker of the Hohenzollern Adventure Cycle Trail app is also waiting here for digital history enthusiasts! This turns history into an experience via augmented reality. Information at www.erlebnisradweg-hohenzollern.de.

If you are looking for even more history after visiting the churchyard and church, you will find it in the adjoining museum courtyard. Consisting of a historic building from the 16th century and a monastery garden, the museum courtyard offers an insight into the collection of archaeological finds and local history exhibits.

Cross the churchyard and step out onto the Roßtal market square. Here, half-timbered houses steeped in history stand shoulder to shoulder and invite you to take a stroll around the market square. Roßtal has a long and eventful history. First mentioned in a document in 953, the market town already had a castle of over 5 hectares in size in the Middle Ages, which is now a well-researched archaeological site and one of the most important archaeological monuments in Germany. Models and views of the town-like complex as well as archaeological finds can be viewed in the local history museum and at the former excavation sites.

To continue the tour, follow the Rangau-Ostweg hiking trail out of the village. Here you can breathe in the fresh air of fields and meadows! A wide panorama opens up behind you, with the church tower of Roßtal's landmark St Laurentius visible from afar.

The next village is Stöckach. Here, too, there are a number of architectural monuments, including historic residential buildings, some of which are late Gothic and half-timbered from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The trail markings take you through the village. The route continues a little further across farmland and grassland until you finally enter the forest. We leave the forest shortly before the Kernmühle mill and the route takes you directly past the Kernmühle seminar centre and event barn.

In addition to seminar and conference rooms, the Kernmühle also offers rustic experiences such as bread baking courses. But the mill itself is also worth seeing. The Kernmühle was first mentioned in Ansbach records in 1464 as the Gishuebelmühle. The Kern family ran the mill for a full 150 years, until the Thirty Years' War.

At the Kernmühle mill, you cross the Bibert over a picturesque footbridge and dam. The route continues northwards on the Rangau-Ostweg. The route passes Ammerndorf and continues between wide arable fields and dense forest edges.

At the Pleikershof hikers' car park, those interested in history can take a short detour to the right to the Pleikershof. The historic half-timbered ensemble is well worth the short diversions. Back on the route, you pass the Steinbacher Bächl stream and walk along the typical farmland. You can already see the last destination of today's tour in the distance: the market town of Cadolzburg.

The well-known Rangau-Ostweg leads you into Cadolzburg. The market square used to be the scene of regular weekly markets and is still lined with prestigious properties that bear witness to the prosperity of the brewers, innkeepers and traders. If you take the tour in the summer heat, it is worth making a culinary stop at the popular ice cream parlour "Loisl's Eis" after the arduous climb. Another historical highlight: the Puchtastraße. You can see it "from above" when you walk onto the bridge towards the castle courtyard and look down to the left. The street is lined with houses dating from around 1670. The upper gate "Brusela", which leads to the castle courtyard, is also impressive, with the sovereign's customs shield bearing witness to the margraves.

You will be rewarded with far-reaching views and impressive history. There is another marker in the castle courtyard that brings history to life via augmented reality using the Hohenzollern Adventure Cycle Trail app. The tour can then be ended at Cadolzburg RB 11 station.

The castle courtyard is a feast for the eyes. With its historic buildings, the imposing castle complex and the sweeping panoramic view - and of course the castle garden, which is worth seeing at any time of year and, depending on the season, displays the whole variety of herbs and wildflowers of bygone times in blooming and fragrant splendour.

The imposing castle is situated on a steep rocky outcrop and has a curtain wall which, like the main gate and the so-called Palas - part of the New Castle - dates back to the 13th century. In front of the main castle is a spacious outer bailey, which housed the burgomans' residences and a garden during the Renaissance. Within the core castle, the two complexes of the Old and New Castles, connected by the chapel wing, adjoin the high medieval curtain wall. The part of the so-called New Castle adjoining the chapel wing is the oldest part of the castle grounds and dates back to around 1250. The New Castle was considerably extended around 1600. The Old Palace was built in the 15th century under Elector Friedrich I. From 1933 to 1945, the New Castle was used by the Hitler Youth as a regional leadership school. Shortly before the end of the Second World War, the castle went up in flames and remained in ruins for decades. Since 1979, the Bavarian Palace Administration, together with the Erlangen-Nuremberg State Building Authority, has been entrusted with its reconstruction. The reconstruction was provisionally completed in 2007. In 2013, the decision was made to completely convert the Old Palace and a building in the outer bailey into an adventure museum. In July 2017, the new museum "HerrschaftsZeiten!" Experience Cadolzburg was opened.

It is still about 20 minutes past Cadolzburg cemetery to Cadolzburg railway station.

The family business is all about hazelnuts and the variety of culinary delicacies that can be made from them. From hazelnut schnapps to hazelnut spread, a wide variety of delicious products can be purchased in the farm shop. Guided tours are also offered.

Return to Cadolzburg station by taking the same 4 kilometre route. From Gonnersdorf you can also use a taxi service. You should book at least 1 hour in advance by calling 0911 97733030.

From Gonnersdorf, the A130 call-collect taxi will take you back to Cadolzburg RB 11 and to the connections there to Fürth/Nuremberg and the region. The A130 shared taxi runs every hour to Cadolzburg station: Mon-Fri from 19.31-23.31; Sat, Sundays and public holidays from 7.31-23.31. Information at www.vgn.de/ast