Marked circular trails lead through the Eselsburger Valley, making Herbrechtingen a destination where you can combine exercise with local history. The routes are between three and ten kilometres long. This range makes it easier to choose a suitable distance for your day’s plans; check current trail information before setting out.
Hiking in the Eselsburger Valley
A four-kilometre circular route through the Eselsburger Valley is particularly suitable for hiking in a wheelchair. Check current surface conditions and accessibility information in advance, as both can change.
The Castles and Legends Trail combines a hike in the Eselsburger Valley with seven information boards between Anhausen and Herbrechtingen. Check the locations of the boards on site before planning your hike around them. One route passes the Stone Maidens and the local history museum. The Stone Maidens are a natural monument and a landmark of Herbrechtingen. The two stops add a scenic and a local-history highlight along the way.
The valley is another option for climbers: climbing is permitted on nine crags, with seasonal restrictions applying to some of them. Check current restrictions and any temporary closures before planning your climbing visit. Herbrechtingen also offers free guided tours through the Eselsburger Valley. Availability and dates can change; check the latest information in advance.
Local History Museum and Town History
The local history museum is housed in a former sawmill built in 1799. Its exhibition shows what life was like around 150 years ago in Herbrechtingen and similar places on the eastern Swabian Alb. The building and exhibition thus bring together two different historical time references: the year the mill was built and the everyday life explored by the exhibition.
Monastery, Guided Tours and Dining
The Kloster cultural centre is located in Herbrechtingen’s historic monastery, whose history spans more than 1,220 years. Following its restoration, the cultural centre opened in 2002. Guided tours of the monastery cover the history of Herbrechtingen Monastery from 774 to the present day. If you would like to plan a guided tour, check dates and availability in advance.
Hirschbachkeller is a restaurant in the vaulted rooms of the provost’s residence at the Kloster cultural centre. Check current information about restaurant operations before visiting.
Regional Context: Heidenheim
In the wider Heidenheim destination, karst formations, lively rivers, forests and heathland shape the landscape of the Heidenheim Brenz region. The Eselsburger Valley is by far the most valuable habitat for amphibians and reptiles in Heidenheim district. The certified long-distance Albschäferweg hiking trail runs for 158 kilometres through the Heidenheim Brenz region, a cultural landscape of the Swabian Alb shaped by migratory sheep farming, and is dedicated to shepherds and their flocks. At 158 kilometres, it is on a different scale from the three- to ten-kilometre circular trails in the Eselsburger Valley.
Discover more destinations: Heidenheim an der Brenz, Gerstetten, Steinheim am Albuch, Niederstotzingen, Königsbronn, Dischingen, Giengen an der Brenz, Nattheim.
Go to the wider travel overview: Heidenheim.
