オーバープファルツのベルク・バイ・ノイマルクトの峡谷・トップ20

Devil's Gorge currently closed until further notice due to wind damage

The beginnings of the pilgrimage to the Mariahilfberg date back to the late 17th century. At that time there was a small burial chapel modeled on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and a Way of the Cross. A wooden Lady Chapel was built in 1687 very close to the Calvary. Her most valuable jewelry was a copy of a famous painting of the Virgin Mary by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Today's pilgrimage church was built between 1718 and 1727 as one of five baroque Marian shrines in western Upper Palatinate. The richly decorated baroque high altar by Johann Ulrich Wiest contains the famous miraculous image of the Virgin and Child, which is deeply revered to this day.

“Red ring on white ground” hiking trail

The waterfall now consists of a small trickle in summer, at most to wash your hands.

The Schottental is certainly one of the most beautiful valleys in the Franconian Palatinate. Fauna and flora are varied and interesting from April to October, you can safely cross the small stream on stepping stones.

A great gorge that should only be entered with suitable footwear.

In the valley floor there are species-rich, moderately intensively used and partly fallow meadows and pastures. On the steep slopes, mixed forests with beech and pine trees and calcareous grassland alternate with poor pastures. Dense sloe bushes and hedges also serve as nesting habitats for birds. Ferns can be found on the shady sides of rocks. The open slopes with the calcareous grassland are important habitats for butterflies and insects.

The Catholic pilgrimage church “Maria Hilf” is located on the Mariahilfberg high above Neumarkt. The climb over the Stations of the Cross is rewarded with a beautiful view.