ルートヴィヒスシュタットのおすすめウォーキング＆ハイキングルート

This grave is located on the Thuringian-Bavarian border at the turnoff to Gräfenthal.

Great views of Lauenstein Castle, the town and half of the Franconian Forest

Great panoramic views in good weather.

This hilltop castle, originally part of the Orlagau region, was built over a thousand years ago in the midst of a clearing on the upper reaches of the Saale River and its tributary, the Loquitz. It was first mentioned in a document from 1222. Via the Counts of Orlamünde (1250) and the Knights of Ghüna (1506), the castle finally passed to the Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Bayreuth in 1622, falling to Prussia in 1791 and Bavaria in 1803. In 1896, the castle romanticist Dr. Erhard Messmer from Halle an der Saale acquired the completely neglected castle complex, had it renovated, and refurbished. Katharina von Orlamünde was born at Lauenstein Castle in the 14th century. She is said to haunt the castle to this day as the restless ghost known as the "White Lady."

After the castle romanticist Dr. Ehrhard Messmer from Halle an der Saale purchased the dilapidated Lauenstein Castle in 1896, he had the building renovated in the historicist style. This included the restoration of the bridge over the moat leading up to the historic castle gate.

During the war, 1914, Hermann and Amalie Bauer baked bread and rolls in a stone oven in the basement of house number 18. This was the beginning of today's confectionery, bakery, pastry shop, and café. When increasing numbers of tourists, especially from Berlin, came to Lauenstein in the late 1960s, the Bauers opened a café and a disco. Since 1979, they have also produced chocolates here, initially around 500 per day, now producing 50,000. Twenty women produce the world-famous Lauenstein chocolates here. Andreas Bauer, the great-grandson of the bakery's founding couple, has been in charge since 2016. In addition to sampling the chocolate specialties and liqueurs, guests can also enjoy the famous cream puffs in the relaxed atmosphere of the café.

The Erich Kästner poem "The Forests Are Silent" is the theme of this stop on the 5.7-kilometer-long Fairytale Trail. Here, you can sit on one of the wooden chairs and enjoy the tranquility of nature. Kästner wrote for all those who long to escape "from the noise of the city": "The forests are silent. But they are not mute. And whoever may come, they comfort everyone."

The trademarks of the Franconian Forest are the wooded hills and the open meadow valleys.