Wine, space and wanderlust in Iphofen

From the railway station, approach the old town from the south on Bahnhofstraße. You cross the city moat. It is part of the historic city wall from the 13th century.

After around 800 metres, you will pass the historic pilgrimage church of St. Blood. It is mentioned as early as the 13th century and has undergone several structural additions over the course of time. In the 16th century, for example, the nave was extended and a typical Julius Echter tower was added. Julius Echter was a renowned theologian, politician and builder from Würzburg who had a far-reaching impact on Franconia. The 18th century left the church with very beautiful baroque elements, which were restored in 1911/1912.

Look out for the organic bakery "Der Iphöfer Franzenbäck" in Maxstraße. A good opportunity to fill up your rucksack with provisions.

The market square tempts you to stop off again. You can buy regional delicacies in the "Genusshaus". The Knauf Museum contains a collection of faithful replicas of reliefs from the great cultural epochs of antiquity that is unique in Europe. The baroque town hall and the "Iphöfer Geschichte(n)" exhibition in the history barn just behind it are also inviting.

On the church square you will find the tourist information centre - a welcome centre and showcase for the region. It's definitely worth going in here, and not just for the friendly advice. You can also buy a well-chilled Bocksbeutel of the wine grown on the historical vineyard - one of the stops on your excursion.

The Mittagsturm is already part of the Rödelseer Tor complex. Well equipped for your excursion into the wine-growing region, you walk out of town via the defence ditches.

Iphofen's medieval fortifications are completely preserved. The Rödelseer Tor is the best known and oldest of the three town gates. Its predecessor was built together with the town wall around 1293. The current gate was built during the reign of Bishop Johann III von Grumbach (1455 - 1466), whose coat of arms bears the Pechnase on the outside. The pitch noses of the fortifications were used to pour boiling pitch on attackers and thus protect the town from raids and looting. Remarkable is the "loophole" in the gate wings, which are still attached today and which was opened when a late arrival asked to be let in. Until 1827, access to the town between the inner tower, the Mittagsturm, and the outer tower was via a wooden drawbridge, which was then replaced by the stone arched bridge.

The Mittagsturm tower was once used as a place of detention for "maleficent persons", i.e. those who had fallen foul of the criminal courts.

The gate with its original hollow-tiled tower, neat half-timbering and gatehouse has been the subject of countless painters and photographers and is a symbol of the town.

Follow Rödelseer Straße, then turn right onto Schwanbergweg. You can easily orientate yourself by the signs "terroir f" and "Steigerwald-Panoramaweg".

The path leads uphill through the "Kronsberg" vineyard and is designed as an educational grape variety trail. The soil in this area is a Keuper soil. Keuper is a mineral material that stores heat and water particularly well. On this section of the trail, you can find out which grape varieties thrive best here and produce famous wines. At the same time, you will directly experience the climatic conditions that are not only good for the wine. Further uphill, you reach the historic vineyard of Iphofen.

Vine, climbing support, soil, sun, annual pruning and care - the layman may think that wine is always cultivated in the same way. Visitors to the lovingly tended grounds of the Iphofen historical vineyard learn that this has been done very differently over the centuries and why. Over an area of around 2,000 square metres, seven motivated Iphofen winegrowing families bring historical viticulture back to life. On the vineyard terraces, they show what winegrowing looked like in the Middle Ages, around 1800 and 1960.

Guided tours are offered by Iphöfer BioWeingut Bausewein every first Saturday from April to October.

The short, steep climb is rewarded with an individual rest stop with a fantastic view, a vineyard hut and a place to rest.

The historical vineyard is part of the Life+ nature conservation project "Wälder.Wiesen.Wundervoll". Countless animal and plant species, some of which have become very rare, find good living conditions here. Endangered birds such as the great grey shrike, the ortolan and the red kite can be observed here. Special butterfly species are also at home in the area, for example the blue butterfly, the hedge woolly moth or the Spanish flag.

The site is freely accessible at all times and free of charge.
The wine from the historical vineyard, a mixed Franconian wine, can be purchased at the Iphofen tourist information centre.

Two alternative routes lead from here to the next stage destination. One path is steep and best used in summer, but rewards you with a special kind of rest area. The other is comfortable and offers a sweeping view over Iphofen into the Franconian wine country.

For the sporty summer trail, turn right from the car park below the historical vineyard to the stone monument of the "Höttehött". To the left of the sculpture, the path of the same name leads steeply uphill.
According to legend, the "Höttehött" is a forest spirit who is said to have decided the dispute over a piece of forest in favour of the people of Iphöf with a trick. Even today, he is said to knock on the Rödelsee town gate at night.

Follow the signs for the "Steigerwald-Panoramaweg" and walk through a beech and oak forest to the Schwanberg plateau. At the "Conradseck" vantage point, the panoramic swing awaits you for a lively and particularly relaxing break. From Conradseck, follow the "TraumRunde Rödelsee"/"R1" signs to the next stage destination, the "terroir f" Iphofen.

The alternative and more comfortable route does not have a steep ascent. From the car park below the historical vineyard, keep left and follow the path at the interface between vineyards and semi-dry grassland. On this stretch you have a wonderful view of Iphofen and the Franconian wine country. After about 10 minutes you will reach the terroir f Iphofen.

terroir f - this is the name and design of places that bring the special features of the region to life in a special, even magical way. The terroir f in Iphofen is the first landmark of this Franconia-wide concept. The old observation tower on the Julius-Echter-Berg was converted for this purpose. The mountain is known as one of Franconia's premium vineyards. It is said to be the mountain with the friendliest climate in the region. The Julius-Echter-Berg is completely south-facing with its slopes. The soil minerals, the Keuper, are traversed here by reed sandstone, so that heat, water and nutrients can be stored particularly well. So it is hardly surprising that the grapes harvested on the Julius-Echter-Berg give the wine a unique flavour.

Under the motto "The distance so far. Wine so close. Wine connects.", this place emphasises international ties as a central theme. Which nation in the world produces how much and which wine? The knowledge about this is visualised in a three-dimensional stele garden. The observation tower not only offers a sweeping view of the countryside, it also allows visitors to see the distances between Franconia and the respective wine-producing countries.

An elephant in a vineyard? A vineyard in Denmark? Yes, that also exists! The media presentation in the door at the bottom of the tower takes you on a journey through the viticulture of exotic, new and classic countries.

After visiting the observation tower and stele garden, follow the path northwards and soon discover the next landmark, the terroir f Rödelsee.

The terroir f Rödelsee is one of the latest landmarks in the Franconia-wide terroir f concept and was opened in 2020. The impressive architectural sculpture can be recognised from afar. Gleaming white, as if a spaceship had landed above the vines, the cylinder floats in the wine-growing landscape. As if through a giant pair of binoculars, the visitor looks out over the vineyards into the seemingly endless horizon. Inside, the history of the Silvaner, which was first planted in Franconia over 350 years ago in the nearby wine village of Castell, is told. No other grape variety epitomises Franconian wine country as much as the Silvaner. The grape variety is both the soul and identity of this wine region and can produce everything from simple, savoury "Schoppen" wines to fresh, lively local and estate wines and even great dry wines.

Now take the vineyard path downhill and follow the cycle path signs straight ahead. You pass the Küchenmeisterhütte and the Hainleitenkreuz. On this path, you always have the church tower of St. Veit in view. It leads you directly to Rödelseer Tor and back to Iphofen.

Once you have passed the Rödelseer Tor gate, turn left before the Mittagsturm tower onto the path that runs between the two ditches of the Wehrbach stream and along the town wall. This is the "Herrengraben" circular route, which leads past the municipal sports grounds directly to the town lake. As you circle the lake, you come to the next highlight of the excursion. No, it's not the numerous wine-related experiences that will fool you into thinking you're looking at huge, colourful Bocksbeutel bags. You are looking at a colourful installation by the town of Iphofen.

Ten oversized Bocksbeutel PS with artistic motifs on the subject of wine are displayed at Iphöfer Stadtsee. The artistic themes range from "Wine and architecture", "Pests and beneficial organisms in viticulture" to "Wine and food", "Wine and craftsmanship" and "Wine worldwide".

Students from Würzburg/Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences and a student from Leipzig University met over a long weekend in the teaching and research cellar of the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture in Veitshöchheim. Here they provided ten oversized moulds of the newly designed Bocksbeutel PS with artistic motifs on and about wine - without any specifications, but with great enthusiasm and, of course, lots of Franconian wine. The result is an impressive, colourful and lively installation that was on display at the 2018 State Garden Show in Würzburg and was subsequently auctioned off by the town of Iphofen.

A walk through the installation offers many interesting views of the vineyards and the parish church of St Vitus.

After walking round the town lake, the route continues to the Einersheim Gate. In 1522, during the Peasants' War, marauding peasants were prevented from taking the town here. A stone cross in the gateway marks the spot where a citizen of Iphöf was stabbed to death by Swedish soldiers during the Thirty Years' War in 1632.

If you are hungry for a hearty meal after all the fresh air, exercise and time travelling, walk from the Einersheim Gate to the market square. Here, Iphöfer restaurateurs and landlords of cosy wine taverns will serve you.

However, if you would like to walk directly back to the railway station, you can stay on the path along the fortifications and pass the Eulenturm, a former watchtower. Its dungeon was used to imprison criminals for life. The fortifications tell you a lot about the city's history, crises and former customs. The plague gate was walled up in 1596. It is a reminder of dark times when the plague victims were taken out of the town every night and buried in a cemetery outside. The centenary tower, striking for its massive, square shape, served as the centenary bailiff's residence. In the 19th century, the building was also used as a poorhouse for a time.

After circling the old town from the east, you return to Bahnhofstrasse and find your way to the railway station, where you can travel home comfortably by train after an eventful day.