Bergen lies in a hollow in the Jura uplands and within Altmühltal Nature Park. Marked hiking trails and historic landmarks offer two different points of focus: time outdoors and the history of a place with traces of early settlement and several listed buildings. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, you can choose Bergen according to the focus you prefer. Would you like your stay to centre mainly on trails and scenery, or would you rather learn more about the town’s architectural and industrial history?
Scenery and hiking trails
Bergen’s location in a hollow in the Jura uplands provides its geographical setting; it is also within Altmühltal Nature Park. There are marked hiking trails in the village. Another point of interest for the landscape is the Strudbrunnen spring: it lies in the nearby area northeast of Bergen, directly on the Frankenweg trail. The hiking trails in Bergen and the Strudbrunnen on the Frankenweg thus offer two different points of orientation.
Traces of local history
Bergen was first mentioned in a document in 1067. A Celtic rectangular enclosure on Heuweg was built around 500 BC and bears witness to early settlement. These two dates point to different historical reference points: the enclosure dates back well before the first documentary mention. Anyone interested in the town’s history will therefore find both archaeological traces and a specific medieval date.
The Evangelical Lutheran parish church of St. George is in Bergen and is a listed building. It is a choir-tower church—a type of building in which the tower stands above the choir. The lower section of its tower dates from the Middle Ages, while the nave dates from 1773. The different parts of the building thus bring together different periods of construction.
There is also a listed historic feature beneath the village: a water tunnel believed to date from the 18th or 19th century. Its curved passage was hewn out of the rock. Listed rock cellars dating from the 18th or 19th century are located on Bergstraße near the new cemetery and on the road to Wengen. The church, tunnel and cellars represent different forms of construction, each revealing a different aspect of Bergen’s history.
Another historical focus is ore mining. Ore was mined in Bergen in open pits between 1693 and 1864. This dated period adds a look at the town’s former use to its settlement and architectural history.
Additional context: Nennslingen
The wider destination of Nennslingen offers its own architectural and landscape highlights. The Jura farmhouse on the northern edge of Nennslingen’s market square is a farmhouse with living quarters and a stable under one roof. Its core dates from the 16th century; timber joints from that period have been preserved in the roof structure. On its south side, the Evangelical Lutheran parish church of Beatae Mariae Virginis in Nennslingen has a funerary chapel belonging to the Schenken von Geyern, with numerous epitaphs of this lower-ranking noble family.
Another historic building in Nennslingen is the house with a forge at Kellergasse 1. Its older half of the semi-detached house is thought to date from shortly before 1540. To help visitors find their way around Nennslingen, the Tourist Information office at Schmiedgasse 1 provides maps of local hiking and cycling routes, flyers and posters about current events, and further information. The scenic Anlautertal valley and the Jura uplands near Nennslingen offer an extensive network of cycling and hiking trails.
When searching for a holiday apartment, you can use your preferred focus as a starting point: would you like to concentrate on Bergen’s hiking trails and local history, or also include Nennslingen’s distinctive architectural and landscape highlights?
Discover more destinations: Burgsalach
Back to the main travel overview: Nennslingen.
