Hirschau offers three distinct starting points for planning a trip: hiking trails, topics related to geology and open-pit mining, and historic buildings and traces of the past. Information boards are located at the northern and southern hiking trail starting points. They show important trails that pass through the municipality, including long-distance hiking trails and routes belonging to neighboring municipalities or clubs. The information boards help you sort the trails by location and theme. When planning a stay, it helps to distinguish between the connecting trail linking the two local starting points, themed hiking trails and a cycling route.
Hiking and Cycling in Hirschau
The Monte–Kalvarienberg connecting trail is about 3.4 kilometers long and links the northern and southern hiking trail starting points in Hirschau. It therefore has a clearly defined role as a connection between the two local points. The Geopark hiking trail also starts at the southern hiking trail starting point at Monte Kaolino. Its stations cover topics such as geology, open-pit mining and ways of life in the past. The two hiking trails have different focuses: the connecting trail links two starting points, while the Geopark hiking trail centers on the themes covered at its stations. The industrial trail “Kaolin Mining Area,” designed as a loop, can also be started from Hirschau. For cycling trips, the Paneuropa Cycle Route from Paris to Prague runs through the town of Hirschau along the Golden Road. Check route details before setting out.
Building History and Historic Traces
Hirschau Town Hall is a two-story rendered masonry building with a gabled roof, stepped gables, an onion-domed roof turret and inset reliefs dating from around 1490. The former pilgrimage church of the Holy Fourteen Helpers and the Visitation of Mary in Hirschau has a core dating from the 15th century. On Hirschau’s Calvary Hill stand a chapel built in 1725 and a Way of the Cross with 14 masonry stations dating from the mid-17th century. Preserved sections of Hirschau’s 14th-century town wall lie to the west, north and south of the town and are integrated into more recent residential development. Together, the buildings and wall remains offer different historical perspectives: town hall architecture, religious heritage and traces of the town wall. The time span therefore ranges from the 14th-century sections of the town wall to the 1725 chapel.
Amberg-Sulzbach: Regional Perspectives
The Amberg-Sulzbach region offers additional hiking and mining themes. For hiking, the region has towering limestone cliffs, gentle Jurassic hills, extensive forests and charming river valleys. One specific regional route is the Felsenweg: the 2.7-kilometer hike runs from Sackdilling through the rock labyrinth to the Bauernlöcher; the walking time is about 45 minutes. The region’s mining heritage also includes the Erzweg, which connects sites with a mining tradition of more than 1,000 years and passes through cultural and natural landscapes. The East Bavarian Mining and Industry Museum at Kultur-Schloss Theuern researches and documents mining and industry in the East Bavarian region, keeping their history alive. At the regional level, a route and a museum thus offer different ways to explore mining history.
Discover more destinations: Vilseck, Etzelwang, Ammerthal, Rieden, Schnaittenbach, SchmidmĂĽhlen, Hohenburg, KĂĽmmersbruck
For the broader travel overview: Amberg-Sulzbach.
