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The walk starts at the Klingelkapelle, Klingelstraße 14, 76593 Gernsbach.
Parking:
Kurpark car park
Scheuern railway crossing car park
Travelling by public transport
Gernsbach Town Hall bus stop
Gernsbach Mitte bus stop
Gernsbach Centre tram stop
Gernsbach railway station, bus stop and S-Bahn station
(S/E) From the Klingelkapelle, follow the little devil symbol past the barbecue area and the footbath, then turn left immediately after the pond.
(1) On the narrow, zigzagging path towards Eberstein Castle , you’ll reach the ‘Engelskanzel’ viewing platform halfway up the hill . This initial ascent is one of the most challenging parts of the walk, so don’t lose heart straight away. The beautiful view from the Engelskanzel (250 m above sea level) makes the effort worthwhile.
After a breather at the Engelskanzel, the route continues up the narrow, alpine path through a magnificent mixed forest towards Luisenruhe. You’ll come across the Hildaweg, a wide grassy path, and follow it uphill. This path takes its name from the wife of Grand Duke Friedrich II, Hilda, Princess of Nassau, who often went for walks in the woods around Eberstein Castle.
(2) From the ‘Luisenruhe’ – named, incidentally, after Luise von Baden, the wife of the penultimate Grand Duke of Baden, Friedrich I, and a daughter of Emperor Wilhelm I – you walk towards the ‘Wachtelweg’ on the Eberstein Castle Arboretum, the arboretum’s educational trail. It was laid out between 1965 and 1974 and, alongside a few exotic rarities, features around 40 species of fir, 23 of birch, 50 of oak and 60 of maple. A detailed description is available from the Gernsbach Tourist Information Centre, and this trail is certainly worth a visit in its own right.
At the next fork in the Wachtelweg, it’s worth taking a short detour up to the Wachtelbrunnen. Together with the fountain chamber above it – which can be reached via a small, narrow path a short distance further along the way – this structure, which had fallen into oblivion over many years, was painstakingly restored by hand in over 400 hours of labour by members of the Gernsbach Black Forest Association and awakened from its slumber. In 1545, Wilhelm IV had this fountain chamber built below Eberstein Castle and a small square laid out in front of it; records from as early as the 16th century mention that the lords and ladies used to enjoy ‘much amusement’ there. Even today, this idyllic spot invites visitors to take a short break, and after 450 years, the spring water from the Gernsberg once again flows to its intended destination – the Wachtelbrunnen – for refreshment.
(3) Back at the signpost, we follow the wide grassy path down to the lower point known as ‘Wachtelweg’. There, those with a head for heights can venture on another detour and, via an alpine path winding past large rhododendron bushes and 50 different species of pine, reach the popular viewpoint ‘Am Grafensprung’.
(4) About 30 minutes’ walk from the start at the Klingelkapelle, you’ll arrive at this viewing pavilion, situated on the Husteinfelsen high above the Murg.
Follow the narrow path you took earlier back to the last junction (3).
(5) From here, the Sagenweg leads left up the hill to the Murgtalblick, a viewpoint at the foot of the vineyards. A few steps further on and you’ll find yourself standing in front of the lower castle wall.
(6) The route continues past the most significant building on the Gernsbach Sagenweg to the entrance gate of Eberstein Castle. From the Grafensprung, it takes about 15 minutes’ walk. The Schloss-Schänke awaits hungry walkers with Baden specialities. The food tastes particularly delicious on the plane tree terrace. For those wishing to end their walk here, the S-Bahn link in the Obertsrot district – down through the steep vineyard slopes towards ‘Am Schlossberg’ – is not far away.
After a leisurely rest, we return to the Sagenweg, walk a short distance along the upper Schlossstraße and soon turn left onto a path leading uphill. Once at the top, a few steps further on, a rocky outcrop offers another magnificent view of the castle grounds and the surrounding area.
(7) We continue along the ridge of the Schlosswald towards ‘Am Zehntacker’, where we immediately turn right onto a cool grassy path leading over to the ‘Erzgrube’. After about 400 metres, a gloomy rocky chasm opens up on the left with a small hole, though it does not lead very far into the mountain.
The Erzgrube is a mysterious place that has been immortalised in literature through the story of the dwarves of the Gernsberg. The adit in this part of the Gernsberg was one of the attempts to exploit the ore deposits commercially. Ore deposits throughout the Murg Valley were already being mined in earlier centuries.
(8) The route continues along the so-called ‘Erdmännlespfad’ to the ‘Forlenkopf’. From here, the circular walk heads down to the right and crosses the Obere Schlossstraße at the road monument.
The commemorative stone was erected following the completion of the road, which was built under Grand Duke Leopold in 1837 to link Eberstein Castle and Baden-Baden. Even today, the Obere Schlossstraße impresses with its exemplary route, and one cannot help but praise unreservedly the magnificent achievement of the master builder Belzer in constructing a road on this steep slope that still meets our modern-day requirements.
The route then continues to the signpost marking the ‘Straßendenkmal’ (road memorial), then turns right down a narrow path to the ‘Hambrechtbrunnen’ and on tothe ‘Schöne Aussicht’(beautifulview), which, of course, can be enjoyed from beside a small rocky plateau. From here, a view of the nearby Rockertwald on the opposite bank of the Murg is simply unmissable.
(9) From here, it’s not far to the starting point of our walk. Back on a narrow path, the route continues downhill, crossing the lower Schlossstraße, and back to the Klingelkapelle. A leisurely stop at one of Gernsbach’s restaurants is the perfect way to round off this varied walk (S/E).
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