View of Walpurgis Chapel – Rodenstein loop from Landkreis Forchheim

Hiking trails & Routes

Germany

Bavaria

Upper Franconia

Franconian Switzerland

Forchheim

Kirchehrenbach

View of Walpurgis Chapel – Rodenstein loop from Landkreis Forchheim

Moderate

4.8

(46)

159

hikers

View of Walpurgis Chapel – Rodenstein loop from Landkreis Forchheim

02:17

7.44km

260m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: September 10, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Naturpark Fränkische Schweiz - Frankenjura

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

899 m

View of Kirchehrenbach from the Pre-Summit Cross

Highlight • Viewpoint

After the first steep section there is a summit cross with two benches on the foothills. The view over the vast country is fantastic and Kirchehrenbach is at your feet.

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957 m

Nice view of the "Steinerne Frau"

Highlight • Natural Monument

Nice view of the Stone Woman. Unfortunately, the view from the sign is somewhat obscured by the trees. If you walk a few meters to the left, you can see it much better

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1.37 km

St. Walburga's Chapel and Statue, Walberla Plateau

Highlight • Religious Site

The Walburgis Chapel, which was first mentioned around 1350 and was built in its present form in 1697, probably gave the mountain its name. The bronze statue of Saint Walburga, which stands in front of the chapel and was inaugurated in 2000, is very striking.

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1.38 km

St. Walburga

Highlight • Religious Site

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).

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1.42 km

Ehrenbürg

Highlight • Summit

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.

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2.00 km

View of Walpurgis Chapel

Highlight • Viewpoint

The view is wonderful, just as in the pictures

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2.21 km

Rodenstein

Highlight • Summit

The summit of the Ehrenbürg has two crests: the Walberla in the north (the name is often used in the vernacular for the whole Ehrenbürg) and the Rodenstein in the south. So, when you're here, it's actually time to pay a visit to both and enjoy the magnificent views twice!

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2.40 km

View of Schlaifhausen and the Hetzles from Rodenstein

Highlight • Viewpoint

Even before the summit cross there are beautiful valley views of Schlaifhausen and in a south-easterly direction of the Hetzles

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2.68 km

Viewpoint

7.44 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

4.66 km

1.92 km

495 m

209 m

153 m

Surfaces

3.43 km

1.77 km

1.35 km

507 m

370 m

Elevation

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

Highest point (500 m)

Lowest point (310 m)

Weather

Friday 9 October

15°C

6°C

67 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 14.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

May 12, 2024,Rund ums Walberla (Fränkische Schweiz)

The Ehrenbürg is a 531.9 m high double-topped mountain in Franconian Switzerland. The northern peak is the 513.9 m high Walberla, the southern peak is the 531.9 m high Rodenstein. The entire Ehrenbürg is also known colloquially as Walberla, probably after Saint Walburga. I downloaded the tour to the Walberla, the mountain of the Franconians, from ich-geh-wandern.de. The tour starts …

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April 12, 2022,Runde von Kirchehrenbach übers Walberla nach Wiesenthau

A hike on the "mountain of Franconia" is worthwhile at any time of the year. Starting from the car park above Kirchehrenbach, the path leads us in a left curve up to the mountain cross on the north slope. Here we have a beautiful panorama of Forchheim over Weilersbach, the Vexierkapelle St. Nikolaus, Kirchehrenbach and Feuerstein Castle. Further up, the …

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October 31, 2022,Kirchehrenbach // 🚶🏼‍♀️🚶‍♀️**Im Wechsel 🔀des Wetters ☀️🌥️🌫️am Walberla 🤩🍁🌸**

When approaching 🚘 I had my doubts at first because there was impenetrable fog 🌫️ up to Forchheim, but hey... from there it cleared 🌥️ and we were able to start our tour 🚶‍♀️🚶🏼‍♀️ from Kirchehrenbach via Wiesenthau🌸 to Rodenstein⛰️ in almost bright sunshine ☀️☀️... from then on it got noticeably darker and it got hazy and the fog in …

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