슈바르첸바흐 암 발트 최고의 워킹 & 하이킹 경로

At this rest stop, a nature park information board informs about the "Franconian Forest Triad," the landscape's defining interplay of wooded slopes, meadow valleys, and plateaus. A group of benches and a table are available for a snack, and a "sky lounger" invites you to relax. Nearby, however, is a memorial stone for members of the "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler."

Tiny pond, inconspicuously located along the route.

Covered rest area with a picnic table and benches. The view isn't as great anymore, as everything is now overgrown.

The deserted wilderness lies on the edge of a high plateau that drops steeply to the west and south into the valley of the Köstenbach stream, and to the north into the valley of a tributary of the Köstenbach. A farm track leads to Köstenhof, another to a municipal road that runs from Köstenhof to Elbersreuth. Towards the end of the 18th century, Breiteneben consisted of an estate. In 1950, five people still lived here; by 1961, the house was already empty.

The first inhabitants of the Güldenstein estate were probably forestry assistants or woodcutters. Bird trapping was also a lucrative sideline. The Güldenstein bird herd was located above the hillside on a flat area. Only the owners of the estate had the right to trap all types of finches, larks, tits, blackbirds, and thrushes. Selling them was not a problem, as the songbirds were considered a delicacy in the city. Bird trapping was not banned until the end of the 19th century. However, the most important means of survival in this remote area was always agriculture. In 1930, Güldenstein was abandoned by its last inhabitants.

Hamlet with five houses surrounded by nature.

Unfortunately, the former Gasthof Fels now also resembles a lost place. The traditional inn on the border of the Hof and Kulmbach districts was sold to a prominent figure in the right-wing scene in 2018. After the identity of the new owner became known, the districts attempted to assert their right of first refusal for the eight-hectare property and the 250-square-meter villa. The legal dispute lasted three years. In August 2021, the districts announced that Jens H. had sold the property to them. The amount was not disclosed. The districts of Hof, Kulmbach, and Kronach announced at the time that they would jointly use the once idyllic property as the "Franconian Forest Nature Park Center" with the rangers' headquarters. But until now, the castle-like building has remained dormant.

Small, inconspicuous pond by the roadside