Old Shatterhand in court – Karl May Information Boards loop from Elversberg

Hiking trails & Routes

Germany

Saarland

Landkreis Neunkirchen

Spiesen-Elversberg

Old Shatterhand in court – Karl May Information Boards loop from Elversberg

Moderate

4.5

(189)

603

hikers

Old Shatterhand in court – Karl May Information Boards loop from Elversberg

04:07

14.8km

280m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 8, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Biosphärenreservat Bliesgau

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

1.43 km

Totem Poles on the Karl May Trail

Highlight • Monument

beautifully painted torture posts on the tour

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2.52 km

Ruhbach Valley stream and wooden bridge

Highlight • River

beautiful idyllic natural valley

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4.05 km

Karl May Literature Trail: Winnetou Information Board

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Great forest and great round.

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5.05 km

Winnetou’s Heirs Educational Trail

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Very interesting to read through the panels.

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7.22 km

Old Shatterhand in court

Highlight • Monument

Myth meets reality: Karl May endured over 100 trials – for his doctorate, accusations of plagiarism, and his role as Old Shatterhand. His greatest enemy: the journalist Rudolf Lebius. In …

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8.62 km

Karl May Trail Information Signs

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the Karl May Way is presented here

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10.5 km

Karl May 'Old Surehand' Information Sign

Highlight • Monument

Karl May wasn't just an author—he became a character in his own novel. With his hat, his imagination, and claims like "speaking 40 languages," he became a pop star of his time—complete with myths, fans, and pranks.

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13.8 km

Karl May Information Boards

Highlight • Monument

Anyone who is a Karl May fan has the short version of the books here

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14.8 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

8.66 km

4.73 km

1.43 km

Surfaces

5.38 km

3.89 km

1.31 km

344 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (360 m)

Lowest point (260 m)

Weather

Saturday 10 October

14°C

8°C

43 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 21.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

October 3, 2021,Karl May Weg, Schleife Sulzbach 03.10.2021

Back home we are drawn to the forest. And this hike offers a lot of it. Not perfectly signposted and twice a piece of the path is missing, but as a forest walk it is always a pretty path

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March 17, 2024,Karl-May-Weg Auf fremden Pfaden

On strange paths - in the footsteps of Karl May.
The German Popular Sports Association recognized this path as “Germany’s most beautiful hiking trail 2023”.
On the way through the varied forest landscape of the Ruhbachtal, you can find information about the life and literary work of Karl May on many boards.
If you want, you can extend the tour …

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September 23, 2023,***Ruhbachtal – Winnetou Runde von Schnappach

Highly recommended. Even though I think completely differently about Karl May now... 🤔

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December 27, 2021,Karl-May-Weg; roter Teil; Auf fremden Pfaden; Schnappach-Elversberg-Schüren

Start and end at the hiking car park 66280 Sulzbach, Schürer Weg in the Schnappach district near the "Bayerisch Zell" inn.
It goes first along "Bayerisch Zell", which reminds of Schnappach's affiliation with Bavaria, a short distance through the Ruhbachtal, but then towards Friedrichsthal past the autobahn via Elversberg, then again through the beautiful Ruhbachtal, followed by a somewhat steeper …

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October 12, 2022,Auf fremden Pfaden: Karl May Weg

It's a nice way, especially if you want to learn more about the writer Karl May, today was an educational hike for me. The path is well marked so far, but I got lost at one point and had to turn back (normally 13 km). There are plenty of resting places throughout the route. All in all a recommendable hike. …

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May 15, 2022,Auf fremden Pfaden/Karl-May-Wanderweg-Sulzbacher Schleife😎👍

The Karl-May-Weg shows the most beautiful sides of the Ruhbachtal. A varied forest landscape awaits you, which even Karl May could have used as the basis for his adventurous "world trips".

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April 18, 2025,MONTAGSMÄDELS UND BRENNENDE HAXEN AUF DEN SPUREN VON KARL MAY🦬🦅🪶🏹

Today on Good Friday, we're out and about with my husband and friends, starting in Sulzbach in Saarland, following in the footsteps of Karl May.
Lovely hike, most of the rest stops are a bit dated, but we found something useful for our buffet.
We now know a lot about Karl May...it was interesting.
Always fun and enjoyable with the …

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October 1, 2023,Karl May Weg

Experienced and hiked in the footsteps of Karl May in the best weather. The path is excellently signposted and has everything a hiking trail has to offer with hills and ravines. Every few hundred meters there are boards with books, stories and poems.
Even good hikers need time to read everything and enjoy nature. A heavenly calm.

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