The best walks and hikes around Wiesenthau

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The Walpurgis Chapel (also called St. Walburgis Chapel) is located on the summit of the Walberla in the Franconian Switzerland, Germany. It is one of the most famous sights of this inselberg, which together with the neighboring Rodenstein forms the double-peak massif of the Ehrenbürg.

The chapel, also known as "Walburgiskapelle" or "Sankt-Walburgis-Kapelle", was built in 1697, although a presumably wooden predecessor was already mentioned in a document in 1350. The church consecration festival, known as the "Walberla-Fest", traditionally takes place on the first weekend in May at the chapel's location. The current chapel was built in 1697 by the Lords of Wiesenthau. Particularly striking is the bronze statue of Saint Walburga, which stands in front of the chapel and was inaugurated in 2000.

The St.-Walburgis-Kapelle on the Walberla plateau (more precisely: the Ehrenbürg) is a well-known landmark in the Franconian Jura. The chapel is located on the northern point of the plateau, the so-called Walberla (approx. 514 m), which is part of the Ehrenbürg massif (up to 532 m) in the Forchheim district. The place is dedicated to Saint Walburga, a Benedictine abbess from the 8th century, who is considered a patron saint against plague, distress, and for farmers. Traditionally, the Walberlafest takes place at the beginning of May (around May 1st), one of the oldest mountain festivals in Germany.

The entire summit area of the Ehrenbürg is designated as a protected archaeological site. Finds range from the Mesolithic (9500 to 5500 BC) and the subsequent Neolithic period (Linear Pottery culture, Michelsberg culture, and Corded Ware culture) with interruptions up to the Migration Period (approx. 350–550 AD). At least three periods have been proven in which the Ehrenbürg was fortified. In numerous areas from the summit of the Ehrenbürg, over the saddle to the summit of the Rodenstein, approximately 20,000 pits, which presumably served as storage or cellar pits, were discovered through excavations, but especially through magnetometer prospecting. This proves an extremely dense settlement within the complex for this period. Estimates of the population range from several thousand people – the most realistic figure is around 3000.

The St. Walpurgis pilgrimage chapel is located in Kirchehrenbach (district St. Walpurgis) in the Upper Franconian district of Forchheim and not in "Ehrenberg". The chapel is situated at an altitude of 507 m above sea level (NHN), approximately one and a half kilometers south of the church center of Kirchehrenbach, and is officially part of the municipality of Kirchehrenbach. Although the name is often associated with Walpurgis Night, the chapel is a pilgrimage site of the Archdiocese of Bamberg, which was first documented in 1350, and its current structure dates back to 1697. Traditionally, the so-called "Walberla-Fest" takes place here as a church consecration festival on the first weekend in May.

The Walberlafest 2026 begins on Thursday, April 30th, as May 1st falls on a Friday this year, and the opening is brought forward for this reason. The beer tapping and the setting up of the Maypole will take place on Thursday, April 30th, starting at approx. 5:00 PM, followed by festival operations until 11:00 PM.

This pilgrimage chapel was first mentioned in documents in the 14th century and stands on the high plateau of the mountain, to which a modern bronze statue of the patron saint also leads. The chapel venerates a 16th-century figure of Saint Walpurga and two 17th-century apostle figures. The pilgrimage developed into the annual Walberlafest, held on May 1st. The municipality of Kirchehrenbach features the mountain and the chapel in its coat of arms as a symbol of holy protection and local identity. Every year, the witches' festival "Heia Walpurgis!" also takes place on the Ehrenberg, celebrating the witch folk and often held on May 1st (Walpurgis Day).