Around Ansbach

The starting point is the main railway station in Ansbach. If you are travelling without a bike, hire bikes or e-bikes can be delivered directly to the station. Simply contact More 4 Fun in advance.

There's almost nothing you can't hire at More 4 Fun. Here you will find over 40 German brand bikes from 10 to 28 inches, city bikes, touring bikes, trekking bikes, mountain bikes and even tandems and rickshaws. There are training wheels, trailers and free child seats for the little ones. You can also hire e-bikes (city, touring, MTB) and three-wheeled LongCos. The barrier-free vehicles in the programme can manage gradients of over 40 percent with their all-wheel drive and have a range of 150 km. Perhaps you will come back again and take advantage of the guided tours on offer or organise a company outing on a Segway. The best thing is: More 4 Fun offers you a bike and luggage transfer service.

The courtyard garden of the Ansbach Residence is just a stone's throw from the railway station. To reach it, head north from there. On your way, you will pass the residence on your left, separated from the courtyard garden by a road. Over the centuries, it has developed from a medieval moated castle to a Renaissance-style remodelling to the rococo and baroque residence building, which today houses a palace museum and the government of Middle Franconia. To the right is the courtyard garden with the orangery.

Stroll and take a look: stroll through the four-row avenue of lime trees!

Once, as now at the annual Rococo Festival, the historical costumes and pinned-up hairstyles of the "High Princely Serene Highness" cause a sensation. Margravine Friederike Luise of Brandenburg-Ansbach struts her stuff in an opulent, green rococo dress, just like in the days of the glamorous French rococo.

Historic roses and numerous varieties of medicinal herbs in the Fuchsgarten area, created to mark the 500th birthday of the great botanist Leonard Fuchs, once personal physician to Margrave George the Pious. 200 herbs from his famous 16th century "New Herb Book" can be marvelled at in the garden, which is symmetrically bordered with boxwood shrubs, following the example of the Renaissance.

The city of Ansbach offers one-hour guided tours "Ansbach Court Garden - a baroque jewel".

Culinary tip: Turn right at the first branch to the pavilion with the red columns and walk along the Rezat river to the orangery, one of Franconia's historic gems with a café, ice cream specialities and a fine selection of regional and international cuisine in the unique ambience of the courtyard garden.

As cycling is not permitted in the Hofgarten, continue along the north side. Head south-east and follow a small tree-lined river, the Fränkische Reza--t, out of the city. At the Eich, turn right, cross the Rezat and continue under the railway tracks into a wooded area. When you reach the Bundesstraße 13, turn left and follow it to Leidendorf. Here you leave the main road and continue through fields to Weidenbach-Triesdorf, where the White Castle awaits you.

The Margraves of Ansbach adorned their summer residence in Weidenbach-Triesdorf with numerous magnificent Baroque and Rococo buildings, including the White Palace. It was built in 1682 by extending the old castle estate and was extended several times up until 1776. The two-winged complex includes a simple main building with a hipped roof and stepped tower, a front garden with a fountain, a main garden to the north and an ice cellar in the nearby state forest.

The White Castle served the Margraves of Ansbach as a hunting lodge for the numerous hunting parties in Triesdorf. Today, it is used for domestic science and nutrition, as the Bavarian State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has housed parts of the State Academy for Agriculture in the castle.

It is only a stone's throw from Triesdorf to Ornbau in the south. The medieval dwarf town was first mentioned in a document in 838. With its gates, towers and walls, it exudes a great deal of historical charm. You head for the bible garden. The entrance is in Bischof-Gundekar-Straße.

The Bible Garden nestles against the historic city wall. The original fortifications date back to the 13th century. Bastions, gate castles, kennels and walls made of quarry stone and ashlar, which were built in the 15th century, can still be seen today.

The Bible garden, on the other hand, is still young and was created by a group of volunteers. They created it in 2011 with the support of the town of Ornbau. A variety of plants mentioned in the Bible grow in the garden.

The Bible garden is accessible at all times. Guided tours are available on request from the town council.

From Ornbau, the route heads west. Over the next few stages, you follow the course of the Altmühl, which you cross for the first time after Oberndorf. It now meanders to your right until you turn north again at Großenried for a short detour to Sommersdorf Castle.

The moated castle in Sommersdorf looks back on more than 600 years of history. It was built around 1400 for the lords of Sommersdorf. In the following centuries, extensions were added, such as the outbuildings, upper storeys in half-timbered construction and a farmyard. The corner tower was given a canopy roof in 1722 and at the end of the 19th century the old drawbridge was replaced by a stone bridge.

The humanist Albrecht von Eyb was born in the moated castle in 1420. 130 years later, in 1550, Wolf von Crailsheim zu Neuhaus acquired the castle. The von Crailsheims were one of the most important imperial knightly families in Franconia, and their descendants still live in and look after the moated castle today, which they converted into holiday flats in parts from the 1990s onwards.

Now it's back to Großenried. There you continue your journey following the course of the Altmühl. The last highlight of today's tour awaits you in Herrieden with the town castle. You have the opportunity to enjoy a refreshing drink and typical Franconian specialities in the spacious castle beer garden to recover from the exertions of the route you have already covered and to recharge your batteries for the final stage. The beer garden is in a quiet and cosy location, surrounded by the castle park and historic walls.

The complex on the north-eastern edge of Herried's old town, also known as Herrieden Castle, looks back on an eventful history, during which it was burnt down and rebuilt time and again. With its extensive fortifications, it now forms part of the town wall and the historic town centre.

The first mention of a castle dates back to 1122. At the beginning of the 14th century, Herrieden saw battles between Louis IV and Frederick the Fair. There were fires, destruction and looting. Four decades later, the unfinished new building collapsed in an earthquake. It was not until a century later that the castle was completely rebuilt, only to be destroyed again by fire at the end of the 15th century. This cycle was repeated twice more: Bishop Gabriel von Eyb rebuilt the castle at the beginning of the 16th century and the Swedes burnt it down in 1633. It was rebuilt and remodelled as a prince-bishop's brewery and extensively renovated at the beginning of the 19th century. The main building burnt down around 1877 and was immediately rebuilt and renovated again in 1952. The castle keep collapsed in 1907.

Since 2009, the town of Herrieden has owned the former prince-bishop's fortress, which has also housed a private brewery since 1806. Today, in addition to the main building, extensive retaining walls, remains of the partially buried arched bridge and the gate tower have been preserved.

To return to the start and finish point at Ansbach railway station, head northwards through the villages of Hohenber and Dautenwinden. In Elpersdorf, turn right and follow the course of the Dombach stream into the centre of Ansbach.