Marktzeuln combines a complex building history with the Rodach-Steinach-Main Three Rivers Trail, which follows the Rodach to Marktzeuln. When looking for a holiday apartment, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on: would you like to explore Marktzeuln itself, with its parish church, town hall and trail, or would you also like to consider the wider destination of Lichtenfels?

Church and town hall tell the story of different building periods

The parish church of St. Michael is a hall church with a recessed choir, roof turret and eastern tower. Its history goes back a long way: the first chapel of the people of Zeuln was built between 1200 and 1300 and later became the choir of the present-day church. The choir dates from the 14th century; the nave is essentially from 1541 and was remodelled in 1701. Anyone interested in historic buildings can trace different periods of the town’s history in a single church building.

The town hall at Flecken 29 also reveals several building periods. The two-storey, gabled half-timbered building with a pitched roof and side stair tower was built in 1690 by Hans Mühlhans and Karl Fuß. Its base dates from the 16th century. The half-timbering, roof shape and stair tower describe the building’s exterior; the dates offer another perspective on the building and its older base.

Plan the Three Rivers Trail as a trip in its own right

The Rodach-Steinach-Main Three Rivers Trail is approximately 24.8 kilometres long and can be travelled on foot or by bicycle. Its length makes it a route in its own right, not just a short stretch of trail. So first choose between hiking and cycling, and check the route’s current condition before setting off. The route follows the Rodach to Marktzeuln.

More to explore in the wider destination of Lichtenfels

The old town offers a distinct cultural and historical focus in the wider destination of Lichtenfels. It has retained its typically Franconian character; the Bamberg Gate and Kronach Gate are preserved, and parts of the old town wall are still visible. The Lichtenfels Basket Market takes place every year on the third weekend in September. The 14-kilometre Basketry Culture Trail also explores the craft of basket making: it connects Lichtenfels and Michelau via nature trails through the Main floodplains, and 23 information panels cover the history and traditions of basket making, the basket industry and basket trading in the Upper Main region. Near Oberwallenstadt, the trail includes a willow maze for children and a willow shell in the river swimming area; a woven tipi stands at Lake Ortswiesen in Oberwallenstadt.

The Lichtenfels town palace houses municipal collections on the history of beer and brewing, the railway and basket trading; exhibition content may change. Those interested in nature in the wider destination of Lichtenfels can visit the Staffelberg, where the landscape has clearly defined features: it rises 539 metres, or 290 metres above the Main Valley near Bad Staffelstein. Its summit lies within a nature reserve and is closed to cars and bicycles. The Kleinziegenfeld Valley is approximately twelve kilometres long and is mostly protected. Its features include rock formations, streams, mills, half-timbered villages and juniper heaths with dry and semi-dry grassland slopes.

Another activity in the wider destination of Lichtenfels is fossil hunting at the small excavation site by the “Waldfrieden” hiking car park. You can search for fossils and split them open there; hammers and safety glasses can be borrowed from the Weismain environmental station. Check their availability before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Altenkunstadt, Hochstadt am Main, Lichtenfels, Marktgraitz, Burgkunstadt, Bad Staffelstein, Ebensfeld, Weismain

Back to the wider travel guide: Lichtenfels.