Stage 1: Waldsassen – Tirschenreuth

Starting point: Waldsassen Cistercian Nuns’ Abbey

Distance: 21.8 km

Walking time: approx. 6.5 h

Ascents: 290 m

Descents: 271 m

Stage destination: Fischhof Tirschenreuth

Waymarking: Oberpfalzweg yellow-white-yellow (horizontal)

(Note: In places, the pilgrimage route deviates from the Oberpfalzweg in order to include points of interest for pilgrims along the way. See route description.)

Getting in the mood:

Waldsassen, with its old but still very vibrant Cistercian (nuns’) abbey, is not only geographically an ideal starting point or stopover for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It lies virtually on a line between the old Cistercian Abbey of Loccum near Bremen and Passau, and is very well connected via the already developed pilgrimage routes Loccum–Volkenroda and Via Porta – Volkenroda–Waldsassen.

But pilgrimage is not (only) physical activity in nature or another form of tourism; it is always a spiritually motivated journey—to a special holy place and to yourself. Pilgrims’ motivations are as diverse as people themselves.

In the European Middle Ages, deeply permeated by the Christian spirit, pilgrimages of supplication and thanksgiving—or penitential pilgrimages—were central. This still plays a role, but it presupposes an already existing spiritual certainty. Today, it is more the search for certainty, for the all-encompassing spirit of creation, and for one’s personal path that moves people to go on pilgrimage. For many, pilgrimage can be both a method and a sign of practising conversion—turning away from harmful, unhealthy behaviour and starting anew, finding one’s own centre and life force again.

Unlike a pilgrimage to a shrine (Wallfahrt)—a short, festival-like religious interruption of everyday life to experience, often in community, the closeness of God at a holy place—on a pilgrimage the long journey itself is essential alongside the destination. It simply takes time and contemplative calm to switch off from everyday life and become open again to the experience of the Spirit. That is why it is so important to undertake a pilgrimage (unlike a Wallfahrt) on foot or by bicycle, because walking and cycling are meditation in motion.

It often takes quite some time to free yourself from the constraints and routines of everyday life and open up to the experience of the Spirit. The real constraints modern people are subject to often make it impossible to do a long pilgrimage like the Jerusalem Way in one go. But the sections should not be too short. Even the section of the Jerusalem Way from Waldsassen to Passau, planned for about two weeks, is actually too short to truly be on the road. This can lead to disappointment and frustration because the hoped-for effect does not materialise.

It is therefore recommended not to start the pilgrimage route in Waldsassen immediately after arrival, but to take time to make use of the special atmosphere and the religious offerings of the old Cistercian town and the abbey, and in this way to tune in to the journey. A rest day is important not only in between, but especially at the beginning. It can be used, for example, for a day pilgrimage along the Rosary Stations Path to the Church of the Holy Trinity (Kappl) or to the nearby pilgrimage site of Maria Loretto, or simply for rest in the monastery garden, attending Mass in the basilica/monastery church, joining the sisters’ Liturgy of the Hours, or receiving the pilgrim’s blessing before setting off.

Route description:

The day’s stage begins on the Basilica Square in the town of Waldsassen, which is surrounded by the historic buildings of Waldsassen Abbey. To the east stands the imposing Collegiate Basilica of St John; adjoining it to the south is the Waldsassen Cistercian Nuns’ Abbey with the famous Baroque Abbey Library, the monastery church, the St Joseph Guesthouse and the Large Monastery Garden with the environmental station and the Art Nouveau garden schoolhouse. Attached to the basilica on the north side, the former monastery guesthouse with its arcades connects the old abbey church with the Abbot’s Palace. To the west, the town hall closes off the square. A passageway next to the southern end of the town hall leads into the “New Gardens”, restored in 2017. To the north, the square narrows between the former town clerk’s house and, behind it, the former gatekeeper’s house on the left, and the former abbey granary office building on the right. To the northeast, a footpath connects the Schwanenwiese car park and motorhome parking area via the fortifications of the former Abbot’s Palace with the Basilica Square. In the middle of the Basilica Square stands the Diepoldsbrunnen fountain with the statue of the monastery’s founder, Margrave Diepold III of Vohburg.

The route runs along the outside of the St Joseph Guesthouse across Goetheplatz, which adjoins directly to the south. On the square stands the Goethe Column, made by the artist Erwin Otte from glass panels from the Waldsassen Lamberts glassworks. On the site of today’s commercial building on the west side of the square stood, as late as 1961/62, the so-called “Eisenfronfeste”, the prison of the Waldsassen district court built in 1808. At the southern end of Goetheplatz, Brauhausstraße branches off to the left; along it are the former monastery brewery, the monastery mill converted into a facility for people with disabilities with the abbey’s pilgrim rooms, and the entrance to the Large Monastery Garden with the environmental station.

However, the Jerusalem Way continues south through Museumsstraße. On the left is the Stiftland Museum. Museumsstraße ends at Karolinenring, which follows the course of the former outer ring wall of the monastery. At the junction of Museumsstraße and Karolinenring used to be the Lower Gate. The route then turns left eastwards to Badstraße and follows it further south.

A little further along Karolinenring towards the Wondreb stream stands an Mount of Olives chapel with life-size figures carved from linden wood, which was built into the outer ring wall in 1733. On the Wondreb bridge stands a sculpture of the bridge saint Nepomuk, commissioned in 1746 by Abbot Alexander Vogel.

From the former Lower Gate to Schupfenteich, the pilgrimage route follows Altstraße to Altenhammer and the parallel, now silted-up channel of the Mühlbach. Between Badstraße and the Wondreb is the Egrensis outdoor pool. The route crosses Lämmerstraße and continues straight ahead. After a few metres you reach the edge of the village and the view opens to the southeast over the Wondreb river lowlands. This section of the river was renaturalised in recent years. However, the wide meanders of the historic riverbed could not be restored. Shortly before crossing the Glasmühlbach, you can see the Gimpelrang oxbow lake on the right bank of the Wondreb. From the confluence of the Glasmühlbach begins the Fauna-Flora-Habitat (FFH area) “Wondreb between Leonberg and Waldsassen” with its diverse, species-rich habitats. 140 m after the bridge over the Glasmühlbach, the pilgrimage route crosses the path to Kondrau. A wooden crucifix in front of a small copse marks the junction. After another approx. 430 m, a path branches off left to the Wondreb. There is a small picnic area there by a renaturalised stretch of water with a water wheel on the Mühlbach and a ford across the Wondreb. The pilgrimage route, however, continues a little further straight ahead on Altstraße to the marked turn-off of the Oberpfalzweg to the left onto the pond dam of Schupfenteich. Right at the beginning of Schupfenteich, after a short, narrow footpath, there is a hidden wooden hut used as a nature observation hide. At the eastern end of the dam, the route first crosses the mill channel and then, over a weir and another narrow bridge, the Wondreb. It then turns south and runs through the forest above the Wondreb.

Shortly after a farmstead on the left side of the path, there is a wayside cross at the turn-off to Altenhammer. The hammer mill estate lies below the path on an island between the mill channel and the Wondreb. Altenhammer is first mentioned in documents in 1434 as Hammer ob dem Stift. It was a water-powered hammer forge. The iron processed there was mined from the 13th century onwards near the monastery-owned villages of Kleinsterz and Pfaffenreuth (near the Eisernen Hut, 594 m above sea level, the ore deposit reaches the surface. After the end of ore mining, pyrite was extracted there from 1923–71 in the Bayerland mine). Until 1803, Altenhammer was operated by Waldsassen Cistercian Abbey as a monastery-owned estate.

Continue following the Oberpfalzweg to the village of Königshütte. There, at the first junction within the village, the Oberpfalzweg branches off to the left. The pilgrimage route, however, takes a shorter route through the villages of Königshütte, Neuhof and Leonberg and to the historic and religious points there. Southeast of Leonberg, the two routes meet again.

In Königshütte, continue downhill across the junction towards the historic village centre. On the right stands the neoclassical salt warehouse. At district road 3, the route passes through the former Royal Bavarian ironworks to Neuhof. At the edge of the village, on the left, there is a children’s playground.

Right after a short ascent, on the left side of the road, stands the farmstead of the former grange Neuhof, which belonged to Waldsassen Abbey from 1234 to 1803. The granges (monastery farms) were the stable economic foundation of the Cistercian monasteries. At first run by conversi (lay brothers), later mostly through compulsory or paid labour or by leasing, the farms produced agricultural goods for the monastery’s own needs, but also for sale in the urban monastery courtyards. In addition to arable farming and livestock, the granges in the Stiftland usually also had fish ponds. Near Neuhof, they lie in the valley of the Kornmühlbach to the east below the village.

Just under 170 m after leaving Neuhof, the pilgrimage route branches off at a bend in the district road towards Zirkenreuth, heading south towards the forest. Follow the path through the forest. At the end of the wooded section, shortly before Leonberg, it meets district road 40. From there, walk about 200 m towards Leonberg, cross district road 22 and after another 60 m turn right into the village of Leonberg. The village road first heads west and then turns south. At the junction, do not go towards Mitterteich, but uphill between the parish church of St Leonhard with Baroque Mount of Olives and cemetery chapel, and the rectory from 1772, back to district road 40. From the church forecourt there is a beautiful view over the farmsteads of the village into the Wondreb basin and towards Mitterteich.

The pilgrimage route crosses district road 40, meets the Oberpfalzweg again after about 225 m, and then, after another 25 m, turns right (south) with it towards Dobrigau. Dobrigau, belonging to Waldsassen Monastery since 1227, is a typical example of a circular green village laid out in a planned way during the high medieval territorial development. At the junction in the village centre, go a short way to the right and then, following the Oberpfalzweg, go left down into the Wondreb valley across the village green between the playground and the wayside cross. The route first heads west and then, about 290 m after leaving the village, turns sharply south. After crossing the Wondreb bridge, the route continues south through the village of Themenreuth to federal road B 15. This can be crossed at the Finkenstich inn via an underpass. Along the B 15 runs the European watershed. South of it, flowing waters drain via the Danube into the Black Sea; north of it, via the Elbe and Rhine into the North Sea. The pilgrimage route continues to follow the Oberpfalzweg. Shortly after the B 15, it turns west and then leads in an arc to Münchsgrün. Note: After crossing the B 15 via the underpass, you must first walk back about 12 m to the right along the road to reach the turn-off. Alternatively, you can take the shortcut along the road to Münchsgrün.

The marked route crosses the line of the Letten ponds, emerges from the forest again west of Münchsgrün, and then turns sharply left towards the village. In the village, after about 190 m, the route turns south at the first junction towards Tirschenreuth.

Shortly after a bend towards the southeast, the route crosses a stream between two fish ponds, the Harlohe. In the area south of the path up to the next junction lies the early modern deserted settlement of Schmierhütte. Around 1840 there were still a few small buildings there, presumably used by the state forestry office.

After another approx. 1.15 km, the route (Oberpfalzweg) turns sharply right to the south and continues to the Tirschenreuth pond basin. After crossing the dam between the first two ponds (Steiningerteich), the route turns southeast again at Kreuzholz and leads between the ponds to the junction with the European cycle route “Der blaue Weg” on the trackbed of the former Wiesau–Bärnau local railway. In Bavaria, local railways were built under an 1869 law as rail lines of local importance to open up rural areas. For economic reasons, operations on the line opened in 1872 were discontinued between Bärnau and Tirschenreuth in 1975 and further on to Wiesau in 1989.

At the junction, the pilgrimage route leaves the Oberpfalzweg. The Oberpfalzweg continues to the right towards the Himmelsleiter at the pond basin and then leads in a wide arc around Tirschenreuth to the west. A detour to the Himmelsleiter, about 440 m away, is recommended. From this elevated spot, you can truly take in the unique cultural and natural landscape of the pond basin with its almost 600 ponds. At the junction, the pilgrimage route follows the trackbed of the local railway (Vizinalbahn cycle path/Der blaue Weg/local hiking trail 24821 – 1000 ponds and Himmelsleiter, red on white marking) to Tirschenreuth. Shortly before reaching the edge of Tirschenreuth, the route crosses a partially silted-up pond with the Fischerhüttenbach stream. Then, on the left, comes the Vorholz picnic area at the village entrance. The route continues along the edge of the town, crosses Kornbühlstraße and then follows Falkenberger Straße and Bahnhofstraße. At the roundabout, go a short way to the right until Bahnhofstraße branches off again from B 15 towards the town centre. It leads directly to the central Maximilianplatz in the old town. Shortly before reaching the square, follow Schmellerstraße on the left to the parish and pilgrimage church of the Assumption of Mary with the grace chapel and Mount of Olives chapel, and the historic rectory; go via the church square with the Marienbrunnen fountain, Hospitalstraße with the former hospital, and Koloman-Maurer-Straße in an arc to the northeast corner of Maximilianplatz. From there, go left through Hoermanngasse to the former monastery on Luitpoldplatz. Go a short way to the right along Hochwarthstraße with the former Fronveste, then take the footpath on the left past the Museumsquartier Tirschenreuth and the tourist information office to Regensburger Straße. There, turn right and immediately left again, passing south of the Haus am Teich and onto the Path of a Thousand Ponds, with information about Germany’s fish-farming regions, to the Stadtteich circular path. Follow the Stadtteich circular path either to the left along the shore of the (Upper) Stadtteich and then—after a swing over the Mühlbach—over the historic Fischhof bridge to the Fischhof, the former grange of Waldsassen Abbey in Tirschenreuth, or take the shortcut by going a short way to the right and then directly over the modern footbridge (Max-Gleißner tension band bridge) to the Fischhof.

Information and contact addresses

District of Tirschenreuth:

– Tourism Centre, District of Tirschenreuth

Mähringer Str. 7, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/88223, email: tourismus@tirschenreuth.de, www.oberpfaelzerwald.de

– Stiftsland Holiday Region

c/o Tourist Info Waldsassen, Basilikaplatz 3, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/88160, email: tourist-info@waldsassen.de, www.ferienregion-stiftsland.de

Waldsassen:

– Waldsassen Cistercian Nuns’ Abbey

Basilikaplatz 2, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/92000, email: info@abtei-waldsassen.de, www.abtei-waldsassen.de

– Waldsassen Foundation for Culture & Encounter Centre and Environmental Station

Basilikaplatz 2, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/920044, email: kubz@abtei-waldsassen.de, umweltstation@abtei-waldsassen.de, www.kubz.de

– Catholic Town Parish Office Waldsassen

Basilikaplatz 6, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/1387, email: info@pfarrei-waldsassen.de, www.pfarrei-waldsassen.de

– Evangelical Lutheran Parish

Parish office Johannisplatz 7, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/1281, email: pfarramt.waldsassen@elkb.de, www.waldsassen-evangelisch.de

– Tourist Info Waldsassen

Basilikaplatz 3, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/88160, email: tourist-info@waldsassen.de, www.waldsassen.de

Leonberg:

– Tourist Information Mitterteich

Kirchplatz 12, 95666 Mitterteich

Tel.: +49/9633/89-123, email: tourist-info@mitterteich.de, www.mitterteich.de

Tirschenreuth

– Catholic Parish Office Tirschenreuth

Kirchplatz 3, 95643 Tirschenreuth,

Tel.: +49/9631/1451, email: info@pfarrei-tirschenreuth.de, www.pfarrei-tirschenreuth.de

– Evangelical Lutheran Parish of Tirschenreuth

Büttellochweg 1, 95643 Tirschenreuth,

Tel.: +49/9631/1396, email: pfarramt.tirschenreuth@elkb.de, www.evanelische-kirchengemeinde-tirschenreuth.de

– Tourist Info Tirschenreuth

Regensburger Str. 6, 95643 Tirschenreuth,

Tel.: +49/9631/600248, email: stefanie.suess@stadt-tirschenreuth.de, www.stadt-tirschenreuth.de

– Fischhofpark Support Association (registered association)

Ringstr. 96a, 95643 Tirschenreuth, www.fischhofparkt-tirschenreuth.de

– ARGE Fisch in the District of Tirschenreuth (registered association)

Mähringer Str. 7, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/88223, email: tourismus@tirschenreuth.de, www.erlebnis-fisch.de

Museums

– Waldsassen Abbey Library

via: Waldsassen Cistercian Nuns’ Abbey

Basilikaplatz 2, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/92000, email: info@abtei-waldsassen.de, www.abtei-waldsassen.de

– Stiftland Museum Waldsassen

Museumsstr. 1, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/88120, email: beatrix.rustler@waldsassen.de, www.waldsassen.de

– Museumsquartier Tirschenreuth

Regensburger Str. 6, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/6122, email: info@museumsquartier-tirschenreuth.de

Accommodation (selection)

Waldsassen:

– St Joseph Guesthouse

Basilikaplatz 2, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/923880, email: info@haus-sankt-joseph.de, www.abtei-waldsassen.de

Nurtschweg host; Nurtschweg stop; certified Upper Palatinate Cycling World host

13 double/15 single rooms, 41 beds

With monastery shop, restaurant and seminar rooms

– Pilgrim rooms

via: Waldsassen Cistercian Nuns’ Abbey

Basilikaplatz 2, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/92000, email: info@abtei-waldsassen.de, www.abtei-waldsassen.de

– Hotel-Gasthof Zrenner

Dr.-Otto-Seidl-Str. 13, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/5555, email: info@hotel-zrenner.de, www.hotel-zrenner.de

Nurtschweg host; certified Upper Palatinate Cycling World host

22 rooms, 38 beds

– Hotel-Restaurant at the former Royal Bavarian Forester’s House

Basilikaplatz 5, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/9204-0, email: info@koenigliches-forsthaus.de, www.koenigliches-forsthaus.de

19 double/6 single rooms, 44 beds

– Hotel-Restaurant Bayerischer Hof

Bahnhofstr. 15, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/923130, email: info@bayerischerhof-waldsassen.de, www.bayerischerhof-waldsassen.de

– Gasthof Roeckl

Kolpingstr. 19, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/5378, email: info@gasthof-roeckl.de, www.gasthof-roeckl.de

8 double/2 single rooms

– More guesthouses and accommodation (hosts directory) via Tourist Info Waldsassen

Themenreuth:

– Gasthof Finkenstich

Owner: A. Weidlich, Themenreuth 7, 95666 Leonberg-Themenreuth

Tel.: +49/9633/1362, email: info@finkenstich.de, www.finkenstich.de

11 beds in single and double rooms, regional cuisine, beer garden

– Burger holiday apartment

Owner: J. Burger, Themenreuth 22, 95666 Leonberg-Themenreuth

Tel.: +49/9633/689, email: burgerkathrin@yahoo.de

1 holiday apartment

– More holiday apartments and accommodation (hosts directory) via Tourist Info Mitterteich

Tirschenreuth:

– Hotel-Restaurant Seenario

Owner: M. Häring, Platz am See 1+2, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/7999341-0, email: rezeption@hotel-seenario.de, www.hotel-seenario.de

25 double rooms, 1 accessible room, restaurant with lake terrace, fitness studio

– Brigitte private guesthouse

Owner: B. Bock, Mitterteicher Str. 38, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/798698, email: info@privatpension-brigitte.de, www.privatpension-brigitte.de

2 double rooms

– Eckert-Schuller private guesthouse

Owner: R. Schuller, Kornbühlstr. 7, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/4571, mobile: 0160/93960953

6 rooms with 9 beds, breakfast available

– Luft private guesthouse

Owner: O. Luft, Ringstr. 10, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/4180

3 double rooms, 1 of which is accessible

– Haus Elfi

Owner: E. Flauger, Theresienstr. 23, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/2802, email: haus.elfi@t-online.de

2 apartments, 1 single room, breakfast available

– Beer holiday apartment

Owner: W. Beer, Schützenstr. 11, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/5384, email: kontakt@beer-fewo.de, www.beer-fewo.de

1 holiday apartment

– Christina holiday apartment

Owner: C. Maischl, Stiftlandring 81, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/6004639, mobile: 0152/26236371, email: franz-josef-maischl@gmx.de

1 holiday apartment, breakfast available

– Gleißner holiday apartment

Owner: J. Gleißner, Kanonikus-Mehler-Str. 4, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Tel.: +49/9631/7279280, mobile: 0151/17063681, email: gleissner-ferienwohnung-tirschenreuth@gmx.de, www.ferienwohnung-tirschenreuth.jimdofree.com

1 holiday apartment

– Mia holiday apartment

Tuchmacherstr. 18, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Mobile: 0152/26236371, email: peternickl10@googlemail.com

1 holiday apartment

– Konrad holiday apartment

Lohnsitz 21, 95643 Tirschenreuth-Lohnsitz

Tel.: +49/9631/7991819, email: enail44@web.de, www.ferienwohnung-zum-see-tir.de

1 holiday apartment

– Zant holiday apartment with a view of the greenery

Owner: S. Zant, Kornbühlstr. 55, 95643 Tirschenreuth

Mobile: 0176/62269272, email: zant.sandra@web.de

1 holiday apartment

– More accommodation (hosts directory) and dining directory via Tourist Info Tirschenreuth

Bike rental

Waldsassen:

– Tourist Info Waldsassen

Basilikaplatz 3, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/88160, email: tourist-info@waldsassen.de, www.waldsassen.de

– Bike Station Waldsassen

Prinz-Ludwig-Str. 34, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/5632, email: info@bike-station-waldsassen.de, www.bike-station-waldsassen.de

Bicycle and e-bike rental, bicycle repairs

Luggage transport for hikers

Waldsassen:

– “Staade Zeiten”, via: Tourist Info Waldsassen

Basilikaplatz 3, 95652 Waldsassen

Tel.: +49/9632/88160, email: tourist-info@waldsassen.de, www.waldsassen.de

Luggage transport for hikers, guided hiking tours …