Naila: Trails, Geology and Culture
Accommodation in Naila
Naila offers a variety of ways to enjoy a stay: easy educational and circular trails explore topics such as water and geology, while the town church and museum showcase the city’s cultural history. Other cultural and natural attractions can also be found nearby. When choosing your outings, the trail lengths, their respective themes and the sights described along the way are particularly helpful.
Educational Trails and Circular Walks
The Water Adventure Trail is an easy, 5.3-kilometre educational circular trail. It starts at the Höllensprudel and Hochfrankenquelle mineral springs. Along the way, you can learn more about the former and present-day use of water power. The trail also explains how the Selbitz formed the Höllental and returns to the spring hut via the Röhrensteig. Water, landscape and the history of how the area has been used are all connected here.
The Geopfad Naila focuses on geology and the Geopark Schieferland. This easy, 6.6-kilometre educational trail explores the area’s former mineral resources and their extraction in Naila. It passes the Pikrit rocks, where there is a rest area. There is also the option of an approximately 800-metre detour to the Flaserkalk limestone quarry at Kalkofen; this distance is for the one-way route.
Based on the stated distances, the Water Adventure Trail is shorter than the Geopfad; both are rated easy. On the Geopfad, you can add the detour mentioned above. The two routes therefore differ in both their themes and length: one explores water and water power, while the other focuses on geology and former mineral extraction.
The Garles-Weg OS 43 is a longer circular walk. This easy, 10.6-kilometre route starts at Naila railway station, leads to the Garlesfelsen and returns via Marlesreuth. There is a seating area and a viewpoint at the Garlesfelsen. The route thus offers a defined circular walk with a place to stop and rest along the way.
The FrankenwaldSteigla “Der Wilde Mann” also starts at Naila railway station and passes through the Froschgrün district. Near the old Schneckengrün estate, there are views across Naila and the former district to the Döbraberg.
Town Church and Museum
Naila’s present-day town church was built in the neo-Gothic style between 1869 and 1871, following the city’s last major fire. Its organ was installed later: the Berlin organ-building company Karl Schuke built it in 1997. The instrument is among the most outstanding in all of Upper Franconia. The church and its organ thus represent two distinct periods of construction, which can be distinguished by looking at the building and its furnishings.
The Naila Museum in the new “Forum Naila” displays the famous hot-air balloon associated with the spectacular 1979 balloon escape. Other exhibition topics include shoemaking and a doll’s house described as fascinating. The museum thus explores both a remarkable event in the city’s history and themes related to crafts and domestic life.
Culture and Nature Nearby
In Marlesreuth, near Naila, the Handwebermuseum presents the lives and work of handloom weavers and offers a glimpse into the bygone era of “Handweber-Frankenwald”. Marlesreuth village church features a carved wooden coffered ceiling, a pulpit altar and a baptismal angel. Textile craft history and the distinctive features of a village church’s interior come together there.
The Höllental is considered romantically wild and is located near the destination. The Water Adventure Trail also explores the landscape, explaining how the Selbitz formed the Höllental. The two perspectives differ: the trail explains a geological connection, while the landscape itself offers another highlight to consider when planning your trip.
For the broader travel overview: Hof.
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