Auerbach i.d.OPf. – Civic Forest and Town History

The Civic Forest and trails south of Auerbach

The Civic Forest lies south of Auerbach. This continuous woodland covers around 520 hectares and is owned by the town. Numerous paved trails invite you to hike, cycle and ride horses. So, if you are planning time outdoors, you will find trails here with several explicitly mentioned uses. Which one you choose depends on your interests: the Civic Forest can be explored in different ways, on foot, by bike or on horseback.

The size of the woodland and its location south of Auerbach give this natural area a clear local connection. Together with its paved trails, the Civic Forest is one of the specific points of reference when planning a trip to Auerbach. For a different focus, St. Helena Cemetery Church offers a historical connection: its origins date back to around 1360. Its origins date back to around 1360.

Local history and exercise

Tennis is another local option. The three Auerbach tennis clubs have a total of 15 outdoor clay courts and one indoor court. The three Auerbach tennis clubs have a total of 15 outdoor clay courts and one indoor court. Availability for non-members may vary; if you plan to play tennis, take this difference into account when preparing.

Auerbach therefore offers a range of interests: trails through the Civic Forest, a historic church and tennis.

Amberg-Sulzbach as the wider setting

In the wider Amberg-Sulzbach destination, the landscapes described range from impressive limestone cliffs and gentle Jura hills to extensive forests and river valleys. The Amberg-Sulzbach region lies in Bavaria between Regensburg and Nuremberg.

There are several different points of reference for hiking in the Amberg-Sulzbach region. The Felsenweg (Rock Trail) runs for 2.7 kilometres from Sackdilling through the rock labyrinth to the Bauernlöcher caves. The hike is estimated to take around 45 minutes; an impressive rocky landscape shapes the route. The Wacholderwanderweg (Juniper Trail) is considered one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the Amberg-Sulzbach region. The Erzweg (Ore Trail), in turn, links sites with a mining tradition spanning more than 1,000 years and passes through cultural and natural landscapes. These three descriptions offer different regional themes: rocky landscapes, hiking trails and mining heritage.

Culture, nature observation and regional traditions

In Theuern, the East Bavarian Mining and Industry Museum at Kultur-Schloss Theuern researches and documents mining and industry in eastern Bavaria, keeping their history alive. Also in Theuern, a nature observation platform was built at the edge of the settling ponds of the wastewater treatment plant. The adjacent wetland, with the Vils River, its oxbow lakes and ponds, serves year-round as a resting and breeding site for local birds and those arriving from the north. The museum and observation platform represent two different regional perspectives: industrial history and nature observation.

The cultural traditions of the wider destination include the Kirwan festivals in the Amberg-Sulzbach region. Since 2023, they have been part of Bavaria’s intangible cultural heritage. They are celebrated each year in the respective town and are open to visitors and local residents. Many restaurants in the region regularly serve traditional Schlachtschüssel meals. These include Wurschtsuppn, Kesselfleisch, and blood sausages, liver sausages and bratwurst made to the restaurants’ own recipes; dates vary from one restaurant to another.

Other regional specialties bring together brewing traditions and landscape: original Upper Palatinate Zoigl is brewed in Erlheim, and hops from the world’s smallest hop-growing region in Illschwang are used by the Sudhang private brewery in Amberg. There is also a specific seasonal restriction to bear in mind when planning: entering caves along the regional cave hiking trails is prohibited from October 1 to March 31.

Discover more destinations: Weigendorf, Freudenberg, Königstein, Schnaittenbach.

Go to the wider travel overview: Amberg-Sulzbach.