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Getting to Hemsbach by public transport:
- RE 60 from Frankfurt or Mannheim
- RB 67/68 from Frankfurt
- RB 68 from Heidelberg
Departure from Weinheim
- RE 60 towards Frankfurt or Mannheim
- RB 68 towards Heidelberg
- RB 67/68 towards Frankfurt
(S) Start in front of the station in Hemsbach and turn right onto Wareham-Straße. At the end of Wareham-Straße, turn left again onto Schlossgasse.
(1) At the crossroads in front of the former Hemsbach Castle, turn right into Hildastraße.
Pass the former castle and turn left at the next junction into Alleestraße. Follow this road until you reach the main road (B3, Landstraße).
Cross the "Landstraße" and walk on the other side to the right towards the town exit, passing the "Hemsbach Süd" bus stop.
At the fork just before the town sign, keep left and continue walking parallel to the main road.
Turn left before a grey distribution box and walk towards house number 19. Shortly before this house, the path curves to the right and leads to a dirt road.
Before house number 27, the path is paved again for a short distance before continuing straight ahead as a dirt track.
Opposite the cemetery, you will come to a paved road again and turn left immediately into "Am Geisenrein". The path now leads uphill (orientation: trail markers 1, 2 and 4 in a yellow circle).
In a left-hand bend, you will rejoin the Burgensteig, which you follow to the right along the slope above Sulzbach.
(2) After a while, you will come to a paved path. On the left-hand side, there is a signpost directing you to the right. After a few metres, you will come to a T-junction, where you also turn right and continue downhill to Sulzbach.
(3) You will pass a Catholic chapel built in 1750 on your right and turn left immediately afterwards. The path leads uphill on a paved road. The path curves to the left, where you continue straight ahead.
(4) You will now pass two benches on your right and follow the path as it curves slightly to the left.
(5) You will pass a boundary stone (on the right) and walk in a loop on the narrow path through the forest.
Keep left at the fork. After a while, you will come to a dirt road. A small peculiarity: the tracks on this road are paved. Turn right here. After a few metres, you will come to a green fence with a gate on the opposite side of an asphalt road and turn right.
(6) At the next fork, turn left and you will see the signpost for "Nächstenbach".
Take the left-hand road uphill ("Nächstenbacher Berg 1-19 and 17") towards Hirschkopfturm and Vogesenschau.
At house no. 3, turn left. The path is initially covered with red brick gravel.
Your path then turns into a grassy path that leads uphill between the pastures towards the forest.
After a while, you will cross a wider forest path. Continue straight ahead (orientation: Burgensteig signposts).
(7) You will come to a T-junction with a signpost ("Hirschkopf"). Here, turn right and follow the gravel forest path until it curves to the right.
At the right-hand bend, continue straight ahead up the steep forest path and after a few metres you will reach the Hirschkopfturm tower (345 m above sea level).
(8) There are also two rest areas here, one directly in front of the tower and one slightly hidden behind it. It is worth climbing up the tower to enjoy the sensational panoramic view.
Passing the Hirschkopfturm, follow a narrow, washed-out path downhill to a fork. Take the left path and continue on the right path at the next fork.
You will reach a crossroads on a wider forest path. Turn left here.
(9) After a while, you will see a dead tree on the left with the Burgensteig signpost. Directly behind it is a stone signpost. Turn right at this signpost.
Follow the narrow path down to a larger shelter, the Vogesenschau hut.
(10) On a clear day, you will have a view of the Rhine valley as far as the Vosges mountains. If you turn your gaze more to the left, you will see the Wachenburg and the ruins of Windeck Castle above the town of Weinheim.
From the hut, your hiking trail takes you past a traffic sign saying "Durchfahrt verboten" (no through traffic) (note: traffic sign no. 250 according to the StVO 😉).
You will come to a crossroads. In front of you, you will see a steep staircase leading to an allotment garden. Here, turn left into a sunken path. At the end of the sunken path, you will come to another crossroads.
(11) Turn right here. You will see the Burgensteig sign on a tree on the left-hand side about 20 metres after turning, after the crossroads.
At the next fork, keep left and in the following left-hand bend, continue straight ahead downhill on a narrow path.
You will come to a paved path. Turn sharp right here and continue along the narrow path along the slope.
(12) After a while, you will reach a shelter. Behind the shelter, turn sharply left. Continue downhill. You will come to a T-junction near the L3408 and take the path down to the right.
(13) After a few metres, you will cross the Weschnitztalbahn railway tracks and arrive at Birkenauer Talstraße
Cross this road with caution and continue walking to the right on the wide pavement on the other side.
You are now in the Six Mills Valley. Pass the Kinscherf'sche Mühle mill and walk towards the Obere Fuchs'sche Mühle mill.
(14) This mill is now a hotel. Behind the building, after the hotel car park, turn left.
Go through the gate and between the main building and a seminar house towards a narrow footbridge. Here you cross the Weschnitz river.
On the other side, turn left and then immediately right. At this point, you leave the Burgensteig and walk towards your destination, the train station in Weinheim.
(15) First, you will pass the Untere Fuchs'sche Mühle on your right, then the narrow path ends at the entrance to the Südwestdeutsche Hartsteinwerke. Cross the bridge and continue along the road.
After the bridge, turn left along Birkenauer Talstraße. You will pass the Hildebrand'sche Obere Mühle, now home to the company Micasa - Internationale Wohnkultur, and walk under the Weschnitztalbahn viaduct. On the other side of the road, you will now see the DAV Weinheim climbing area.
(16) Shortly afterwards, you will see the old buildings of the Hildebrand'sche Untere Mühle on your left.
At the first intersection in Weinheim, cross the Weschnitz again, then cross the pedestrian crossing at Grundelbachstraße and turn right into Alte Postgasse.
At the "Alte Postgasse"/"Bergstraße" intersection, turn left and then immediately left again into "Friedrichstraße".
(17) Here you can stop for a bite to eat at the Woinemer Hausbrauerei and then walk the last few metres back to the station.
Leave the brewery and turn left onto Bergstraße. Cross the pedestrian crossing, walk past the Scharfen Eck restaurant on your right and turn left onto Werderstraße.
At the end of Werderstraße, turn left again onto Am Hauptbahnhof. You will see your destination, Weinheim main station, in front of you (E)
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